Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[Nakor]

Did you do any good with the uninsured driver Nak? I can't imagine you did.

I managed to arrange an out of court settlement - legally with no CCTV and just a reg number there was nothing I could do apparently.

You did well. I bet he was surprised when you rocked up at his gaff.

I kind of counted on me finding him would scare him into paying.
I was so angry at the time, and so chuffed that I managed to track him down I didn't once think about what kind of situation I might be getting myself into, until the second I knocked on the door - he was surprised to see me to say the least.
I was young (old enough to know better) and I hadn't given any thought to what I would actually say/do when I met the guy but it all worked out in the end with a little gentle persuasion.  Looking back it was a very silly thing to do.

[EvilPie]

I came off my first proper motorbike at the age of 17 having owned it for about 3 weeks.

Had a minor car crash at about 19 having pulled out of a car park queue whilst being moaned at by my then girlfriend.

Wrote my Dad's car off at the age of about 19 having taken a corner too fast, lost control, went on the grass verge on the LHS of the road, steered out of that and then went completely over to the verge on the RHS and then going back again finally ending up in a ditch. No idea how I didn't take someone out coming the other way as after the incident I was stood watching the traffic and there was loads of it. Blind luck without doubt.

Not had a thing in the 20 years since that were my fault. Only minor ones were a cyclist taking a corner on the wrong side of the road and ending up on my bonnet and then last year in the snow when my winter tyres found a bit of grip but the guy behind me didn't.

Think I'm one of the statistics that proves young drivers should be paying 5x more for their insurance.

[RED-DOG]

Did you do any good with the uninsured driver Nak? I can't imagine you did.

I managed to arrange an out of court settlement - legally with no CCTV and just a reg number there was nothing I could do apparently.

You did well. I bet he was surprised when you rocked up at his gaff.

I kind of counted on me finding him would scare him into paying.
I was so angry at the time, and so chuffed that I managed to track him down I didn't once think about what kind of situation I might be getting myself into, until the second I knocked on the door - he was surprised to see me to say the least.
I was young (old enough to know better) and I hadn't given any thought to what I would actually say/do when I met the guy but it all worked out in the end with a little gentle persuasion.  Looking back it was a very silly thing to do.

Not often, but occasionally, anger can be a useful emotion.

[RED-DOG]

I came off my first proper motorbike at the age of 17 having owned it for about 3 weeks.

Had a minor car crash at about 19 having pulled out of a car park queue whilst being moaned at by my then girlfriend.

Wrote my Dad's car off at the age of about 19 having taken a corner too fast, lost control, went on the grass verge on the LHS of the road, steered out of that and then went completely over to the verge on the RHS and then going back again finally ending up in a ditch. No idea how I didn't take someone out coming the other way as after the incident I was stood watching the traffic and there was loads of it. Blind luck without doubt.

Not had a thing in the 20 years since that were my fault. Only minor ones were a cyclist taking a corner on the wrong side of the road and ending up on my bonnet and then last year in the snow when my winter tyres found a bit of grip but the guy behind me didn't.

Think I'm one of the statistics that proves young drivers should be paying 5x more for their insurance.

It seems like every driver has had an average of two or three prangs though. That's a shit load of accidents.

[EvilPie]

I came off my first proper motorbike at the age of 17 having owned it for about 3 weeks.

Had a minor car crash at about 19 having pulled out of a car park queue whilst being moaned at by my then girlfriend.

Wrote my Dad's car off at the age of about 19 having taken a corner too fast, lost control, went on the grass verge on the LHS of the road, steered out of that and then went completely over to the verge on the RHS and then going back again finally ending up in a ditch. No idea how I didn't take someone out coming the other way as after the incident I was stood watching the traffic and there was loads of it. Blind luck without doubt.

Not had a thing in the 20 years since that were my fault. Only minor ones were a cyclist taking a corner on the wrong side of the road and ending up on my bonnet and then last year in the snow when my winter tyres found a bit of grip but the guy behind me didn't.

