Another Moron in a Corvette

[Tim240z]

This morning (02h30) on the 118 freeway in Northridge, CA.

A black Vette doing well in excess of 100mph, smacked into the rear of a Honda Prelude with a Woman & 2 kids inside, sending the Prelude and family into a fiery spin (killing them-burned beyond recognition), leaving a 1/2 mile debris field. The driver and passenger of the Corvette were not killed (only minor injuries).....Suspected DUI

[Guest Smooth Operator]

 

The only thing he needs to be riding is the lightning. No excuse whatsoever for that sh*t.

[TomoHawk]

"Americans" (U.S. citizens) typically have 3 vices:

 

1. GREED-- that guy thinks he has the need to go really fast.

 

2. VANITY-- That guy thinks he can handle driving safely at high speed while other people look on.

 

3. FEAR-- If that guy doesn't drive fast all the time, somebody might take away his priviledge to drive the corvette, or just take away his car outright. Or, his chick will think he's not manly enough, so he won't get any.

 

You probably could include immatuurity, but I think it's just a combination of the other three things.

 

Do you have those 3 vices in QUANTITY?

 

Too much of any or all of those would be a problem.

[RB26powered74zcar]

I think the guy should be kicked in the nuts on a daily bases, for the rest of his misrable life...

or even better....

 

He will most likely get 2 yrs in the joint and a little probation. Or worst, just probation...

[Guest Aaron]

The dude should be glad that that was not my wife and kids, or I would have to go Old Testament on him.

[TomoHawk]

Fortunately,

 

The same system keep those people who have something unfortunate happen to them, which was not done 'on purpose.' I know of a guy who (accidentally) whent through a stop sign & hit a car, but not on purpose. Just a long drive on a country road in the summer, with an unfortunate end. Doesn't deserve jail time.

[Corzette]

That sucks big time...what an idiot...

[akeizm]

It seems to be there thing in aus where people think that their 1980's model magna is the king.

 

Driving home from the city @ 3am I kept getting people in old magna's etc, tryin to burn me off at lights and try to go harder around a corner than what that car can handle.

 

I just let them go and think, well arn't you a big man, your crappy car just managed to handle that corner although those few little k's more u would have been a sardine inside a can.

[JMortensen]

They seem to be going after harsher penalties these days. I'm not so sure the guy will just get a slap on the wrist. In San Luis Obispo, CA a few years ago there was a guy who was changing the tape in his cassette player and went through a red light and killed a family. The DA tried to get this guy on MURDER! I thought that was a little over the top myself. He obviously did something stupid and he was speeding 75 in a 65, but the intent to kill was just not there. I don't know what the resolution of that was, I think they were going to try him for murder.

 

Obviously a totally different case in a different county, but still. The Vette guy, if he's guilty, should be guilty of manslaughter or perhaps murder 2 or something and that situation is exactly why I always speak up against street racing. On the other hand though, with the guy in SLO, there HAVE to be some situations that are considered ACCIDENTS. I couldn't believe that I was seeing the public's lynch mob mentality picked up by the DA. That was scary!!!

 

Jon

[TomoHawk]

Definitely a 'premeditated' action of a kind...

 

What do you think that guy was thinking on the freeway at 2:30 am?

 

A: "No traffic this time of night."

 

B: "I could probably go any speed I want to, safely, because

I have a --Corvette--."

 

You can't know for sure, but wouldn't you ( red-blooded "American" guy) think these things? I do, but my Ford Escort is made for economy & safety, not performance. Probably wouldn't do it with my 280Z, either, it's heavy to steer & I do it one-handed, so it's straight-line cruisage for me: Lookin' cool ...

but not with shades on! lol

[Guest bastaad525]

I dont know what to think on something like this... I know this will look very bad on me but I gotta speak my mind here...

