Man, we are loosing Bonnevilles left and right around here. Crash here, crash there, WTF is goin on ppl?? ok, so some of them werent the bonnevilles drivers fault, but man!! Just be carefull out there people, and it is good to know if there IS an accident, your fault or not, your in a good solid car to protect ya At this rate were gonna have lost as many new bonnevilles in this club as we've gained in the past year :(

Lets turn it around the other way!!!

sorry mom

No seriously Term is right! I've been in this boat too once already with my Bonneville to a tune of $3500.00 CDN!!!!! That was a 10KM/Hr hit too!!!! Sure I've got a lead foot too, but, I know when to drive like a normal person too. True, these cars are built to make sure YOU survive BUT, the Bonneville itself usually doesn't! The "plastic' front end is built that way to "absorb" the damage remember!

I've been there, too. My scratchless Bonnie got the drivers side from the drivers door handle to the tailight peeled off by a Dodge pickup that belonged to a friend of mine. $5500 damage. Broke my heart. Got it fixed, can't tell anything happened now. but it still sucks. The car was perfect before that. I really hate to see all these great cars getting creamed. I noticed the increase in the fatality rate, too. When I joined this forum a couple weeks ago, I didn't even know Jeff'* car was a goner. I'm really as obsessed about these things as all you guys, so you know how I feel, too.

It'* good all the crashes are getting posted. Just knowing about all of them will keep the rest of us and our cars a little safer, I hope. Good to see Jeff and Jstpsntym getting back on the road in appropriate replacements! I also understand the temptation that leads to disaster, even though I'm an old fart (35).

Keep the rubber side down, guys. Let'* make 'em last.

I find their are two main kinds of drivers; those who can drive and those who think they can. There is so much more to driving than just hitting the pedals and turning the wheels.

I have seen to many poeple driving that really don't know what they're doing. People tend to learn to drive based on normal driving conditions and speed limits. When these people get "too brave" and try to go faster and more aggresive they run into sitiuations they can't control.

I will be the first to admit, I drive too fast and I tend to corner more aggresively than most; BUT... I also know what I can do and what I can't. I didn't go from driving school to speed racer overnight. I slowly stepped up to where I can handle what I do now.

I do follow some basic rules when I do drive above and beyond normal driving.

1) If I don't know the car (eg: driving someone elses) I keep the speed down and take it easy becuase if you don't know the car, you can seriously over or under estimate the cars capabilities. Baking and steering can change drastically from car to car.
2) I may speed somewhat on the freeway but I keep it within reason (if there is such a thing) becuase I may know how to drive but as jr's3800 said, there may be someone out there in a Z34 who doesn't and they may panic and lose control and then WAM!, no more Bonneville.
3) If I don't know the road I don't speed (more than 5 mph or so). There is too much of a chance for curves creeping up on you or a stop sign where you didn't think there should be or even just cross traffic.
4) If I got passengers I keep it tame. If I get hurt in an accident it'* my own damn fault but if I get someone else hurt, well, something I just don't want to deal with.

I've just seen to many accidents not to be somewhat cautious. There are poeple who drive and then there'* drivers! the difference is all in what you know and how you control your vehicle. You can tell who really knows how to drive when an emergeny situation appears. Do you keep your calm and carefully drive around the incident or do you freak, let go of the wheel, and scream out load while you plow into someone else?

These are just my thoughts. I by no means condole aggresive driving (do as I say, not as I do - ) but if you are going to, you need to know what your doing. Out of all my friends I am by far the worst ofender of the basic traffic laws but I have only 1 speeding ticket (8 years ago) and never been in an accident. Although I've had a few people almost cause some that included me. Quick thinking save me from them.

I am a firm believer that a 16 year old shouldn't get a Z28 for a first car , parents shouldn't pay for their car repairs and insurrance (teach some auto responsibility) , and driving is a privledge not a right.

Just a side note: I had a friend who rolled his late 80'* early 90'* Bonneville after falling asleep at the wheel doing over 55mhp. He walked away with minimal injuries (scratches, etc...).You just gotta be careful and aware of road conditions AND driver conditions.

I got a lot more to say but I think this is enough to get my point across.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!

