While driving my RPU the name of the game is always anticipate,anticipate,ANTICIPATE! Whenever I'm at a 4 way stop I always wait till everyone else is done with their antics, and THEN proceed through the intersection. Let's face it, no one can predict the future in traffic,but you have to remain vigilant and watch everybody else's next move as best you can. It's a shame about the loss of life in the accident. that could have just as easily been any one of us in a different time and place. I lettered "Roll the Dice" on my tool box in the bed of my RPU;...because it really IS somewhat of a crapshoot out there. Be careful!
New cars keep getting safer and safer, which is a good thing, because driver's keep getting more and more distracted (cell phones, etc). You can only to so much to make an old car safe. Defensive driving is everything. I try to drive my old cars as if I were on a motorcycle.
When I'm driving both my coupe and my daily driver I always assume that the other driver is going to do "the wrong thing" and more times than I like to think about I end up being right in my assumption. I really felt vulnerable when I was driving my fiberglass T Bucket and feel a little more secure in my coupe, but I pay attention to everything around me and always watch out for the other guy. Don't need to drive scared just drive cautious.
I'll be 60 in 5 months and would welcome a yearly drivers test, eye exam AND behind the wheel test. Why wouldn't I? It's my health and life, too!
It's so sad and tragic to see accidents like this. In perfect weather conditions and with great visibility no less. I think of all the miles I've put on my roadster and how something like this can happen on a city street in essentially what was probably a low speed crash. I don't ride my Indian Chief much these days because of the friends I've lost or were seriously injured. You just never know what can happen when you meet that other driver out there. I guess when its your day you don't get a choice. We just had a 92 year old woman driving on the wrong side of the road in moderate rain die along with a 12 year old girl in the other car when they hit head on near Winner, SD.
rapid decceleration....really? i wouldnt have guessed that one after looking at the front of the roadster. you are right, there is nothing funny about this happening, i dont know where i implied that this is somehow funny. what i meant from "what was the cause of death?", was there internal injuries from only wearing a lapbelt, did she suffer head trauma (maybe hitting her head on the dash), did debris fly into the car and kill her?
very true! I dont know how many old people I see everyday doing something wrong on the road or driving 20mph below the speed limit
so i guess none of the people on here would like to know so they can make their cars safer to ride in....makes sense to me
I agree. You can't live your life worrying the whole time. Take precautions where possible and let it rip. Sad story none the less
So sad! Things can change in an instant! Back in the early nineties, I bought myself a little sportscar. It was bright red, but I lost count of the number of times I was pulled out on, just cos I was small and difficult to be seen. That taught me to run with a minimum of side lights. Nowadays I always drive with headlights showing, all the time, in any car, and I always try and drive a light coloured car. Volvo's run with marker lights for a reason, when they were introduced, Volvo cited that the Volvos were 76% less likely to be in a collision than a car without markers! Whatever that means. Life is delicate!
My 82 year old dad has lived with me for the past 12 years. I make it a point to go out with him with him driving every couple weeks. When the time comes I'll make him stop driving but i would rather drive with him than my 20 year old niece. No radio or cell phone to distract him. Don't put all your fish in one barrel. Everybody ages different.
Seeing you don't get it,If you really want the details why don't you call the family and ask them what took the life of their love one!
That fucking sucks Why haven't more states imposed mandatory driving and eye sight tests. I know for most people it's not an issue, but auto renewal by mail can't be a good thing, no matter how old you are. Not just picking on the older crowd, Plenty of twenty year olds who couldn't pass a driving test these days. I'm 30 and renew via internet, and have never been questioned as to whether I can still competently pilot my 2 ton missle down the road, or see where I'm aiming. When I was 13 or so I did yard work for a older couple down the street. The guy was 87 and legally blind, but every year he would get his licence renewed via the mail, no questions asked.
For the guys who want to make their ride safer just put in a full cage with front, rear, and side airbags....and people will still die. Age restrictions and drivers alertness tests? May help some. There are blue sky straight road accidents by alert middle age people. Yes, it is so sad but the only way to stop deaths in cars completely is to park them all. Anyone on a cell phone is probably more dangerous than an older person. Yes, we should all be alert and try to antisipate other drivers and situations but still, sad to say, accidents will happen.
Wow, SUPER sad to read. My dad, brother & I were just talking about this the other day. No matter how safe we try to build these cars, they are what they are. What would be a mild accident to a normal car can easily (& sadly) become one like this in an early roadster, coupe or sedan. It's part of it I know, but the thought lingers in your mind. It's really tough when a car created to bring such happiness has something like this happen. Prayers to all involved. Dan
this is a complete drag.. my prayers and thoughts go out to all involved, gotta be rough to lose that way
Your average driver out there does not understand what it's like driving an old car. I'm out in 4000 pounds of steel with drum brakes, and no seat belts. People around me have no concept of what it's like to control something like that. You need to always be aware of whats going on around you. That's why I drive like an old man.
Your right, There is alot more dumbfucks behind the wheels of cars doing everything but paying attention to their driving.
Maybe not a mandatory age limit but the states do need to require eye driving tests past a certain age limit. My mother is 83 and still is a damned good driver but when my grandfather was 70 we should have take the car away from him instead of waiting another several years. Damn it sucks that someone once again lost their life because someone wasn't paying attention to what they were doing. I always practice defensive driving in my rods and always know where my "out" is but that may not be enough at times when others screw up.
Very very sad. My condolences to the families. I agree with all the posts about mandatory driving tests, and I think they should make it illegal in all states to drive while on the cell phone. I just got run off the road into on-coming traffic by an old (80+) woman in her BIG new Cadillac. I don't even know how she could see out the front window because she was so small and didn't see me in my O/T pickup truck. In retrospect I should have just let her side swipe me instead of me driving into the oncoming lane. Luckily there was no one there...
Casino entrances cause accidents all the time around here. People thinking about winning big and not a clue what is going on. it is a bad thing to lose people for dumb shit. What a waste.
Another pic of the roadster, <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From My Pictures</td></tr></table> The roadster was owned and driven by her father, and she was the mother of five children. A memorial fund has been established for her children. So very sad. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Drop Box</td></tr></table> Tracy Fons, 44, of Eden Prairie, MN, died tragically on April 18, 2010, in an automobile accident, while visiting her parents, Tom and Pat Taxon, in Reno, NV. She was a loving wife, mother, daughter and sister, and an inspiration to many. Tracy was the foundation of her family and will be deeply missed. She worked at Fairview Crosstown Clinic for two years as a Certified Medical Assistant. Tracy is survived by her husband, Kyle; sons, Andy, Joe, and Danny Gondek; daughters, Laura and Katie Gondek; parents, Tom and Pat Taxon; brothers, Tom (Heather) and Ted (Melanie) Taxon; sister, Terri Taxon Levercom; three nieces; four nephews; as well as many friends. Funeral services will be held Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 3:00 pm at Grace Church, 9301 Eden Prairie Rd., Eden Prairie, MN. Visitation will begin at 1:30 pm. Interment will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Eden Prairie. A memorial fund has been established through Wells Fargo Bank (any branch) under the name "The Children of Tracy E. Fons." Local arrangements are entrusted to the Walton Funeral Home in Reno. Arrangements in Minnesota are being handled by First Memorial Funeral Chapel in Edina (phone: 952-924-4900).