Dear Mark, John and mid-60s Buick worried caregivers,
Hey, thanks... no was hurt in the 3 car wreck. I was stopped and was the last car in the rear end collision chain. The Impala sustained $5000+ in damages, and was totaled. The good news is Melissa is on her way back to MN right now with my new/used wheels - 2007 Accord 4 door V6 manual 6 speed and 1/3 the miles on it that the Impala had. My insurance company, Farmers, was outstanding. the other 2 guys ins. companies, not so much. Kudos to Brian Stone for finding the car and driving some distance to look at and drive before buying.
Well it sounds like all ended well, but any auto accident rubs me the wrong way. The only reason we have any of our classics is that they escaped the accidents of their time. As dangerous an accident was in the days before seatbelts, it seems obvious the accident rate was far less. While there were fewer cars on the road, I know one of the reasons was a higher level of driver skill and vigilance.
It is trying to row up river, but clearly people could do much more to avoid accidents. As a society we have become accustomed to accidents while not admitting to ourselves that this is literally an invitation for people to drive more recklessly. Anyone who owns a classic thinks differently, but alas way too many people only own modern cars that they think of as disposable.
AND thank God it wasn't one of your other cars .
Well, not all classics escape such a fate. I'm lucky to still have my trusty wagon after her accident of November 2010. We all need to be
very careful when driving our classics because the drivers around us
aren't. Edouard