Hey guys, it's 3am and my brother just got home from an accident. some of you guys may know him, he used to frequent this board as J0nathanl3e. so some jerk cut him off and forces him to run off the road to prevent a collision with this idiot. now his new amuse bumper is destroyed and on top of that, the stupid *** cop who came to the scene writes him up for a $550 ticket for the accident? talk about a rubbing salt on a wound. but here's the real reason why i'm posting this up, my brother managed to slow down to about 35-40 miles before colliding with the barrier and yet the air bags did not deploy. i've been searching around and i cannot find some solid information on air bags. all i can find are facts about the sensors and how the air bags deploy. this was a head on collision at 35-40 mph, i've seen air bags being deployed for hits in the low 20's before. ever since he got home, he keeps mentioning a lower back pain. so i've come to you guys to see if anyone can help me out with some useful facts. i'm just glad my brother is okay. but i can't help but feel bad for his poor s2k. now i know you guys love pictures so here's some for you guys to feast on.















here's what she looked like in her former glory.


thanks guys.

Mike

 

the sensors are obviously not in the amuse bumper, and your brother's frame looks ok to me. i highly doubt your brother hit headon at 35-40mph.. probably 20-25 on impact. at 35-40, i assure you if he hit anything that would stop the car (lets say a concrete wall) the airbags would have deployed..

 

no way he hit that going 35-40 mph...the front end would be tore to **** and the car would most-likely be totaled.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dagle &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the sensors are obviously not in the amuse bumper, and your brother's frame looks ok to me. i highly doubt your brother hit headon at 35-40mph.. probably 20-25 on impact. at 35-40, i assure you if he hit anything that would stop the car (lets say a concrete wall) the airbags would have deployed..</TD></TR></TABLE>

what sensor do you speak of? there are no sensors in the oem bumper either as far as i'm concerned. and i assure you sir it was 35-40. i mean he was on the freeway going 70 when it all happened. my brother was knocked out. when he came to, he thought he hit a car obviously due to the impact. this is the whole point of my thread. he had a head on collision with a barrier at sufficient speeds and the air bags did not deploy. that is why i'm here trying to garner some information.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ReddotsS2K &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">no way he hit that going 35-40 mph...the front end would be tore to **** and the car would most-likely be totaled.</TD></TR></TABLE>

it was the edge of the barrier, hence the small impact area. the pictures don't do it justice, the bumper support is bent way back on top of other damages. it doesn't look that bad from these pics.

and for the record, i'm not here to argue what did and did not happen. again, i'm just trying to find information about the s2k's air bags and any related materials.

 

i'll clarify, that's my poor s2k. i swerved to miss the other driver and in that i hit the barrier on the side. at that point i was sideways (getting perpendicular to the barrier) and the nose had clipped the barrier. from what i understand, the sensor goes by the rate of deceleration, so the amount of shock the sensor gets comes into play, not 100% sure on this so feel free to correct me.

 

If that was a full front impact it was less than 5 mph.

10mph does an incredible amount of damage. 35-40mph and your bro would be in the hospital or dead and the car would be a ball of interlagos blue scrap metal.

Was it a glancing blow at speed....def not head on.

here is an Odyssey taking a 40mph impact. Your bro should maybe keep a safe following distance in the future and avoid this completely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKl-DEYYfq8


Modified by M3BimmerBilly at 6:27 AM 8/27/2008

 

not sure what u mean, but there is no way you hit a wall head-on at 35-40 and end up with a mangled bumper + bent fender apron / bumper support / rad support.. for sure at 35-40 the damages would be way more severe.. maybe you guys cruise at way higher speeds and dont realize that 35-40 to ZERO in a split second is a crucial impact.

 

you guys must not be able to read, stop posting useless nonsense about the speed of the collision. If he was indeed sliding sideways when he hit the rail and it was a glancing blow that would explain why the bags did not deploy. the sensors read g-force as well as other things and if they did not calculate the need to deploy they won't.

On another note, what was the reasoning the officer gave for writting the citation?