How True!
I've been driving now for 22 years. I know what my Bonneville can & can't do. I do admit DO speed alot (got photo radar tickets to prove it too). I drive a highway every day to work & ususally do about 120 - 140 KM/Hr too. This car DOESN't like to go slow at all. My wife is a new time driver (just got her license last summer). She can't believe that this car climbs in speed so quickly without even relyzing it. I'm condoning speeding mind you, but If you know when to to do it safely, then that'* fine. Of coarse this is coming from a guy with $600 Plus worth of photo radar tickets for speeding!

For me not to put in my 2 cents would be silly. #1 I believe speeding (racing) in and out of traffic on the freeway is bad news. Speeding is going over 20miles or km over the set speed limit. I think racing should be kept to a track or safe area. #2 I always go at lease 15miles per hour over the posted speed limit unless in a school zone. I personally have been in over 14 crashes. I have only been at fault for one crash in my life. Most of the other crashes were with friends, who just couldn’t help but show me how fun spinning, flying or rolling a car can be. I have to admit most car crashes I was involved in happened before I was 30. Since 30 they became fewer but more extreme and expensive. I have found the best part of being in so many car crashes is the physical understanding of the reaction time and anticipation depth perception. I believe car training should include rolling and crashing cars. My 4X4 driving experiences have helped the most. The people whom I know who don’t have car crashes and drive hard are not lucky so much as they are experienced (racing background, or in the driving service industry for a long time) and well trained. So speeding is the factor that increases damage in an crash but I believe it’* the actions and inexperience that make for the crash in the first place. The truck I did bang up was a truck that was new to me and I had not learned its driving characteristics. So speed makes it worse but its not the speed that’* the biggest issue it’* the lack of real training. In Germany, England the car training requirements are a little closer to what is required to breed a better driver. Driver training in the us and Canada is pathetic. It tends to be all talk and a very orchestrated shaky first drive. LOL what a joke. Personally the basic driving training required for emergency vehicles should be what is required.

“Just a shot”

Ty

First of all, there is no such thing as "safe" speeding or racing. There is always an element of danger involved. I've heard mention on this forum that one shouldn't speed unless it is safe (no traffic) or unless it is under 20 mph over posted speed limit. The absense of traffic does not account for the unforseen danger present in wildlife. I drove truck for seven years while going to college. During that time I hit a deer while doing a mere five miles over. I may have been able to avoid (through controlled breaking) the deer had I not been speeding. As it was, I ALMOST didn't hit it...but we aren't playing horseshoes are we?

As for safely speeding under 20 miles per hour over posted speed limit, I was riding my brother'* Honda Shadow at a mere 45 miles per hour when I crested a familiar hill followed by a sharp right turn. I didn't realize that I was going too fast for the turn until I was right up on it. I tried to slow down, but as the bike crested the hill and unloaded the springs, the wheels locked up and I lost control. Fortunately I didn't get hit by oncomming trafic as I skidded over the left lane. I don't remember much from that day. I know that the helmet I was waring had a hole in it, and my brother said that some guy he had never seen dropped me off at his house. He says that after I climed/fell out of the back of the stranger'* p/u, I limped up to him, handed him his broken helmet and his rearview mirror and without a work started walking up to his house.

My point is that if we decide to speed, we are accepting the risk involved. And, anyone who professes to be a "good" driver needs to realize that there are things that remain out of their control. Every year many trained police officers die in automobile accidents stemming from high-speed chases. What makes us think we are any better at driving than they?

And yes, I do like to speed too.

Just be careful!

:? Hey, i agree i work for a auto-recycling yard and i`ve seen too many Bonnie`* come in ,2-94SSEi`*, 99SE and a 02 SSEi ouch. But the way i look at these cars is sweet parts i may need for my 92SSE . But really we should take care driving cuz the life you may save might be mine

I like to think I'm a good driver. I don't speed too often, and never more than 15mph over the limit (the car seems to want to speed though. ) I'm almost 25 and I've only had my license for 4 years. I think that being in an accident as bad as I was before I started driving myself gave me a bit of perspective on driving safely. I'm a lot more cautious than I think I would have been had the circumstances been different. But there is always the chance that something is going to happen even if you are being the most careful, speed limit abiding citizen there ever was, because you can't vouch for everyone else on the road.