Serious car crash

[dieselVRS]

Hi guys hope everyone is good. I had a serious car accident in July this year. Had to be cut out after I hit another car on the front right hand side(doing about 55mph 60mph) car then rolled 3 times pedal box came up through the floor and shattered my femur against the steering wheel also tore the pcl of the back of my knee. Took fire brigade 3 hours to cut me out but the car she saved my life(gutted it's gone tho 😔 as was 240bhp and 450nm did shift with minimal smoke). Was a cat a write off. Anyway to the question I want to ask. My airbags didn't go off? No warning light was on the board no codes as had my launch x431(mechanic) on it a couple of days before as had an engine management light on for an oxygen sensor also all the airbags where there. Is it because the impact wasn't great enough when I hit the car as I litterly just clipped it an no more which caused my car to turn then gripped and flipped down the road(airbags will more often than not not deploy open roll over weird I know). I understand how airbags work the sensors and everything to do with them just can't figure out why they didn't deploy. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys (sorry about the novel I wrote but it was just to give all info)

[Warrior193]

Hello, very sorry to hear of your accident, glad you got out it with some lives left. I guess your leg has a lot of metalwork in it now - how is your recovery going?

Very surprised to hear that the airbags didn't fire - even if the initial collision was 'only' a glancing hit, I would have thought that an impact sufficient to cause displacement of the pedal box and a triple roll-over should have fired them. I hope you bought yourself a lottery ticket after that - someone's looking out for you!

[Schtum]

Sorry to hear about this.  I'm just along the road from you so I probably read about your collision on Fife Jammers or similar.   How long had you had the car?  I'm wondering if a previous owner had them coded out because of a fault. 

[MikeTheThinker]

Sorry to hear about the smash and glad you've managed to come through it relatively OK.

 

[J.R.]

Glad you are OK.

 

If the car has been taken by the insurers then its too late but a VCDS scan of the airbag control module and its coding would answer all your questions.

 

Sounds like the drivers knee airbag were it to have deployed would have reduced your knee injury.

 

All the airbags except the roof pillar ones had deployed on my Yeti yet it had only had a minor parking speed shunt which scratched the bumper and cracked the grille, it turned out to have been harder than it looked as the crash beam behind the bumper was distorted but I'm still driving on the polished up but unrepaired bumper and bonnet.

 

I would have expected the door pillar airbags to have deployed at the very least.

[dieselVRS]

3 hours ago, Warrior193 said:

Hello, very sorry to hear of your accident, glad you got out it with some lives left. I guess your leg has a lot of metalwork in it now - how is your recovery going?

Very surprised to hear that the airbags didn't fire - even if the initial collision was 'only' a glancing hit, I would have thought that an impact sufficient to cause displacement of the pedal box and a triple roll-over should have fired them. I hope you bought yourself a lottery ticket after that - someone's looking out for you!

Aye got a femoral rod and screws in it. Getting there now femur is healed after only 3 months knee is giving me jip still may need further surgery on it find out in November. Airbags work with accelerometers which don't pick up on a car rolling and depends on where there placed also. Should of funny as thts what alot of people said to me go buy a ticket. Defo on my last life now tho changed my whole outlook on life. 

[dieselVRS]

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

Glad you are OK.

 

If the car has been taken by the insurers then its too late but a VCDS scan of the airbag control module and its coding would answer all your questions.

 

Sounds like the drivers knee airbag were it to have deployed would have reduced your knee injury.

 

All the airbags except the roof pillar ones had deployed on my Yeti yet it had only had a minor parking speed shunt which scratched the bumper and cracked the grille, it turned out to have been harder than it looked as the crash beam behind the bumper was distorted but I'm still driving on the polished up but unrepaired bumper and bonnet.

 

I would have expected the door pillar airbags to have deployed at the very least.

