Each image in the left column is a small part of an actual accident photo reduced to thumbnail size. Click on one you’d like to see full size or start anywhere and go through the entire group.

Incidents with Pedestrians.
The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him.
The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I struck a pedestrian.
The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him.
The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again.
I saw a slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car.
A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
I saw her look at me twice. She appeared to be making slow progress when we met on impact.
Accidents with other vehicles.
I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way.
A truck backed through my windshield into my wife’s face.
The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.
My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.
When I saw I could not avoid a collision I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.
I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.
The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
I was backing my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.
I was unable to stop in time and my car crashed into the other vehicle. The driver and passengers then left immediately for a vacation with injuries.

The gentleman behind me struck me on the backside. He then went to rest in a bush with just his rear end showing.
The car in front of me stopped for a yellow light, so I had no choice but to hit him. (She pushed him through the intesection)
Collisions, calamities, and injuries.
Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.
I told the police that I was not injured, but on removing my hat found that I had a fractured skull.
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.
I thought my window was down, but I found it was up when I put my head through it.
As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.

In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.
I saw two kangaroos having it off in the middle of the road. So I hit them, which caused me to ejaculate through the sunroof.
I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.
The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of the way when I struck the front end.
I pulled in to the side of the road because there was smoke coming from under the hood. I realized there was a fire in the engine, so I took my dog and smothered it with a blanket.
The claimant had collided with a cow. The questions and answers on the claim form were – Q: What warning was given by you? A: Horn. Q: What warning was given by the other party? A: Moo.

Who is to Blame?
No one was to blame for the accident but it would never have happened if the other driver had been alert.
I didn’t think the speed limit applied after midnight.
I had been shopping for plants all day and was on my way home. As I reached an intersection a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision and I did not see the other car.

The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
I was going at about 70 or 80 mph when my girlfriend reached over and grabbed my testicles so I lost control.
I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.
On approach to the traffic lights the car in front suddenly broke.
The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week.

Windshield broke. Cause unknown. Probably Voodoo.
No witnesses would admit having seen the mishap until after it happened.
I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way.
The accident happened when the right front door of a car came round the corner without giving a signal.
I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.
I left for work this morning at 7am as usual when I collided straight into a bus. The bus was 5 miniutes early.
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished.
I knew the dog was possessive about the car but I would not have asked her to drive it if I had thought there was any risk.
The accident happened because I had one eye on the truck in front, one eye on the pedestrian, and the other on the car behind.
I started to turn and it was at this point I noticed a camel and an elephant tethered at the verge. This distraction caused me to lose concentration and hit a bollard.

Funny insurance jokes.
A lawyer and an engineer were fishing in the Caribbean. The lawyer said, “I’m here because my house burned down, and everything I owned was destroyed by the fire. The insurance company paid for everything.”
That’s quite a coincidence,” said the engineer. “I’m here because my house and all my belongings were destroyed by a flood, and my insurance company also paid for everything.”
The lawyer thought for a moment, but was puzzled. Finally he asked the engineer, “How do you start a flood?”
An actuary, a lawyer and an accountant are discussing the merits of having a mistress or a wife. The lawyer reckons it is better having a mistress, because the wife can take everything if you should come to a divorce. The accountant reckons it is definitely better having a wife, from a taxation perspective. The actuary reckons it is better having both, because when you are not with the wife, she thinks you are with the mistress, and when you are not with the mistress, the mistress thinks you are with the wife, and that way, you can spend more time at the office.

TRUE news story. NOT a joke. Maybe.
A lawyer in Charlotte, NC purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against fire among other things. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed a claim with the insurance company.
In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost “in a series of small fires.” The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued….and won! In delivering the ruling the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be “unacceptable fire,” and was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000.00 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the “fires.”
But… After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000.00 fine.

Source:swapmeetdave.com

[View with PicLens]

With the salty seas of the gulf still being displaced by BP’s lost profits, perhaps a new environmental conscientiousness will take hold of the global consumer. (Yeah, right. And perhaps Joe Biden will call it quits so he can take a full-time job pushing old ladies down the stairs.) Should conservationism or that mortal enemy of the luxury business, fiscal responsibility, indeed grip the market, BMW has a plan in place in the form of a new lower-priced, higher-efficiency 7-series.

