In a message dated 1/29/2009 9:16:32 A.M. Central Standard Time, michelle.antoinette@xxxxxxxxx writes:

Now, I'm not saying everyone should drive a tank no matter what they're pulling, but safe and cautious driving only goes so far

Well,  I DID say the above.  I guess I meant to say that many people get lulled into a sense of security as long as they drive carefully. There were a number of people that have written in to say they used a smaller vehicle but drove slower, or emphasized how cautiously they drove. I still drive below the speed limit most of the time--and was going significantly slower than the limit when the crash occurred.   My income is very low, but I was (and still am...I replaced the totaled truck with another 1-ton Dodge diesel dually) willing to make financial sacrifices for a truck that will stand up to the idiocy of other drivers. I drive a small car at home, but you simply can't compare pulling a horse trailer with day-to-day driving.  I wish no on ever had to go through the ordeal of crashing their rig; even without any injuries, it was still a horrible and demoralizing experience.  But I can't help but think my decision to buy a larger truck 17 years earlier finally paid off!  It's kind of like a serious illness...you never think it's going to happen to you until it does. 

 

BTW, I'm not a guy.  I'm a 51 year old menopausal female.  Eeeeeeekkk!!!

 

Chip (nickname for Charlotte)

 

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michelle Aquilino <michelle.antoinette@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Chipnml@xxxxxxx, ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:16:11 -0500
Subject: Re: [RC-Digest] Vol: 03.6449
I hope Chip doesn't mind my putting portions of his email in this...  I just wanted to add (to everyone), that there are situations like this all over the place...  I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who got serious injuries or died simply because they were in a small "commuter" car, rather than truck, but that shouldn't and doesn't mean that everyone should drive trucks all over the place.  The only thing you can EVER do is drive as safely and cautiously as the situation calls for.  Things almost always would have turned out better if you were in something bigger, whether you're towing or just driving around town.  In an accident, bigger is almost always better, but that doesn't mean you should drive the biggest thing you can find.  I also want to verify that I am talking about accidents such as Chip mentioned (that's not your fault, and you couldn't avoid).  I am most certainly not saying you should tow your horse trailer with your "commuter" car if you can't afford a truck, and simply drive it more safely and cautiously =P  lol.  Just trying to point out that idiot drivers are always out there, and I don't think that should mean that we should get the biggest tank we can find any more than I think we should all turn in our "commuter" cars for tanks as well.  You should get what's safe, that you can afford, and (for me) of highest cost efficiency in general for the job it will be undertaking.  I could go on and on, but that's the general idea of what I'm trying to say ;-)

On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 8:20 AM, <Chipnml@xxxxxxx> wrote:

 

Sometimes luck just finds you...good or bad.  ...  I was coming home from a ride and a 92-year-old man came roaring out of a church parking lot and broadsided me hard enough to leave his license embedded in my driver's side door and push me about 100 yards down the highway.  ...  Miraculously, no one was hurt.. ...  I'm convinced that if I'd been driving a smaller vehicle the trailer and truck could have possible flipped.  Now, I'm not saying everyone should drive a tank no matter what they're pulling, but safe and cautious driving only goes so far.  I'm probably the most conservative driver on the road.  I SAW this guy and had slowed down in case he tried to pull out ahead of me.  But he didn't see me.  Guess he was overly anxious to get to Sunday brunch.

 

Chip