Friends don't let friends drive Neons

[NapaBavarian]

I finally saw something to one up the Saturn that I saw in the junkyard 2 years ago...just as a refresher, a couple years ago I was sauntering through the pick'n'pull yard when I had to grab my buddy and show him the Saturn, it was hit in the rear and the back seat was folded flat against the backs of the front seats

Today I was driving across one of the local "death alley's" and came across a 3-5 minute old accident, a Neon had spun arround and into oncoming lanes, once backwards it contacted a suburban going the opposite direction and crushed the front seat almost into the steering wheel(I thought at first the back half of the car was torn off, then as we passed I realized 8' of car was taking up 6" of space ), not sure if the driver made it, but it was a reminder that econoboxes are a sad way to risk it, so glad that those here drive subarus

[NikFu S.]

I'm sure the driver was acting a fool.

Some kid in an Escort made it a point to catch up to and pace me the other day, then as I pulled safely to a stop, he hauls in right behind the guy in his lane giving no quarter, as since I gave myself a good 10 feet between the car in front of me he takes it upon himself to cut me off before the light even turns green, waves in the mirror to me, then weaves through very tight traffic on slippery, crappy roads with no use of signals.

Man I was just wishing he would slam himself into a pole or tree or something and obliterate his stupid little car, shatter a bone or two and have his liscense revoked.

No sensible driver is going to put themself into these situations.

[NapaBavarian]

Turns out driver was making a U turn scarey that so much damage was done from a 55mph or so impact

And that is about the worst possible place to make a U turn, then add rain, strangely the passanger didn't make it, but the damage was on the drivers side...

[It's Just Eric]

..Ill have to get a picture of the escort in front of an autobody place in town.
Basicly, theres no way in hell the driver made it out alive. The car looks like it side swiped a pole at 5 billion miles an hour. When I firtst saw it..I questioned that it was possible to get an escort fast enough to do the damage that was done. Ill never drive an econobox ever ever after seeing that

[thundering02]

Didn't you guys see the wrx between the two semi's and how it was squished? just cause the Neons a little more squished than the sube would have been does not prove either is invincible....

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by thundering02

Didn't you guys see the wrx between the two semi's and how it was squished? just cause the Neons a little more squished than the sube would have been does not prove either is invincible....

the guy in the WRX walked away from that accident.

[svxsubaru1]

No car would be any less smashed than that WRX, it got sanwidwitch beween a 40+mph Semi with a trailor, and a stoped semi. There is defintily a big driffrence between that and a surburban hitting a car. While i belive the Sube has far better accident protection than the neon the only reason that guy in the WRX walked away from that was pure luck the engineeres never even thought about the car having to have to absord that much energy.

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by svxsubaru1

No car would be any less smashed than that WRX, it got sanwidwitch beween a 40+mph Semi with a trailor, and a stoped semi. There is defintily a big driffrence between that and a surburban hitting a car. While i belive the Sube has far better accident protection than the neon the only reason that guy in the WRX walked away from that was pure luck the engineeres never even thought about the car having to have to absord that much energy.

i remember reading that the 2002 Imprezas were designed to be twice as rigid as the previous generation. that's why i bought one for the wife - they are safe little tanks.

"ring-shaped reinforcement frames" in the front, center, and rear of the body structure are designed to disperse impact energy around the passenger compartment. the engineers knew what they were doing.

[subi-crosser]

Originally Posted by NapaBavarian

I finally saw something to one up the Saturn that I saw in the junkyard 2 years ago...just as a refresher, a couple years ago I was sauntering through the pick'n'pull yard when I had to grab my buddy and show him the Saturn, it was hit in the rear and the back seat was folded flat against the backs of the front seats

Today I was driving across one of the local "death alley's" and came across a 3-5 minute old accident, a Neon had spun arround and into oncoming lanes, once backwards it contacted a suburban going the opposite direction and crushed the front seat almost into the steering wheel(I thought at first the back half of the car was torn off, then as we passed I realized 8' of car was taking up 6" of space ), not sure if the driver made it, but it was a reminder that econoboxes are a sad way to risk it, so glad that those here drive subarus

When the Neon was NEW, I saw one that had been hit broadside by a Chevette.. I was talking to a ( Neon) salesman the next day about the accident, and he asked me if the Neon had done OK?, I told him that the Neon had required 2 rollbacks, and the Chevette was driven home!!

A friend was telling me of an accident where a 93 Legacy wagon was hit from behind by a 'drunk neon', and the ambulance was called to haul the subi driver to the hospital... The husband showed up at the scene, and the neon was totaled, the drunk was mouthy, and the cops pulled the subi drivers husband off the drunk.. He then jumped into the subi that had just been 'totaled' by the neon, and made it to the hospital in 10 minutes!
( it was an 18 mile trip!!) He still drives the 93, and it doesn't look real good, but he will not give it up because it is the safest car he's ever MET!!
Jerry

[NapaBavarian]

Originally Posted by thundering02

Didn't you guys see the wrx between the two semi's and how it was squished? just cause the Neons a little more squished than the sube would have been does not prove either is invincible....

That was pure luck, and the WRX was pushed underneath the trailer, survivibility of that one was more luck of the draw.

This neon's rear bumper was pushed so far forward that the back of the rear bumper would have been ahead of the back of where the factory put the B piller...now here is the important part, there was no front impact to the Neon, that means that nothing was holding it back other than it's own mass, the WRX had a truck that weighed likley arround 80,000# holding it back and another truck pushing it foreward, and still looked about the same or better than this neon with a 6000# suburban pushing it arround, now imagine you had your kid in the back seat siting at a stoplight and get rearended

[NikFu S.]

Thing is, crash tests are not relegated to excess of 35-40mph. I don't expect Neons to survive beyond that.

I'm kind of interested in how far away the Suburban was as the Neon flung itself over and whether the driver was even paying attention.

[NapaBavarian]

I read the papper and the Neon driver made an illegal U turn...this is on a rural highway just beyond a blind turn although the burb was in the straight stretch, and once turned arround got rear ended it looked like the burb was fairly close to begin with

[NapaBavarian]

http://www.naparegister.com/articles...iq_3308684.txt

[NikFu S.]

Originally Posted by NapaBavarian

I read the paper and the Neon driver made an illegal U turn...this is on a rural highway just beyond a blind turn although the burb was in the straight stretch, and once turned arround got rear ended it looked like the burb was fairly close to begin with

"She drove directly into the path of another motorist who was traveling east on the highway in a light-gray Chevy Suburban, they said. Calvillo said the eastbound motorist attempted to stop, but couldn't do so in time and collided with the rear of the Neon.
...
Rain sprinkled the valley throughout Saturday, but it was not raining at the time of the accident. Roads were wet, and according to CHP Sgt. Karen Shackford, it's possible that the woman never saw the oncoming Suburban."

So it seems the Neon driver is completely at fault. Actin' a fool.
If only it didn't require the death of innocent people to get some people to realize they shouldn't be on the road.

[NapaBavarian]

If I don't have time to go to the next safe turn arround do I really have time to sit in the hospital/morgue for a few weeks?