 

the speed that i hit the barrier was definitely slower than the speed that i was traveling. since i was going sideways at the point of impact, the rate at which i hit the barrier wasn't substantial. my bumper just clipped the barrier while it was facing head on then continued to spin off of the barrier putting me further down from the point of impact. i just wonder what kind of shock the sensor needs to endure in order for the airbags to deploy. either way my bumper is toast and i'm just thankful that no one was seriously injured. be careful out there guys.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by envee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you guys must not be able to read, stop posting useless nonsense about the speed of the collision. If he was indeed sliding sideways when he hit the rail and it was a glancing blow that would explain why the bags did not deploy. the sensors read g-force as well as other things and if they did not calculate the need to deploy they won't.

On another note, what was the reasoning the officer gave for writting the citation?</TD></TR></TABLE>

i haven't had a chance to actually look at the ticket but i did ask my brother what reason the cop gave and he said "because i got in an accident". but i guess if you were to get technical, i suppppppppose he could write him up for reckless driving but he should be able to argue the fact that he was cut off and forced to run off the road to avoid colliding with the idiot who cut him off, right? i honestly have lost all faith in the police department, err the whole system for that matter.

 

the officer told me that i had no proof or witnesses that correctly placed me in the incident, so he wrote me up for negligent driving? i mean how do you produce witnesses at 2am on road that is nearly deserted at night and a driver who just happened to have fled. i'm not sure what kind of reasoning that is, but he could have just made sure i made it home safe or something. honestly at this point i just want my car back to what it used to be.

 

It's a 1 car accident involving a sports car, what do you think an officer thinks rolling up to that scene? I'm sure they hear stories all the time, the fact of the matter is you failed to control your vehicle.

It's hard to actually do it, but you're far better off letting someone hit you instead of wrecking your car avoiding an accident.

And airbags only deploy in a hard frontal impact (as said above). Be glad they didn't go off because it'd just be more money to fix.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by njn63 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's a 1 car accident involving a sports car, what do you think an officer thinks rolling up to that scene? I'm sure they hear stories all the time, the fact of the matter is you failed to control your vehicle.

It's hard to actually do it, but you're far better off letting someone hit you instead of wrecking your car avoiding an accident.

And airbags only deploy in a hard frontal impact (as said above). Be glad they didn't go off because it'd just be more money to fix.</TD></TR></TABLE>

true, unless they end up killing you cuz you let them run into you lol

 

the fact of the matter is that i did my best to keep my car away from harms way, which means trying to avoid the collision. in those brief moments, you don't have much time to weigh your options. i did what i instinctively believed to be the best thing to do, and i have no regrets. i ended up nudging the barrier in avoidance of a potentially bigger collision, which i still believe is very rational. either way, i walk away with my health and an easy fix for the s2k. and also, now i have a better understanding of why the airbags did not deploy.

oh and btw, it was raining here in washington which helped my car slide a bit easier. i also think that since i did slide a lot easier in the wet, the force of the impact was greatly lessened than it would have been in the dry. also, now i have a better understanding of why the airbags did not deploy.


be safe out there guys

 

The airbags didn't go off because the frontal impact was not hard enough. It has to be from the front...

Whatever ticket you got should be dropped in cort. No way you can get a negligent or reckless driving ticket with no witnesses. That's about the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. Now if someone called in and reported your driving, and was willing to come and testify that would be a different story but it still would be very hard for them to prove in court.

I could see them writing a "failure to control vehicle to avoid collision" ticket but that too would be dropped in court if there were no witnesses.

Basically the cop was a douche bag and wanted to [freak] you over, not only in court but with your insurance company. Now that you have a ticket it will most def be claimed your fault by insurance. Sometimes they do a hit and run type deal where your insurance does not go up at all. That all depends on your insurance company. This ticket would usually indicate to the company that this should not be an option for you. Once the charges are dropped in court, the insurance company CANNOT hold that against you. It does not mean they will not try!


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by njn63 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's hard to actually do it, but you're far better off letting someone hit you instead of wrecking your car avoiding an accident.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I know it's hard but you HAVE to go by this rule at all times. (unless it's going to be your fault=IE rear ending him with no witnesses or HIS reckless driving.)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by White Smoke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Whatever ticket you got should be dropped in cort. No way you can get a negligent or reckless driving ticket with no witnesses. That's about the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. Now if someone called in and reported your driving, and was willing to come and testify that would be a different story but it still would be very hard for them to prove in court.

I could see them writing a "failure to control vehicle to avoid collision" ticket but that too would be dropped in court if there were no witnesses.