Think I'm one of the statistics that proves young drivers should be paying 5x more for their insurance.

It seems like every driver has had an average of two or three prangs though. That's a shit load of accidents.

It's surprisingly few considering the way I used to drive 

The motorbike one was quite low speed so only caused a few scratches and probably doesn't count. It was pretty quick when it all started as I left the road and entered a farm but by the time I actually fell off I'd lost quite a lot of speed so it wasn't too bad. I've just remembered another motorbike one at the age of 34 or so though which makes up for that as I destroyed half the fairing and the handle bars.

[arbboy]

Interesting subject for me here.   One thing i have run incredibly good at considering the detail below to never have been hurt or injured once in the following which were all my fault (don't think i have ever had an accident which wasn't my fault)..

I wrote off 3 cars before i was 20 in various ways never remotely injured in any including aquaplaning into the back of a stationary car at 60 mph who was turning right when the road was like a lake.  I crashed my first car 4 months after passing my test changing the radio channel whilst going round a bend at 40 mph and ended up in the ditch with no one else involved.

Like Evilpie says pretty easy to see why under 21's pay a shit load in car insurance.  I certainly got my money's worth from claims.

Had several other minor accidents during my uni years not involving write offs (running into the back of a car staring at a fit blonde student walking down the street in Leicester outside the private girls school near the racecourse on way home from uni!)   Woman i run into the back of actually told me i was staring at the girl as well whilst she give me a bollocking!!

Most recent crash was in Poland in 2013 in a city centre where i crossed a double line to park in a hotel and i didn't realise you couldn't.   A car was blocking the view and another car was flying down the opposite way and smashed into me.   luckily everyone was fine and the Polska police arrived looking like bodyguards or bouncers and got me in the back of their van and went through all the details and fined me on the spot for 'reckless driving' even though the Pole was driving at double the speed limit in a built up area.  Drove back from Poland (1100miles) with a reasonably damaged car that was still semi road worthy after that and quit the travelling trip early.  Still got the car now (and most of the damage that it absorbed that day is still visible).  Fully road worthy and passes an MOT easily.  Not being a big petrol head and caring about what my car looks like i couldn't see the point of claiming as the car isn't worth much and still works fine.

My best crash ever though which could have killed me easily was down a country lane whilst the female passenger 'was up to no good with me' whilst i was driving at 3am after a night out in 1999 in my company 306 GTI in my accountancy days!   I totally didn't see a 90 degree bend at the end of the road (no idea what was distracting me!) and ended up doing 6 flips in the car into the field opposite through a hedge and missed a huge tree by 6 feet which probably would have killed me and her had we hit it.  Explaining this to the fleet manager at the office the next day was an interesting experience.   Car ended up on the roof after the 6 rolls.  Guess the first thing the bird said after the car came to a stop upside down in the field?  No mobile in those days so had to knock on a farmer's door to get a lift home at 3am (whose hedge i had just destroyed)!!!  He was remarkably ok about it and said 'it happens more than you think down here' and just winked at me!

Apart from that i have had a trouble free 25 year driving career!

[RED-DOG]

Interesting subject for me here.   One thing i have run incredibly good at considering the detail below to never have been hurt or injured once in the following which were all my fault (don't think i have ever had an accident which wasn't my fault)..

I wrote off 3 cars before i was 20 in various ways never remotely injured in any including aquaplaning into the back of a stationary car at 60 mph who was turning right when the road was like a lake.  I crashed my first car 4 months after passing my test changing the radio channel whilst going round a bend at 40 mph and ended up in the ditch with no one else involved.

Like Evilpie says pretty easy to see why under 21's pay a shit load in car insurance.  I certainly got my money's worth from claims.

Had several other minor accidents during my uni years not involving write offs (running into the back of a car staring at a fit blonde student walking down the street in Leicester outside the private girls school near the racecourse on way home from uni!)   Woman i run into the back of actually told me i was staring at the girl as well whilst she give me a bollocking!!

