Off to the bodyshop

I thought I would be nice and pick my wife up from the airport late last night since it started to snow... Driving along the highway, about 5 mins from the airport, I see a car coming up from behind me on the right... as his headlights disappeared in my blind spot all of a sudden I heard a loud crunch and a nudge on the side of my car. Looking in my mirror again, I caught the car spinning just before slamming into the guardrail. When the dust settled, everyone was ok, his car was a write-off, and mine now needs a new quarter-panel.

A note to self.... even though my car stays planted to the road in the slop, others may not have that much grip.

The car is still fine to drive, so it's off to the body shop on Tuesday to meet the insurance adjuster and get to booked for repair. Hopefully nothing is wrong with the drivetrain since he would have hit my wheel too in order to damage the panel where he did.

What a pisser... less than 2 months old and already in the bodyshop

Better a 2month car in the bodyshop than you and your wife though! Glad you were unhurt

Yes, glad nobody was hurt.

This has been a point with me for years now; basically, just because I can stop and maintain grip, doesn't mean the person driving too close behind me can.

Don't all cars in the UK come stock with ABS? I know, I know, people still find a way to lose control. It's all about experience. Two years ago, in Malibu (of course) some trophy wife was driving along Pacific Coast Highway in her Zillion Dollar Porsche when we had an extremely rare moment of ICE! She stopped in the middle of PCH and called her staff for a ride home. Cops eventually showed and had her car hauled off. Far as I know, they still have it.

Yes all new cars in the UK have to have ABS, but unfortunately not everybody has a new car! And yes those that have it often think that modern safety features make them immune from the laws of physics - in fact big heavy SUV's
are far more difficult to handle once they find the limits of adhesion than normal cars purely because they are heavier.