Someone crashed into my new clarity!

P

PHEV Newbie

Well-Known Member
The vehicle in front of me suddenly stopped and inexplicably started backing up. I blew the horn but they kept coming. Bashed my bumper pretty good. My insurance adjuster asked if I had video of the accident. I did not. She warned me that the other driver could lie and claim that I rear ended them. Given the damage, that's what it would look like. After all, what actually happened was just crazy. Luckily, there are still honest people in the world (wouldn't know it from Washington) and they accepted responsibility.

Folks, install a dash cam. I wish I did (learned my lesson and just installed them). It might save you some serious headaches in the future. JDonalds wrote a good description of how he did it for his Clarity in the "what did you do today..." thread.
 
Pushmi-Pullyu said:
Thank goodness your story had a more-or-less happy ending... or presumably it will once you get the car fixed!

From the way it started, I was afraid what I was reading was the first chapter in a report about a forced rear-ending insurance scam.
-
Click to expand...
It wasn't too bad. Doesn't appear to have any structural damage but I'll let the experts make that determination. Haven't had an accident in over 30 years so it was painful to see it happen to a new car I like so much. It did occur to me at some point after the fact that the Clarity has automatic emergency braking to help you avoid frontal impacts so it'll be really unusual to rear end a car by accident. Honda calls it mitigation because it can't prevent all collisions (e.g., on snowy or sandy roads). Check out the system in this video:

Couldn't find one for the Clarity but it's the same system. It's really impressive and gives me piece of mind. Of course, it can't help if someone is backing into you!
 
This has been going on for years, and the New Haven area police once told me it is called "squatting" up there - experienced it first hand - at night, two cars was driving alongside me, one sped-up, pulled in front of me, and slammed on the breaks pulling slightly right, while the other car alongside me crowded in from the left - I was going to hit somebody regardless what I did, and it would be MY FAULT.

Sick puppies out there folks...
 
Happened to my wife back in Orlando. They do a trick where if there is a right turn on to a busy road with a very small merge area, they pull forward just enough for you to look left. When you do, and expect to be able to turn and merge, they slam on the breaks and you drive right into them. Hard to describe in words. Really glad to have the supplemental radar system now though. should help with these types of shenanigans.
 
We put a dash camera in after about a month of ownership. It was pretty easy. I had put the same camera in the 2015 Prius which was more difficult. When we sold the Prius I removed the dashcam which I then put in the Clarity. Also have one in our 4Runner.

I'm aware of the problem of people intentionally braking in front of a car or truck. But what sent me off to install a dashcam was a car that ran a red light making a left in front of us. We had started to accelerate when our light turned green, then had to slam on the brakes in order to not hit the left turning car. I could easily see how that could have been blamed on us. With the dash cam the traffic signal being green when we started up would eliminate any question of our fault. Our dashcam has a GPS built in so it records car speed along with location.

When we installed the dashcam in the Clarity I was able to run the power cord in the same plastic cable run cover that hides the rear view mirror power. Then up along the top of the windshield under the headliner, down the doorpost cover, and there is a fuse panel right near the bottom. Pretty easy compared to both the Prius and 4Runner.
 
PHEV Newbie said:
The vehicle in front of me suddenly stopped and inexplicably started backing up. I blew the horn but they kept coming. Bashed my bumper pretty good. My insurance adjuster asked if I had video of the accident. I did not. She warned me that the other driver could lie and claim that I rear ended them. Given the damage, that's what it would look like. After all, what actually happened was just crazy. Luckily, there are still honest people in the world (wouldn't know it from Washington) and they accepted responsibility.

Folks, install a dash cam. I wish I did (learned my lesson and just installed them). It might save you some serious headaches in the future. JDonalds wrote a good description of how he did it for his Clarity in the "what did you do today..." thread.
Click to expand...
Okay!!! Am in.. .

Sent from my www.aladesuru-walter-adewale.strikingly.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top