Q
Apparently on date Wed, 26 May 2004 09:10:33 +0100, "Nom"
<[email protected]> said:
>[email protected] wrote:
>> If something runs out because you aren't nearby, and you are then
>> unable to stop then you probably were going too fast for that road.
>> Course, you may not care about that, plenty don't...
>
>Once it's happened, they will.
>
>I know a guy who needed half a new front-end (grill, headlight, radiator
>etc.) on his Volvo 850 after he hit a pidgeon at 80mph.
I saw a car that had hit a cow at about forty. Both in the car had died
instantly, cow had taken out the windscreen and folded the roof right down.
By the fact that there were no skidmarks on the road, they reckoned the driver
had either not noticed or hadn't cared. Thing is, a cow stays put for an
instant even when you kick its legs out from under it, then falls sideways onto
your nicely smooth bonnet to come through the windscreen backbone first.
Almost no chance, much worse than going head on into a stone wall.
I heard that the cow was unharmed, but it seemed unlikely that it didn't take
*some* damage. Car was really stuffed.
As for things smaller, well I'd not want to hit anything at 80. A small pebble
might just glance off the windscreen but something bigger will be like smacking
the front with a baseball bat. Luckily, I try not to hit things already so it
hasn't been much of an issue as yet.
I did hit a blackbird a couple of years back at speed, made a dreadful mess but
no damage I could find. I dunno why, I'd have thought a bird would be lifted
with the air it's flying in and slide over the roof without hitting the car.
Maybe inertia plays a part there.
<[email protected]> said:
>[email protected] wrote:
>> If something runs out because you aren't nearby, and you are then
>> unable to stop then you probably were going too fast for that road.
>> Course, you may not care about that, plenty don't...
>
>Once it's happened, they will.
>
>I know a guy who needed half a new front-end (grill, headlight, radiator
>etc.) on his Volvo 850 after he hit a pidgeon at 80mph.
I saw a car that had hit a cow at about forty. Both in the car had died
instantly, cow had taken out the windscreen and folded the roof right down.
By the fact that there were no skidmarks on the road, they reckoned the driver
had either not noticed or hadn't cared. Thing is, a cow stays put for an
instant even when you kick its legs out from under it, then falls sideways onto
your nicely smooth bonnet to come through the windscreen backbone first.
Almost no chance, much worse than going head on into a stone wall.
I heard that the cow was unharmed, but it seemed unlikely that it didn't take
*some* damage. Car was really stuffed.
As for things smaller, well I'd not want to hit anything at 80. A small pebble
might just glance off the windscreen but something bigger will be like smacking
the front with a baseball bat. Luckily, I try not to hit things already so it
hasn't been much of an issue as yet.
I did hit a blackbird a couple of years back at speed, made a dreadful mess but
no damage I could find. I dunno why, I'd have thought a bird would be lifted
with the air it's flying in and slide over the roof without hitting the car.
Maybe inertia plays a part there.