Most recent crash was in Poland in 2013 in a city centre where i crossed a double line to park in a hotel and i didn't realise you couldn't.   A car was blocking the view and another car was flying down the opposite way and smashed into me.   luckily everyone was fine and the Polska police arrived looking like bodyguards or bouncers and got me in the back of their van and went through all the details and fined me on the spot for 'reckless driving' even though the Pole was driving at double the speed limit in a built up area.  Drove back from Poland (1100miles) with a reasonably damaged car that was still semi road worthy after that and quit the travelling trip early.  Still got the car now (and most of the damage that it absorbed that day is still visible).  Fully road worthy and passes an MOT easily.  Not being a big petrol head and caring about what my car looks like i couldn't see the point of claiming as the car isn't worth much and still works fine.

My best crash ever though which could have killed me easily was down a country lane whilst the female passenger 'was up to no good with me' whilst i was driving at 3am after a night out in 1999 in my company 306 GTI in my accountancy days!   I totally didn't see a 90 degree bend at the end of the road (no idea what was distracting me!) and ended up doing 6 flips in the car into the field opposite through a hedge and missed a huge tree by 6 feet which probably would have killed me and her had we hit it.  Explaining this to the fleet manager at the office the next day was an interesting experience.   Car ended up on the roof after the 6 rolls.  Guess the first thing the bird said after the car came to a stop upside down in the field?  No mobile in those days so had to knock on a farmer's door to get a lift home at 3am (whose hedge i had just destroyed)!!!  He was remarkably ok about it and said 'it happens more than you think down here' and just winked at me!

Apart from that i have had a trouble free 25 year driving career!

Blimey! It's a wonder you have any luck left for punting.

What were you doing in Poland Arb?

[EvilPie]

Interesting subject for me here.   One thing i have run incredibly good at considering the detail below to never have been hurt or injured once in the following which were all my fault (don't think i have ever had an accident which wasn't my fault)..

I wrote off 3 cars before i was 20 in various ways never remotely injured in any including aquaplaning into the back of a stationary car at 60 mph who was turning right when the road was like a lake.  I crashed my first car 4 months after passing my test changing the radio channel whilst going round a bend at 40 mph and ended up in the ditch with no one else involved.

Like Evilpie says pretty easy to see why under 21's pay a shit load in car insurance.  I certainly got my money's worth from claims.

Had several other minor accidents during my uni years not involving write offs (running into the back of a car staring at a fit blonde student walking down the street in Leicester outside the private girls school near the racecourse on way home from uni!)   Woman i run into the back of actually told me i was staring at the girl as well whilst she give me a bollocking!!

Most recent crash was in Poland in 2013 in a city centre where i crossed a double line to park in a hotel and i didn't realise you couldn't.   A car was blocking the view and another car was flying down the opposite way and smashed into me.   luckily everyone was fine and the Polska police arrived looking like bodyguards or bouncers and got me in the back of their van and went through all the details and fined me on the spot for 'reckless driving' even though the Pole was driving at double the speed limit in a built up area.  Drove back from Poland (1100miles) with a reasonably damaged car that was still semi road worthy after that and quit the travelling trip early.  Still got the car now (and most of the damage that it absorbed that day is still visible).  Fully road worthy and passes an MOT easily.  Not being a big petrol head and caring about what my car looks like i couldn't see the point of claiming as the car isn't worth much and still works fine.

My best crash ever though which could have killed me easily was down a country lane whilst the female passenger 'was up to no good with me' whilst i was driving at 3am after a night out in 1999 in my company 306 GTI in my accountancy days!   I totally didn't see a 90 degree bend at the end of the road (no idea what was distracting me!) and ended up doing 6 flips in the car into the field opposite through a hedge and missed a huge tree by 6 feet which probably would have killed me and her had we hit it.  Explaining this to the fleet manager at the office the next day was an interesting experience.   Car ended up on the roof after the 6 rolls.  Guess the first thing the bird said after the car came to a stop upside down in the field?  No mobile in those days so had to knock on a farmer's door to get a lift home at 3am (whose hedge i had just destroyed)!!!  He was remarkably ok about it and said 'it happens more than you think down here' and just winked at me!