Airbag wouldn't of saved my leg would of caused more pain as the pedal box came up through the floor and pinned me against the steering wheel. There's alot of variables to why airbags deploy and don't deploy hit location speed if you had seatbelt on etc. I know 100% they where working this is what I can't work out dude🤷 only thing I can think of is a component wether a wire or sensor was compromised. Insurance has paid out for my car and the other guys claim. Easy over 100k 😔 my insurance company wanted 5k to insure a Octavia Vrs again when it was £400. 1.0 here I come🤣 

[J.R.]

Accident deemed to be your fault then I guess.

 

In my country insurers are only allowed by law to load a policy premium by a certain amount, 50% for young drivers in their first year, 25% in their second year, thereafter they pay the same as any other driver.

 

Maximum NCB is 50% obtained after 13 years of 5% a year reductions, if you have an accident that is your responsability your bonus coefficient (NCB) will go up 25%, they cannot charge you a centime more, if the base premium increases it can only be the general increase given to all policyholders.

 

So in your case not allowing for any annual inflationary increase you would pay £500, a tenth of what they are asking from you.

 

But its even better than that, say you started with the maximum 50% bonus (on a gross premium of £800) you now have 37.5% bonus, you pay 62.5% of the gross premium, you have another £100K accident, your fault, your bonus is reduced by another 25% so you now pay 78% of the gross premium for the next year = £625!!!

 

You can go on doing this ad infinitum, after 2 more claims you pass into malus, there is a loading on your base premium so if you have accidents 4 years running you would then be paying £975 per year, this can go on until you hit 350% malus 😯 I will let someone else work out how many years of accidents you would have to get there!

 

Then the really crazy thing kicks in, they are not allowed to increase the malus beyond 350% 😯😯😯 so the maximum you would ever pay after years of accidents would be £2800 and you could carry on crashing every year without any financial penalty!! This is half of what your current insurer wants for your renewal after only one fault accident 😒

 

And there is another twist, its the vehicle and not the driver that is insured, if you have two vehicles insured and have a fault accident in one, lets say you were drink driving, clearly a future insurance risk, you only lose 25% of your bonus on the policy that you claimed on, your NCB remains intact on the other vehicle.

 

Insurance is still relatively cheap here and many people keep a second car for runs to the tip etc to keep their main car in good condition, also to use if the main one is broken down, being serviced or repaired etc. The main car would be the VRS and the spare a Fabia with cheaper insurance, you keep crashing and claiming on the VRS until the insurance gets too high at which point you sell the Fabia and change the vehicle on that policy to a VRS retaining your maximum NCB and base premium!

[Guest]

@J.R.

That's because the French would kick up hell whereas in the UK we just bend over and moan.

[J.R.]

And supply your own lube and be taxed on it 😄

[J.R.]

The other strange thing, but not strange to French eyes is that when you get banned from driving, and it takes a hell of a lot here for that to happen then you can still drive a VSP (voiture sans permis) a little fibreglass 4 seater with a restricted 3 cylinder diesel engine, max speed IIRC 45km/h, now the base insurance premium on them is quite eye watering.

 

Children from the age of 14 can also drive them which is very important for those living away from home while they study in a Lycée pro etc, I have a feeling that they can either drive on the household insurance policy or the premiums are reasonable for them, the high premiums are for those that cannot pass a driving test or who have been banned, usually drink driving.

 

If you are banned for drink driving but it could affect your livelyhood then you are still allowed to drive to and from work (if you request it of the court) but not at any other time.

 

There is another good scheme where serial drink drivers cannot get their license back until they have given negative blood alcohol tests weekly for several months, a magistrate will then decide whether to allow them back on the road, often with a breath test controlled vehicle immobiliser.

[dieselVRS]

4 hours ago, J.R. said:

Accident deemed to be your fault then I guess.

 

In my country insurers are only allowed by law to load a policy premium by a certain amount, 50% for young drivers in their first year, 25% in their second year, thereafter they pay the same as any other driver.

 

Maximum NCB is 50% obtained after 13 years of 5% a year reductions, if you have an accident that is your responsability your bonus coefficient (NCB) will go up 25%, they cannot charge you a centime more, if the base premium increases it can only be the general increase given to all policyholders.

 

So in your case not allowing for any annual inflationary increase you would pay £500, a tenth of what they are asking from you.

