If it turns out we are a safe bunch, we can point our insurance companies to this page at renewal time

Drive it like you stole it

none, not even a close call. fingers crossed ...

Andy

I get more people running into me than I ever ran into. Rolled a Datsun Fairlady back in '76 and swore off sports cars until '99 when Dad left me the 914. Since then I've been merged into by a Tbird, and I merged into a deer. The deer got the worst of it, by far. <_<

In my original 914, I came around a corner (going 35+ in a 25 zone) and a huge Ford station wagon was coming down the hill in the middle of the road. Needless to say, his bumper was barely dinged, but my whole front end collapsed. Car would only go in 1st gear.

In my second accident (in a Fiat Spyder), was behind a guy at a stop sign, I saw it was clear to go, so I went, and he didn't. <_<

Life in college was hell on my first 914:

(1) Hit by pickup while looking ofr a parking space (he backed out of his space so fast and hit me so hard my car bounced a foot sideways...then he hit me again "What a dinky lil' car -- Dint even see ya.")

(2) Hit by drunk driver while sitting at a stop sign (he hit me head on, backed up, turned slightly, and hit me again. Court was "interesting.")

(3) Rear-ended by Buick at sloplight (he was going about 50mph -- poor repair by local dealer let to rust death of car years later...should've totalled the car then and there)

(4) Sideswiped by idiot turning left from right hand lane -- while he was signaling a right turn.

(5) Assorted door/fender dings caused by the canes of a line of 5 blind pedestrians who were using the engine noise as a guide to where the crosswalk was...they bounced off the car one at a time...we all laughed that one off

All that within the first four years of ownership.

------

Accident free since age 23

...but my son turns 15 in two years...

I got hit on the passenger side on two accidets. The police blamed me for both. Had to write addendums to both reports. The first one, the police completely lied about what I said and about my direction of travel, although it was aparent by the damage on my vehicle that what they said could not have cause that damage.

The second one I was accused of "driving at unsafe speeds for the conditions" althought I had just taken off from a red light and was heading uphill in a VW Bug. The passenger side was completely smashed into the drivers side. My passenger was killed. RIP Ted! (insert crying smilie)

funny thing, I have had two accidents while driving (neither my fault) and I hit my best friends car both times!!!

Toast: Sorry to hear about Ted! Side impacts in bugs are the worst!

I figure since I started this poll, I should post my experiences... I've never been in an accident but have cetrainly had some close calls. Spun out in my Mustang a few times, and I've had to dodge people merging towards me numerous times. I've also had to slam on the brakes for deer that refused to look both ways before cossing the road.

My mustang has been damaged in accidents though.. all minor. First was when we were trying to jumpstart jkeyzer's tercel back in like 1995. The jumper cables were a tad too short, so I was trying to push the tercel out of the garage a little so it would reach. I guess I was too slow, as Jeff decided to start up my Mustang and move it forward... BUT, the wheels were turned from when I pulled up, and he had never driven a V8 with a stiff clutch. So he revs it up and lets out the clutch, as if he were driving a tercel. *WHAM* He hits the brick wall of his house next to the garage door. I have since fixed the car (bent bumper and right fender), but there is still a chunk of brick missing

Another minor accident was when I had gone to a friend's house to go to a movie.. I parked behind her car, and went inside... When we came out, we all got in her car, and went to leave... She forgot I was parked behind her and backed right into my front bumper (a new one, replaced after the previous mishap) I have since managed to mostly bend it back, but if you crouch in front of it and look straight on, it looks like it's frowning a little

I've had one time that I remember when I was really close, I only escaped it by "evasive driving manuvers".
I was turning left at an intersection. Its a one lane each direction and typically its simular to a stop sign for left hand turners. So I wait for the few people that kept going straight, then I waited for someone who was turning left to turn left myself (Normal driving so far) then I turn left, and I am in the middle of the intersection already in their lane, and this huge astro van goes around the other person making a left, he steps on the gas and I think for a couple of seconds that he obviously see's me, I mean im right in front of him. If I stop right now, he'll hit my front end, if I go normally he'll nail my back. Only problem of steping on it, is that he is headed right twards me and Im in the middle of my turn, The people waiting at the light are stoped and preventing me from avoiding the accident. So I step on the gas slightly and make a quick tight left to avoid the van, then a quick tight right to avoid the people stoped at the right, then another quick left to get in my lane and avoid the people turning right from the opposite direction.

I had a passanger, and he thought that the guy was gona hit me no matter..

I missed the van by a couple of inches, and everyone else my a couple of feet.

Oh do I hate careless drivers.

I seriously thought that that guy was TRYING to hit me.

Thats about it....

Andrew

I thought that was our little secret!!

I do have a thing for inanimate objects. Most of my accidents and close calls have been with curbs, walls, lamp posts, etc... Ooooops.

PS: Nice gaussian distribution there in the voting.