Less, More, Less, and Less (Not Necessarily in That Order)

The new 740i and long-wheelbase 740Li utilize a smaller engine than do other versions of the current 7-series. It’s a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six that cranks out 315 hp at 5800 rpm and 330 lb-ft of torque from 1600 rpm all the way to 4500. Although the six is down 85 hp and 120 lb-ft to the 750i’s twin-turbo V-8, it also weighs about 100 fewer pounds, and that helps the 740i sprint to 60 mph a 10th quicker than the 750i—5.1 seconds to 5.2. The big V-8 doesn’t catch up until 70 mph, at which point you’d better let up anyway, or there’s a ticket coming your way. Fuel economy is an EPA-rated 17 mpg city and 25 highway compared with the 750’s 15/22. Consider the absurdly priced—$103,175—gas-electric ActiveHybrid 7, with its 17/26 rating, officially obsolete.

Perhaps as a reward for conscientiousness, BMW prices the 740i $12,850 lower than the 750i. But you sacrifice the 750i’s phenomenal—and heated—seats, proximity-based keyless entry and start, and softer nappa leather. The 740i does, however, have as long an options list as do other 7-series models, meaning all that stuff can be added back in. Pricing of various packages—and the features bundled within those packages—differs from 740 to 750, making spec’ing the two identically nearly impossible. But the six-cylinder car is about $7000 less when outfitted as closely as possible to 750 levels of equipment.

Our test vehicle was optioned with different goals in mind, the primary one being nimbleness. The $6500 M Sport package adds smoky Shadowline exterior trim, 19-inch wheels (20s are a further option), active anti-roll bars, a chubby M steering wheel, a subtle body kit, and an Anthracite headliner (that’s the color, not the material). For $1750, active steering tweaks the rear wheels in turns to sharpen responses. On top of that, our car had the $1700 Convenience package that includes a power trunklid, the proximity-based keyless functionality, and soft-close doors—the laziness special. And $650 finished the iDrive, audio, and climate controls in a gorgeous black ceramic glaze that had us totally smitten. The total of $81,625 put us in a seriously sporting and coddling machine that still undercut the entry price for a 750i by a couple thousand dollars.

Don’t Tell It That It’s Not a Sports Car

Like all 7-series models, the 740i is surprisingly deft for something so large, a supersized 3-series, a feeling enhanced by its lighter nose. Skidpad stick, at 0.88 g, would embarrass most of the Camaros we’ve tested, and a smoking standstill from 70 mph is just 163 feet away. There’s enough room inside to erect a jungle gym (two, if you go for the long wheelbase), and everything is finished to a standard that didn’t exist in the auto industry even a few years ago. It’s a wonderful car, and there is no noticeable sacrifice for going with the smallest engine. The 740i is a car both the owner and his or her conscience will be happy to live with.

Source: caranddriver.com

Amid all the industry turmoil, it’s easy to forget about the spark that drives the car industry: consumers. After being battered with enough industry news to drown even the most perceptive analyst, car shoppers are still left with one question: which car should I buy?

Editor’s Note: Since announcing the 2010 awards, two winners – the Toyota Sequoia and Camry – have been recalled for a serious safety concern. It remains to be seen what impact the problem will have on resale values and maintenance costs on a long-term basis for these and other Toyota models. For more information, including what the recall means for our rankings, and what you should do if you own one of the affected vehicles, visit our Toyota Recall page.
The Awards

Especially now, it’s all about value. U.S. News created the Best Car for the Money awards to identify the cars that should make anyone’s short list. The awards highlight cars, trucks and SUVs that will not only please their owners the day they drive off the dealer lot, but will keep them – and their wallets – happy for years to come.

The awards are based on U.S. News’ automotive rankings (at www.usnews.com/cars) and estimated five-year cost of ownership from IntelliChoice. Combining the rankings with real-world costs helps to identify cars that are loved by of the majority of car reviewers and that provide good long-term value.

The Winners

Across 23 award categories, roughly a quarter of the award winners come from Toyota or Lexus, Toyota’s luxury division. As you might expect, Toyota wins the Hybrid Car category, with the Prius, and Lexus wins the Hybrid SUV category with the RX Hybrid. However, not all Toyota award winners are so green: the Toyota Sequoia, Land Cruiser and FJ Cruiser also each take awards.

There are other surprises. In the compact and subcompact car classes, where you might expect Honda to dominate, the winners are the Nissan Versa and the Hyundai Elantra. Hyundai is also a spoiler with the Genesis, which beat out entries from BMW, Lexus and Infiniti to win Best Upscale Midsize Car for the Money.

As has been the case all year, the performance of domestic car companies varies. Chrysler didn’t manage to win any awards, and while General Motors won two last year, this year they only took home the Best Luxury Sports Car for the Money Award, for the Chevrolet Corvette. Ford, who didn’t have any U.S. News Awards in 2009, wins the family sedan class with the new Ford Taurus. The Ford F-150, a perennial best-seller, wins the Best Full-Size Truck for the Money.