 

Okay, lets just speculate for a second, if the guy was drinking, that's one thing... hang him by the nuts, whatever... THAT is wrong, you should not be driving at all if you're drinking, let alone taking a Vette up on the freeway at 100+. But what if he wasn't? How then does anyone really know what happened, or who was at fault? Sure the LAW says he was at fault because he was speeding... yeah well what if this was on the autobahn in germany? Where there is no law to say that going that fast was wrong, what then? Who is then at fault? You all say it's so wrong mostly because there is a law that says so, and yeah because someones kids got killed... Hey I dont think that is right, no, that's f'ed up for sure, but you know, it's not like he was gunning for them because there were kids in the car, that could have been anybody he hit. And anyways, I'm sure you all know that there isn't a whole huge difference between the german autobahn's and our freeways (well other than that the autobahn is MUCH smoother and better maintained). And yeah so what if the guy WAS thinking "I can go any speed I want to, safely, because this is a CORVETTE" uh... YEAH... that IS what they are made for, isn't it?? For a C6 or especially a Z06 Vette 100mph is like nothing.

 

I mean... so the guy was going fast on the 118 late at night, if he was sober, I dont see what is so wrong with that... I mean, this is what you BUY a Corvette FOR. That is what they are MADE for. You could just as easily say that the car makers shouldn't be designing cars that can top 75mph. I mean LOOK at THIS forum... What is this forum all about? It's about a bunch of guys taking an OLD car (one that was never anywhere near as safe as a Vette at high speeds like that by the way) and making them as FAST AS HELL, many of you guys have cars that are faster and more powerful than even a Z06. How many guys here have NEVER had their cars up over 100 mph on a pulic road/high way/freeway/whatever, seriously?? How about over 65mph? If you have, you were breaking the law. Just like this guy was. I know I definately HAVE, I'm guilty! How many of you only ever USE all that power your car has at a race track?? Not many of us, I'd bet. So I can't say I blame the guy for that... hell I drive the 118 every day (I was stuck on it for over an hour because of this Corvette crash ), and at that time of night it is EMPTY... so the question is, how does anyone know what happened? I've had stupid shit happen to me on empty freeways... sometimes you never know what OTHER people are going to do. Not to say I usually hit 100+mph even if it is empty, but I DO go 80ish regularly if it's late and empty... and I try to stay in the fast lane, but people can be stupid. Who here hasn't been doing even a more 'moderate, acceptable' speed of 75ish in the fast lane to come up on some idiot doing 55-60mph? What happens when you do? Me? I usually go around, and try to change lanes far enough away from them that they know I'm already out from behind them, but still, there's been a few times that these slowpokes have seen me coming, and I DO use my turn signal, and go to move one lane to the right to pass them, and right when I get over and start to speed up they change lanes and GET RIGHT BACK IN FRONT OF ME!! Who's to say this isn't what happened to this corvette? Hell some other people just get right up on their ass and wait for them to get the hint and move, or flash their brights or whatever. Some stranger things can happen up on the 118, it's right off the mountains, and though not common, small animals have found their way out onto the freeway at night... some people really dont know how to react when something comes scurrying in front of their car at 3am when they're zooming down the freeway... Or maybe there was just something else in the lane? A large chunk of tire? Someones bumper? Maybe the Vette was one lane over from the prelude, and something like this caused the prelude to swerve right as the Vette was coming up behind him? People do stupid stuff like that... even if they SAW and KNOW someone is coming up behind them in the lane next to them... they forget when the freak out over stuff like that.

 

So... just think carefully.. and remember "Judge not lest ye be judged"... again if the guy was drinking then yeah he deserves to burn, but if not, and not knowing the exact circumstances under which the accident happened, and unless you have NEVER broken the speed limit in your life, dont get down on the guy for enjoying his car the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

[akeizm]

bastaad, I would have to agree with you. That situation where the person pulled back infront of you, I had the same thing happen to me when I was doing the legal speed limit, but what this person did to me was worse.

 

Just him and I on the road, this person was in a large van. Just got the car fixed and resprayed. This was a 2 lane highway and I pulled into the right hand lane to overtake (remember the roads are switched in aus) and when I was right beside them, the van just came across into my lane. WHEN THERE WAS NO NEED TO. No turn off's, no round-a-bouts, no lights, NOTHING.