 

But its even better than that, say you started with the maximum 50% bonus (on a gross premium of £800) you now have 37.5% bonus, you pay 62.5% of the gross premium, you have another £100K accident, your fault, your bonus is reduced by another 25% so you now pay 78% of the gross premium for the next year = £625!!!

 

You can go on doing this ad infinitum, after 2 more claims you pass into malus, there is a loading on your base premium so if you have accidents 4 years running you would then be paying £975 per year, this can go on until you hit 350% malus 😯 I will let someone else work out how many years of accidents you would have to get there!

 

Then the really crazy thing kicks in, they are not allowed to increase the malus beyond 350% 😯😯😯 so the maximum you would ever pay after years of accidents would be £2800 and you could carry on crashing every year without any financial penalty!! This is half of what your current insurer wants for your renewal after only one fault accident 😒

 

And there is another twist, its the vehicle and not the driver that is insured, if you have two vehicles insured and have a fault accident in one, lets say you were drink driving, clearly a future insurance risk, you only lose 25% of your bonus on the policy that you claimed on, your NCB remains intact on the other vehicle.

 

Insurance is still relatively cheap here and many people keep a second car for runs to the tip etc to keep their main car in good condition, also to use if the main one is broken down, being serviced or repaired etc. The main car would be the VRS and the spare a Fabia with cheaper insurance, you keep crashing and claiming on the VRS until the insurance gets too high at which point you sell the Fabia and change the vehicle on that policy to a VRS retaining your maximum NCB and base premium!

Indeed it was. Imagine the claim to be over 100k or there abouts. My car the other car plus his injury claim. Waiting to hear back from police about what is happening possibly careless ban fine or dangerous driving which in Scotland is a ban resit test unlimited fine and jail(highly unlikely). Or might even be dropped don't know in limbo. Can still drive just now although no confidence. My friend asked if I wanted a shot of his car I was eager jamp in the driver's seat then I froze flashed back to what I can remember happened and got out. The whole experience is made me a better person tho. Staying at my mum's the now for help and support. Been good as she's never fully understood me(ADHD) thought I was rude compulsive and quick to temper (I do have a serious temper I snap see red and no one is calming me down till I do so myself worst thing anyone can do is tell me to) not proud of that at all but it's who I am. Since started taking my ADHD meds everyday it helps me focus level headed calm not as compulsive. Mum's finally got me and agrees with me taking them now as before she said it would change me make me like a zombie. Its like having 2 of me unmedicated and medicated.

 

I had 14 years NCB protected so will still have them. First crash never been in bother for driving with the police never been charged for driving had plenty other charges just not for driving. 

 

Again sorry about the length of the post I feel it's good to get all this out.

 

Thanks guys

[dieselVRS]

I will have another Octavia Vrs. Might get the petrol this time tho. Don't know but it will be a MK2 as there the best looking in my eyes

[MikeTheThinker]

23 minutes ago, dieselVRS said:

Again sorry about the length of the post I feel it's good to get all this out.

Thank you for the trust you are showing us on this forum by opening up on a difficult topic.  I'm very pleased it's helping you as you learn to deal with what's happened and how it will affect your life going forward.

[dieselVRS]

Just now, MikeTheThinker said:

Thank you for the trust you are showing us on this forum by opening up on a difficult topic.  I'm very pleased it's helping you as you learn to deal with what's happened and how it will affect your life going forward.

Yeah am finding it beneficial to share what's happened how it's affected me mentally physically and financially. I've been a member for a few years but only really used this for info but everyone seems supportive and willing to help. 

 

Obviously I've not shared everything with you all as some things I don't want to share on an open online forum everyone can see but what I have has helped. 

[MikeTheThinker]

12 minutes ago, dieselVRS said:

Obviously I've not shared everything with you all as some things I don't want to share on an open online forum everyone can see but what I have has helped. 

Hopefully you have some way of talking through the non-forum stuff but if not, do please look for a way to achieve this.  Trauma left buried within does come back to bite us in the ar$e; been there, done that. Got some good T-shirts for sale, too

 

[J.R.]

