Well, my worst accident WAS a driver's side collision. A pickup truck was
speeding through a one lane construction zone head on at us and hit me and
my brother. I thought we were dead when I saw that huge grill coming at us.
I turned to the right, off the one open lane into the
under-construction-lane and that's when he T-boned us. No apparent
injuries. The next day I had a sore spot on the right side of my head and
my brother had one on his left side. We must have hit heads. I don't think
we had seat belts on (in 1974). I can't explain why we weren't really
injured more, BUT I can say that turning out of that lane prevented a head
on, which I'm sure would have been ugly. Old truck, bald tires, skid marks
a mile long, known local punk and bad boy at the wheel and the cop said he
couldn't issue a ticket. Unless he issued it to me for improper lane usage.
Funny guy. In hindsight, I could have sued the State DOT and the
contractor, but...that was another time.
Interesting thoughts on the shoulder belt/convertible issue. My wife's
Mustang does have the shoulder belt design; I don't think they can be used
only as lap belts.
Terry Banbury
> ----------
> From: Susan Hensley[SMTP:susan@bearcom.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 10:46 AM
> To: Banbury, Terrence
> Subject: Re: Sensible advice please
>
> "Banbury, Terrence" wrote:
> >
> > This brings up a curious thought. I have read the descriptions of
> > 'encounters' with large vehicles. I've had one myself. No one was
> injured
> > beyond being bruised. Is this just that we don't hear about the more
> > serious injuries or is there some kind of LBC voodoo going on here? Is
> this
> > lack of serious injury the norm? Don't want to get gruesome or
> anything,
> > though.
> > Terry
>
> Hi Terry!
>
> I have had two Spitfires that I have logged many miles on (my first one
> I drove for Domino's Pizza every day for over two years and also all
> over Louisiana and parts of Texas) and had a front-end collision in the
> first one at about 35 mph (IDIOT ran a stop sign on a wet street right
> in front of me), and I was not hurt in the collision at all, except a
> bang on my knee from flying up into the dash support.
>
> In all of my experience with Triumphs (since the early 80's) and Triumph
> people, I have never personally heard of anyone who was killed,
> seriously injured, or hospitalized from a wreck in one. A friend's
> brother flipped his Datsun roadster on the TX highway at a high rate of
> speed last year, and walked away, and I personally saw the horrendous
> damage to the car -- not one body panel left unbent. The passenger
> compartment was relatively intact, though.
>
> I would put money on the safety of a properly-belted person in a Spit in
> a front- or rear-end collision, but I suspect a side collision (like
> someone running a red light) would not have the same odds. And by
> properly-belted, I mean a lap belt only. In a convertible, a shoulder
> harness is insurance for getting your head torn off in the event of a
> roll-over, since it keeps you strapped up and not able to be flung over
> into the passenger side and away from contact with the ground. I know
> there are all kinds of arguements for and against shoulder belts in
> convertibles, and how often do you get rolled over vs. rearended and put
> your face into the steering wheel, and I am not intending to open a can
> of worms with this comment. I have a lap belt only in Elliott, and
> that's the way it's going to stay. I like my head.
>
> Keep Triumphing,
> Susan :)
>
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