 

I'm doing 100kph (60mph, not much speed I know.), and this van pushed me so half of the car was on the grass and the other half was on the road, and god damn. Sliding @ 60mph isn't fun, but I still held it stright.

 

Well the point to my story is mainly to back up bastaards point in saying that yes, its could be the guy in the vette's fault. But you can't count out the fact that the person he crashed into could have been and idiot and did something stupid themselves and happened to do it right when the vette was coming.

[TomoHawk]

Bastaad has a point ( to a point..... lol)

 

But.............

 

The sign on the free way says speed LIMIT, not speed MINIMUM! That means you can go any speed UP TO the limit. But you know there's a minimum, so you got that much going for you. In Ohio, the urban LIMIT is 60 mph, so I put up with people going 55, or even 50, even though you feel like you're craaaawwwwliiinnnggg a looooonngg... But that's their priviledge, so I tolerate it, as I expect people to tolerate me going 62 on the freeway or the (rural) highway- speed limit 65.

That means you gotta be on the watch for " 'ol granddad" bumming along at 50 mph, reguardless of the time of day (or night). if you hit him from behind, you're at fault reguardless of if you are sober or whatever excuse you might have. That's just how it is here in the U.S of A.

 

BTW, there's no such thing as a "high-speed lane." It's just a logical conclusion because you pass on the left (usually). There is actually no lane reserved for high speed (in Ohio & any other state I know of).

 

I bet on the Autobahn, I think you will find very few srunken drivers, because their attitude toward drinking is different. Also, you will find NO CUPHOLDERS!! You need to focus on the driving, not your coffee! (or shaver, lipstick, newspaper Big Mac, etc.)

[Synlubes]

If you drink (because you want to)

If you drive drunk (because you want to or think you can)

If you hurt or kill someone, you need to pay a price just as bad!

If the punishment was tougher, the CRIME wouldn`t happen as much.

[Guest bastaad525]

Tomohawk - true, I agree 100%, I wasn't so much ragging on the people that go slow in the 'fast lane' which as you point out, really isn't a 'fast lane' at all. As I said, I'm more for being 'courteous', I keep my distance, use my signal, change my lane and go around people going slow in the left lane, instead of doing like some jerks and acting like those people have no right to be there. All I was saying is that these people just do some stupid stuff to you sometimes even when you are being courteous. Again I question the circumstances of that Vette crash... sure the Vette was going too fast but was that the only cause? Call me jaded but anyone driving a Honduh (especially the 'sporty' Prelude) in SoCal would be suspect in my eyes in a situation like this... just my view of some honduh drivers and the stupid things we all see them do. I guess in this case (kids in the car) the likelihood of that was low, but still... who really knows what possibly happened? It's just that if the Vette driver was me, and I was sober (not that I ever drive any other way!!) I would definately do everything I possibly could to keep my distance from other cars on the freeway if I was going so fast... I mean, for one the damn car is expensive, I wouldn't want to take risks with it passing close to other cars... whereas I might normally switch over one lane to pass someone at a normal speed, if I was doing 100+ I'd probably cross to the other side of the freeway! Maybe the Vette driver was just an ass though... who knows.

 

About the whole autobahn mentality, I'M ALL FOR IT!!! I will not even install a stereo in my car because when I am driving I want to be concentrating ONLY on driving and nothing else... no distractions.

[TomoHawk]

Stereos are a "safety hazard" in a car, just like a cupholder...

 

Manufacturers brag about how you can't hear traffic while inside your car. If you can't hear what's outside, how would you know if an emergency vehicle was approaching? In my experiences, people don't want to pull over until the last second, and then everbody rushes for the side. I even saw somebody get rear-ended once! St00pid!! (with TWO zeros!) You need to hear what's happening outside the car. turn the stereo down. Turn it OFF. If you want quiet, move to the country.