Apart from that i have had a trouble free 25 year driving career!

Well that's alright then 

[arbboy]

Interesting subject for me here.   One thing i have run incredibly good at considering the detail below to never have been hurt or injured once in the following which were all my fault (don't think i have ever had an accident which wasn't my fault)..

I wrote off 3 cars before i was 20 in various ways never remotely injured in any including aquaplaning into the back of a stationary car at 60 mph who was turning right when the road was like a lake.  I crashed my first car 4 months after passing my test changing the radio channel whilst going round a bend at 40 mph and ended up in the ditch with no one else involved.

Like Evilpie says pretty easy to see why under 21's pay a shit load in car insurance.  I certainly got my money's worth from claims.

Had several other minor accidents during my uni years not involving write offs (running into the back of a car staring at a fit blonde student walking down the street in Leicester outside the private girls school near the racecourse on way home from uni!)   Woman i run into the back of actually told me i was staring at the girl as well whilst she give me a bollocking!!

Most recent crash was in Poland in 2013 in a city centre where i crossed a double line to park in a hotel and i didn't realise you couldn't.   A car was blocking the view and another car was flying down the opposite way and smashed into me.   luckily everyone was fine and the Polska police arrived looking like bodyguards or bouncers and got me in the back of their van and went through all the details and fined me on the spot for 'reckless driving' even though the Pole was driving at double the speed limit in a built up area.  Drove back from Poland (1100miles) with a reasonably damaged car that was still semi road worthy after that and quit the travelling trip early.  Still got the car now (and most of the damage that it absorbed that day is still visible).  Fully road worthy and passes an MOT easily.  Not being a big petrol head and caring about what my car looks like i couldn't see the point of claiming as the car isn't worth much and still works fine.

My best crash ever though which could have killed me easily was down a country lane whilst the female passenger 'was up to no good with me' whilst i was driving at 3am after a night out in 1999 in my company 306 GTI in my accountancy days!   I totally didn't see a 90 degree bend at the end of the road (no idea what was distracting me!) and ended up doing 6 flips in the car into the field opposite through a hedge and missed a huge tree by 6 feet which probably would have killed me and her had we hit it.  Explaining this to the fleet manager at the office the next day was an interesting experience.   Car ended up on the roof after the 6 rolls.  Guess the first thing the bird said after the car came to a stop upside down in the field?  No mobile in those days so had to knock on a farmer's door to get a lift home at 3am (whose hedge i had just destroyed)!!!  He was remarkably ok about it and said 'it happens more than you think down here' and just winked at me!

Apart from that i have had a trouble free 25 year driving career!

Blimey! It's a wonder you have any luck left for punting.

What were you doing in Poland Arb?

I don't.  I must be the unluckiest 10 year + pro punter alive when it comes to running good at punting!  It i was lucky i would be on a beach by now!  Would rather have used the luck in the driving incidences tbh!

My gf's mum's family are Polish and we did a 2 month 'road trip' around Europe stopping off in Poland for 2 weeks to see them in the summer of 2013.  Went through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany then Poland before the crash and were planning on doing the southern part of Europe after but the crash put an end to that unfortunately.

[RED-DOG]

Interesting subject for me here.   One thing i have run incredibly good at considering the detail below to never have been hurt or injured once in the following which were all my fault (don't think i have ever had an accident which wasn't my fault)..

I wrote off 3 cars before i was 20 in various ways never remotely injured in any including aquaplaning into the back of a stationary car at 60 mph who was turning right when the road was like a lake.  I crashed my first car 4 months after passing my test changing the radio channel whilst going round a bend at 40 mph and ended up in the ditch with no one else involved.

Like Evilpie says pretty easy to see why under 21's pay a shit load in car insurance.  I certainly got my money's worth from claims.