Basically the cop was a douche bag and wanted to [freak] you over, not only in court but with your insurance company. Now that you have a ticket it will most def be claimed your fault by insurance. Sometimes they do a hit and run type deal where your insurance does not go up at all. That all depends on your insurance company. This ticket would usually indicate to the company that this should not be an option for you. Once the charges are dropped in court, the insurance company CANNOT hold that against you. It does not mean they will not try!</TD></TR></TABLE>

you say it can be dismissed if there are no witnesses but what if the cop, himself, comes to court to testify against you? i mean, i know he can't be a witness since he didn't actually see it but he did see the car all banged up next to the barrier. put two and two together right? would they still be able to hold it against my brother?

edit: thanks for the help guys, keep it coming

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ethereal2pt2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what if the cop, himself, comes to court to testify against you? i mean, i know he can't be a witness since he didn't actually see it but he did see the car all banged up next to the barrier. put two and two together right? would they still be able to hold it against my brother?</TD></TR></TABLE>

For one, if the cop is not there it will be thrown out anyway. Or they might try and reschedule but you really have the right to a speedy trial, and it should be thrown out. You may have to argue that.

If no one witnessed him driving in this manner then there is no PROOF! Just because his car is wrecked does not mean he was breaking the law for gods sake. He could have swerved to miss an animal, car, tire, pedestrian, anything... He could have had a blow out, damaged brake system, damaged steering system. There are just SOOOO many causes of an accident, just because he wrecked does not mean he was breaking any laws. For the love of god please don't just pay the ticket and let that cop pull one over on you!!!


Modified by White Smoke at 11:59 AM 8/27/2008

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dagle &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the sensors are obviously not in the amuse bumper, and your brother's frame looks ok to me. i highly doubt your brother hit headon at 35-40mph.. probably 20-25 on impact. at 35-40, i assure you if he hit anything that would stop the car (lets say a concrete wall) the airbags would have deployed..</TD></TR></TABLE>

from the looks of that damage, I'd say he was going 10-15mph. Regardless, there looks to be no damage to the radiator supports, headlights, etc. so it's considered "low impact", and he probably would've been hurt more by the airbags deploying than not.

 

your bro is lucky as **** for not doing more damege at that speed. Just sux his bumper got [freak]ed up

 

oh, also, your brother mentions low back pain? From a frontal collision?

If he was seatbelted, there's no mechanism of injury for a low back pain. That basically means, there's no way he could've injured his low back from that collision, his body in that area would not have moved.

If he was really experiencing pain, it would be in his neck, because his head was not restrained as his body was by a seat belt.

Oh, fyi, I'm a liability claims adjuster and I handle these sort of claims every day

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ethereal2pt2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

you say it can be dismissed if there are no witnesses but what if the cop, himself, comes to court to testify against you? i mean, i know he can't be a witness since he didn't actually see it but he did see the car all banged up next to the barrier. put two and two together right? would they still be able to hold it against my brother?

edit: thanks for the help guys, keep it coming</TD></TR></TABLE>

Remember this, as it is crucial: Police reports on accidents DO NOT HOLD UP IN COURT if the officer was not there and did not witness the accident. If they didn't witness the collision, how can they know for a FACT what happened othe than by listening to the drivers involved and witnesses?

 

Maybe you should've just taken off lol .. im kidding

My GF's brother has a fit that was sandwiched between two cars. The roof frame even bent a little .. but the airbags did not deploy. The reason was he was breaking (person in front slammed on her brakes) so his nose was dipping. Then the person behind him hit him and pushed him into the car in front. Miss the sensors = no airbag deploy.

Btw ..... didnt know interlagos blue was an option color ... or am i missing something?

 

Interlagos blue is not even a Honda color.... lol
It's the color of the competition package m3 and m5 for like 07-08. I know because my civic is painted interlagos blue

That car looks way to light to be interlagos...


Modified by White Smoke at 12:58 PM 8/27/2008

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by White Smoke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Interlagos blue is not even a Honda color.... lol
It's the color of the competition package m3 and m5 for like 06-08. I know because my civic is painter interlagos blue

That car looks way to light to be interlagos.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats what popped into my head. Interlagos blue = M3 ZCP (has a little purple tint to it) .....