What You Need to Know

The award winners range from tiny subcompacts to hulking trucks, fuel-sipping hybrids to gas guzzling SUVs. As different as they all are, they also have something in common: each offers a combination of day-to-day livability and value when compared to other cars in its class. While some of the winners may not set car enthusiasts’ hearts racing, they showcase a blend of features that appeals to the majority of shoppers. Sure, there may be cars that offer more style, more cachet, or better 0-to-60 times, but the Best Car for the Money awards honor cars that aren’t just good at one thing – they are good at many.

Summary: Shopping online for a car can be both quick and easy. Even so, an online shopper must remember the basics of automobile shopping. The most important thing to remember? Let the buyer beware!

In today’s world we typically want the quick and easy solution to our errands and problems. It is interesting, though, how often our errands are our problems. Take for example the errand and problem of buying a car.

Historically, when we have needed—or wanted—to buy a new or used car it was an ordeal that bordered upon the nightmarish. Days, sometimes weeks or months, are filled with exhausting research, pushy and over-bearing salespeople, traffic, bad weather, rising gas prices, wasted time, insurance, comparative shopping… The list goes on and on! No wonder that many people rank car shopping somewhere slightly above getting a root canal…without Novocain.

Recently things have changed. This is because of that wonderful innovation called the Internet. With the Internet a savvy shopper can do almost everything in the car-buying process online, from anywhere at anytime. By being able to do most of the traditionally painful ordeal from the comfort of your home, office or local Internet cafe, a vast majority of the pain is removed. The buyer must beware though!

So, how does the smart and safe shopper know that they are getting what they ordered, and that the information they give over the Internet will be kept safe? The simplest answer is to only deal with trusted sources. Such sources can include, but are not limited to, Websites such as eBay, Yahoo!, Google, local car dealers, and national car companies.

When you utilize one of these types of websites, and before sending any payment, ensure that a secure method of payment (i.e., PayPal on eBay) is available. Something else that you will want to keep in mind, particularly if you are using a Website such as eBay, is to look at the vendor’s reputation. In the instance of local car dealerships, this would entail checking with the Better Business Bureau. While not 100% accurate all of the time, this is a good way to help judge who to buy from.

When you start looking at the basic cost of the car that you may purchase online, remember to do your research (which can be done online as well). This research would include finding the average cost of the vehicle in which you are interested (the Kelly Blue Book can help with this determination), as well as the vehicle’s average depreciation and resale values.

Don’t forget, as well, that when you shop online you are responsible for getting the car from the seller to you. This isn’t normally a problem when purchasing through a local dealer, or even through a national car company. (National car companies often arrange delivery through their local dealer network.) If you are purchasing from a private individual or a company that is not local, then you need to figure out how to get the car to your doorstep. This can involve travel or delivery expenses; make sure you factor them into your total purchase price.

In the end, purchasing a car online can be a fun and easy process that saves considerable time and energy when compared to traditional car-buying methods. Just remember to be smart about what you do; and as always, keep in mind the old adage: “let the buyer beware.”

Source: http://car.tips.net/

Determine the Extent of Damage or Injuries
Try to stay calm. Panic can make others panic and the situation worse. There needs to be a calm person to determine the extent of damage and to determine if there are any injuries that need immediate medical attention.

File a Car Accident Report with the Police
Even in a minor accident it is important to make sure there is a legal accident report. Do not leave the scene until the police file a full report.

Discuss the Car Accident Only with the Police
With everyone all shook up it can be hard not to talk about what just happened, but that can also lead to you not thinking clearly and accurately about what happened. It is important to limit your discussion of the accident and not to admit any fault or liability. You should talk about the accident with the police and your insurance agent only.

Get the Facts
This is the part most people know to do, but often forget to after the accident for one reason or another. It is important to get names, address, and phone numbers of everyone involved in the accident. A description of the car and license plate number can also be helpful, but make sure you also get their insurance company and the vehicle identification number of their car. Don’t just assume the license plate number will do because most insurance companies only record the type of car and the vehicle identification number, not the license plate number.

Call Your Insurance Agent
Call your agent or insurance company’s 800-number immediately, even at the scene with the police if possible. Sometimes the police officer can give your insurance company more accurate information rather than information you may not be recording properly because you are upset by the accident. This can save you a lot of time later waiting for your claim to be processed.