Had several other minor accidents during my uni years not involving write offs (running into the back of a car staring at a fit blonde student walking down the street in Leicester outside the private girls school near the racecourse on way home from uni!)   Woman i run into the back of actually told me i was staring at the girl as well whilst she give me a bollocking!!

Most recent crash was in Poland in 2013 in a city centre where i crossed a double line to park in a hotel and i didn't realise you couldn't.   A car was blocking the view and another car was flying down the opposite way and smashed into me.   luckily everyone was fine and the Polska police arrived looking like bodyguards or bouncers and got me in the back of their van and went through all the details and fined me on the spot for 'reckless driving' even though the Pole was driving at double the speed limit in a built up area.  Drove back from Poland (1100miles) with a reasonably damaged car that was still semi road worthy after that and quit the travelling trip early.  Still got the car now (and most of the damage that it absorbed that day is still visible).  Fully road worthy and passes an MOT easily.  Not being a big petrol head and caring about what my car looks like i couldn't see the point of claiming as the car isn't worth much and still works fine.

My best crash ever though which could have killed me easily was down a country lane whilst the female passenger 'was up to no good with me' whilst i was driving at 3am after a night out in 1999 in my company 306 GTI in my accountancy days!   I totally didn't see a 90 degree bend at the end of the road (no idea what was distracting me!) and ended up doing 6 flips in the car into the field opposite through a hedge and missed a huge tree by 6 feet which probably would have killed me and her had we hit it.  Explaining this to the fleet manager at the office the next day was an interesting experience.   Car ended up on the roof after the 6 rolls.  Guess the first thing the bird said after the car came to a stop upside down in the field?  No mobile in those days so had to knock on a farmer's door to get a lift home at 3am (whose hedge i had just destroyed)!!!  He was remarkably ok about it and said 'it happens more than you think down here' and just winked at me!

Apart from that i have had a trouble free 25 year driving career!

Blimey! It's a wonder you have any luck left for punting.

What were you doing in Poland Arb?

I don't.  I must be the unluckiest 10 year + pro punter alive when it comes to running good at punting!  It i was lucky i would be on a beach by now!  Would rather have used the luck in the driving incidences tbh!

My gf's mum's family are Polish and we did a 2 month 'road trip' around Europe stopping off in Poland for 2 weeks to see them in the summer of 2013.  Went through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany then Poland before the crash and were planning on doing the southern part of Europe after but the crash put an end to that unfortunately.

Well kudos for doing the first part, and more kudos for this. A man after my own heart.


Drove back from Poland (1100miles) with a reasonably damaged car that was still semi road worthy after that and quit the travelling trip early.  Still got the car now (and most of the damage that it absorbed that day is still visible).  Fully road worthy and passes an MOT easily.  Not being a big petrol head and caring about what my car looks like i couldn't see the point of claiming as the car isn't worth much and still works fine.

[TightEnd]

from atdc21

"i had this accident when i was 17'

' can you tell the make and model of car?'

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

from atdc21

"i had this accident when i was 17'

' can you tell the make and model of car?'

Click to see full-size image.

Wow! Surprisingly difficult to tell what makes the car is.

Was it once an Austin Cambridge / A60?

[RED-DOG]

While we're on the subject of accidents, repairs and guessing, my granddaughter Lisa is staying with us us for a few days and yesterday she broke her glasses playing dodge-ball.

I effected a temporary repair until she goes home. (her friends think it's a fashion statement, now they all want one)

Can you guess exactly what I used to mend them?

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

Someone needs to get out more.

Who the feck checks their brother-in-law's phone number to see if it is a composite number for which, in a given base (in base 10 by default), the sum of its digits is equal to the sum of the digits in its prime factorization FFS?



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_number

[RED-DOG]

from atdc21

"i had this accident when i was 17'

' can you tell the make and model of car?'

Click to see full-size image.

Wow! Surprisingly difficult to tell what makes the car is.

Was it once an Austin Cambridge / A60?

BTW- Is that Brampton bomber track?