Well said Mike.

 

I hope things go well for you DieselVRS 👍

[J.R.]

20 hours ago, dieselVRS said:

Defo on my last life now tho changed my whole outlook on life.

 

I've said that too many times over the years and meant it sincerely, however my best intentions don't seem enough to overcome the way I am wired, if I have time to think I know I make better decisions but we often don't have that luxury, thankfully the split second ones have to date mainly been the correct ones.

 

Today due to an accident on the main road I had to go to the dump towing a large trailer on a very narrow road that I cycle, its a hollow with tree foliage that meets overhead so quite dark, right at the bottom there is a blind hairpin where many a time I have met a car on the wrong side of the road, today something inside told me to put on my headlights and to high beam together with hazard warnings and to slow to a crawl hugging the RH verge, the outside of the bend, sure enough I was met by someone driving far too fast on the wrong side of the road to avoid the hairpin he locked up and skidded not hitting me thankfully, not only that he was followed by at least 6 other cars nose to tail who all had problems stopping, they had just been diverted from the main road onto a B road and then onto this narrow one only wide enough to pass at a crawl.

 

A few years ago it would have been a head on with probably both of us over the centre of the road.

[Okedokey]

9 hours ago, dieselVRS said:

Yeah am finding it beneficial to share what's happened how it's affected me mentally physically and financially. I've been a member for a few years but only really used this for info but everyone seems supportive and willing to help. 

 

Obviously I've not shared everything with you all as some things I don't want to share on an open online forum everyone can see but what I have has helped. 

Make sure you sort it out buddy, as an ex military person, PTSD is a bitch, let me tell you.  Professional help is not a sign of weakness https://www.thestandrewspractice.com/crisis-contacts/

[dieselVRS]

11 hours ago, Okedokey said:

Make sure you sort it out buddy, as an ex military person, PTSD is a bitch, let me tell you.  Professional help is not a sign of weakness https://www.thestandrewspractice.com/crisis-contacts/

Thank you for your service🙂 I do alot of Airsoft and have quite the armoury tried joining the army after school as I wanted to be a combat engineer but they wouldn't accept me as I had asthma even tho I had never had an attack an hadn't used inhalers in years.

 

Yeah I find it hard to open up always have. My dad died when I was 19 and I was the one that found him. Bottled it up which led to my life spiraling out of control losing jobs the only girl I've ever truly loved(hope you all get what I mean) addiction to Valium and other things losing my house family and everything else. Fought so hard over the years to get it all back and I did and am proud of that however addiction reared its ugly head again as obv I was put on mega strong painkillers (oxycodone instant 15mg every hour as needed and 20mg 12 hour ones twice a day). Ended up snorting the instant release ones for about a week. One day I came to my senses and realised I was developing a problem so went to the drs and I came off the instant ones(my Dr knows all about me and has helped me through alot) still on the 12 hour ones as I still have pain in my knee but I've started to reduce them to and have gave them to my mum to hand out as I can't trust myself.

 

I quite often call Samaritans when I need to vent or talk as I can't with family as they don't understand me never have only just got how I work and tht I can't help certain things I do having quite bad ADHD. I've also started taking my "legal speed" as I call them🤣 (methylphenidate basically speed) everyday where I was just taking when I remembered or felt I could do with the benefits but taking over a period of time seems to have settled alot of my traits of being "different".

 

I am a time served mechanic and a good one at tht but I've never fitted in with people who worked in the garages I did which then led to confrontations and me having lunch and breaks by myself as I found it was easier on everyone and tht then  eventually led to the sack. For the past 5 or 6 years I've followed in my family's footsteps and am a fisherman (7 or 8th generation) and I for the first time I feel as tho I fit in and feel at peace it's where my heart lies and all fisherman have a screw or two loose. 

 

Again sorry for putting this on you all and for maybe being of topic. Any questions about my now heinz (made into bin tins) Octavia Vrs diesel fire away🙂 hope everyone is good an thanks for showing me some time.