Accident result witnessed :(

[jscorse]

This morning while cruising to work I witnessed the results of an terrible accident. It made an impact.

It was hard to tell, but I think it WAS a minivan or an SUV. It looked like a large hand had crumpled the vehicle like a sheet of paper going into the waste basket.

My chest is heavy just having seen this tragedy and I just wanted to express my feelings.

There were paramedics and others around what I presume is the driver about 50 feet from the crumpled mess. I suppose that's a good sign. At least they were working on him/her.

I was on 495N (Lowell) where Rt 3 merges so there was about 5 lanes of nearly stopped traffic looking that the scene on the 'other' side of the highway. It made quite an impression on others too...

I realize that my car, nor myself, are invincible but these people in large, high center of gravity, vehicles take note. They will roll surprisingly easy for a simple lane change. There seemed to be no other cars involved so that is my guess at what happened.

I finished my trek to work with BOTH hands on the wheel.

As they say....be careful out there.

- Jeff

[eddycat2000]

It's hard to believe that people don't realize that when they get in their car they are placing themselves (and others) in danger. You're purposely hurling yourself down the road at 60+ miles an hour in a 3k lb. hunk of metal.

It ought to be mandatory for drivers ed students to take a tour of body shop holding lots, and/or salvage yards. Look at the interiors of a few of these wrecks, (blood everywhere), and then you get a more personal view of what really happens when something goes wrong.

Even in our residential neighborhood we have these (for the most part) kids whippin' down the road at 50 mph. A couple of years ago we had an accident on our corner and fortunately the cars just smashed into our yard. I hope it doesn't happen again because we have since put up a three foot retaining wall.

[Mr. Pockets]

When I was a stupid kid...wait, no...I still am...

...anyway, I used to own a Toyota truck. I would venture a guess that its center of gravity was very similar to some of today's SUVs. A little taller, maybe, but definitely with stiffer suspension (If the SUVs I've driven recently are any indication - and that softer, 'car-like' suspension scares the crap out of me. Freaking six-foot-tall Lincoln Town Cars.).

I rolled it at about 25mph. It didn't take much - a big honkin' rock. Good thing I wasn't going any faster or (precise physics simulation running in my head) it could have possibly turned to the left and rolled over a couple of times.

Being in a vehicle when it's not right-side-up, as you're used to, is not fun. Doing it at a high speed with stuff flying around the cabin, the walls closing in and air bags going off has got to be terrifying - not to mention life-threatening.

My hope is that the IIHS and other organizations can get through to the soccer moms and convince them that bigger and higher doesn't mean safer.

If not, the carnage on the side of the road should do the trick.

All winter long I get the jerks blowing by in their Expeditions. Inevitably, once or twice a winter, those same people end up in the median. Sometimes they end up on their sides, sometimes upside-down, sometimes on top of other vehicles.

Look at me - it's freaking August and I'm already *****ing about 'invincible' SUV drivers in snow.

Anyway, if you have an SUV, please be careful and realize the precarious position you're in. And not just for your own safety, but for mine too. I'm in an even smaller car this year - and one without AWD or ABS, so I can't avoid you as easily.