 

IMO, cars should get an E-check (environment check) EVERY year and get insurance adjustments based on what kind of dangerous JUNK you got in the car, like a radio, sattelite tuner, DVD, Playstation, kicker box. Maybe add in the # of watts in the amplifier(s) (above 7 watts, of course).

 

.... 2¢

[Guest Aaron]

I have a couple points to make on this discussion.

 

No one here has mentioned a little invention on cars called Brakes. Apparently the driver was operating his car beyond the capabilities of his brakes. It is every driver's responsibility to operate his/her vehicle within its capabilities. When I CHOOSE to take my vehicle on to the road, it takes conscious effort to maintain speeds and adequate distances from everything in my path. No matter what speed I am running, I make adjustments to it based on the current situations. If I am speeding, and I approach another car, I use the brakes to slow down to maintain safety. Yes things happen that are beyond our control, but cars do not just appear on the interstate. This driver approached a slower moving car and CHOSE not to provide an adequate safety margin. Had he provided that margin, there still may have been an accident (such as in akeizm's post), but I do not believe that we would be discussing death of a mother and her children. This person made his choices, now he has to live with them.

 

Now, the rest of this post will involve a bit of my theological beliefs. If you will be offended by this, or do not want to hear it, please skip the rest of this post. I will not apologize for my beliefs.

 

Matthew 7 (New King James Version)

1 Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

 

"Judge not lest ye be judged", I have seen this verse quoted and miss-quoted too much. I have heard too ways this passage can be interpreted, and I tend to agree with both of them. One is that you should not judge the condition of a person's soul. Only God has that right and ability. The other interpretation is the literal one, which is in verse two, that however you judge a person, you will be judged by the same standard. In no way does this verse imply that you should never judge a person's actions unless you are perfect, because none of us are.

 

I cannot know the condition of this man's soul, and I will not judge his eternal fate. I prey that if he does not know Jesus Christ that he will know Him and receive Him as his savior before he dies. If he already knows Christ, I hope that he will seek forgiveness for his sins and will work to know Him and His will.

 

The standard for judgement in this country is our laws and constitution. Like it or not, these are the conditions that we live under. This man was breaking the laws and several people were killed because of his actions. If I were breaking those laws, and killed someone in the process, I would be due the same earthly punishment that I believe he should get.

[TomoHawk]

Both good points.

 

Why didn't he just slow down???

 

Probably as many reasons for and against slowing down as there are people, but here is just a case of one person not avoiding a collision- for whatever reason.

I tend to drive casually, as Aaron said, but others seem to think that having 1 car-length in front of me gives them the right to squeeze in there! So, depending on conditions, and time, I might drive AT the speed limit, or a little less, so traffic just goes by. Let them cause trouble someplace where I aint. I will just smile to myself and think of how nice it is to cruise down the highway in a cool touring car.

 

BTW, I'm also concerened about the brakes in my Z. The first pump is a little mushy, and the second hard, so brakes are a current priority for "safe driving." So I'll not be speeding at least until then- not that I like to speed.

[Guest bastaad525]

Again the circumstances come into question... why didn't he slow down? Maybe he did? Maybe he didn't feel he had a reason too? Maybe he didn't fully understand or realize the capabilities and incapabilities of his car? People misjudge what their car is capable of sometimes... they give it too much credit. I see this happen a lot in races where cars end up off the track or upside down! I see a lot of SUV drivers misjudging their vehicles capabilities or for that matter their intentions (how many SUV's and minivans have you seen being driven like their driver thought it was a Corvette?!?!?). I'm not going to go out on a limb and say the guy was not at fault at all. No matter what the circumstances were I dont think I could say that... some of the fault falls on him no matter what, for going so fast and obviously too close to someone else. Maybe it was only 50-50 his fault? For sure he is not 100% blameless... I just didn't like the way some people jump so hard on the guy w/o knowing what really happened.

[Guest Joe017]

ok this is my feeling. if your driving and obeying the law and u hit another car. then u have an accident.

 

if u r driving and not obeying the the law that is another story.