Source: personalinsure.about.com/cs/vehicleratings/a/aa120902a.htm

If you choose comprehensive and collision coverages, you will need to decide what deductible amounts you would like. And, it is important to know what policy limits your state requires so you can decide what policy limits you would like. Other coverages you may also be interested in:

2. Choosing an Insurance Company: When you are ready to select your insurance provider, besides just looking for the best car insurance premium, you will want to take some time to research what insurance company you want to go with by learning about their financial strength. Another important aspect of choosing your insurance provider is knowing if and how they will use your credit score to determine your rate. Take the time to research different companies and then make a list of the providers you are interested in contacting for an insurance quote. Here are some tools to help you research your car insurance company:

3. Making the Call: When you have your list of selected car insurance providers you are ready to start calling around to search for the one who can give you the best deal. It is important to have certain paperwork handy, such as your drivers license number. In addition, having a list of discounts you may be entitled to can save you some extra money. Here are some resources to help you when you are ready to make the call:

4. Understanding Your Car Insurance Policy: Now that you have your car insurance policy, do you understand what it means? Did you get what you paid for? It is important to know how your car insurance policy works and how it can work for you. Here is some help in understanding your policy:

5. Filing a Car Insurance Claim: Let’s hope you never have to file a car insurance claim, but if you do it is important to learn some things before the accident comes. Learning what things you need to do when you have an auto accident can help the claims process go much smoother.

Source: personalinsure.about.com/od/auto/a/autoguide.htm

Not only you need to know how to read the program, but you also must understand the auto insurance coverage’s put forward in your auto plan.

Your vehicle insurance coverage’s are the promises your automobile insurance firm makes to you in exchange of a premium (a payment).

This premium is what ensures coverage for you, the service holder and the insured, in case of an auto insurance claim.

Remember car insurance is a business, and a very profitable one. If you really think about it, auto insurance is another form of gambling, just backwards.

When you gamble, you are betting that something good will happen (you will get that lucky number) in order to get a pay out.

With vehicle insurance it is just the opposite, you are betting that something bad will happen (a automobile accident) in order to get a payout.

My point: vehicle insurance firms have the odds against you, and just like casinos they are turning record profits.

car insurance firms often increase those profits by paying less than they have to.

They do this by reducing cost in different areas of the vehicle claim.

It is not unusual to see an car insurance firm trying to nickel and dime you (or your body shop, chiropractor, medical doctor, tow truck driver, rental vehicle provider, etc.) on what is rightfully yours.

Therefore, you need to know your coverage’s and car insurance terms, and what exactly they mean. These pages will explain the vehicle insurance coverage’s, terms, and definitions in simple terms.

It is important to note that the objective of all insurance coverage’s is to indemnify the wronged party. Indemnification means “to put the person back in the position they would be if the car crash never happened.” Basically, they have to make you whole again.

Achieving true indemnification is very difficult and sometimes impossible. No one can make the car crash disappear or make a bodily injury go away.

The automobile insurance company will try to put the injured victim as close as possible to that position they were before the car crash by making monetary payments.

Most insurance coverage’s are targeted or designed to do that. To put the wronged party back on the position they were before the accident.

car insurance organizations use this concept against you. In other words, they will use it to tell you “the purpose of auto insurance is put you back to the same point you were before the collision, not to make you better off.”

They will argue that because of this concept, they can depreciate your damages. They will tell you that your vehicle did not have “new parts.”

You had a used car and therefore they will put you “back on the same position” you were. A used vehicle had used parts.

State legislators have made law to carry certain auto insurance coverage’s; however, you are only required to carry liability automobile insurance.

When there is an insurance claim against you, your car accident insurance company covers that person (the claimant).

Some states also require Personal Injury Protection and Medical Payments coverage. However, remember that these coverage’s are the bare minimum coverage’s. Every other coverage is a choice.

1) Take a hard look at your deductible. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), raising your deductible from $250 to $1,000 could reduce your collision and comprehensive coverage costs by up to 40 percent. You’ll incur higher costs should you need to file a claim, but the amount you’ll save on your premiums may be well worth it.

Estimated Savings: $170 per year

2) Combine your auto insurance policy and either home or renters insurance policy with a single insurer. According to the III, converting to a multiline policy could save you as much as 15 percent on your auto premium. Plus, you’ll have one fewer bill to pay each month.

Estimated Savings: $210 per year

3) If you can afford to, pay your auto insurance premium in one lump sum. Many insurers charge a fee to break up your premium into monthly payments, and even a few dollars a month could amount to a hefty surcharge.

Estimated Savings: $60 per year

In addition, make sure you shop around and speak with agents from several different companies. Insurance providers often specialize in different types of drivers, and depending on your personal circumstances, it’s probably worth your while to compare quotes.

To learn more ways to save and to compare rates online, visit www.InsuranceRates.com.