Goodbye Subcompact Cars

[festy90]

As much as i hate to say it and eventhough i loved to drive the festy i once owned i dont think i could own another subcompact car again. i sold my festy about a year and a half ago back to the man i bought it from and bought a 96 ford aspire. As of the event that took place on 2/12/11 i wont be able to own another one. The aspire wasnt as fun to drive as the festiva but it worked for what i used it for.
The reason behind my giving up on these little cars is on the date i just mentioned i was involved in an accident that all but destroyed the car, killed my fiance and almost killed me. There is not enough crunch room between the bumper and the dash. I dont remember the accident but from what i was told, i ran into the back of an illegally parked semi on the interstate at around 65 mph. the crash was so severe that the rescue workers had to cut off the roof, drivers door and the brake pedal just to get me out of the car. The front right corner and dash was pushed back 3 to 4 feet from the impact with the trailer.
Ill miss driving these lil cars but i cant own another one. i wouldnt feel safe driving one. here are a few pics i was able to get ahold of of the car after it was hauled off.

[ejp2fast]

very sorry to hear of you loss. glad you are ok. These cars are great in very many ways, but when this happens it can look grim. just a reminder that we have to drive defensive, and try to avoid these things.

[festy90]

yeah i always have driven that way. when driving the aspire and even more so the festiva sinceit was a speedy lil thing. i dont remember the crash at all so i couldnt tell u if i drifted over or what happened

[Safety Guy]

My condolences. I've had loved ones die of cancer and old age, etc., but I can't imagine losing someone close like that.

I'm well aware of little cars' vulnerability. On the other hand, hitting a semi at around 65 would be a challenge for just about anything short of a larger vehicle. Especially if the car hits the trailer back end and "dives" underneath it.

I don't blame you a bit for how you feel or the decisions you make though! Glad you're still with us and able to tell the tale. Truly ittle cars are their own kind of fun--and their own kind of dangerous, too.

Karl

[RichardLSU]

Im sorry.

[thered56]

Nobody can blame you for your feelings about driving smaller cars, that's for sure. Very sorry for your loss. Have you recovered fully? Is it just the incident you don't remember (concussion maybe)? It's good of you to share.

[NovaSS]

Sorry for your loss. I can understand you not wanting to own another small car .

[WmWatt]

I've felt vulnerable on the highway but they're a good town car.

[91_festy_Gl]

Understandable Sorry for you loss

[festy90]

im still recovering from my multiple fractured bones, cuts and bruises. i agree with you they are great for driving in town. they just zip right in and out of traffic and buzz right along. if i ever get another small one itl be a festy and just something to tool around with on the weekends but not a dayly driver. i just dont feel safe on the road in one after this.

[festy90]

i remember everything up to about 50-100 yards from the crash and afterwards waking up in that destroyed car but not the crash itself. i dont even remember the semi and trailer parked there

[TominMO]

So sorry for your loss. Perfectly understandable decision; best wishes and luck.

[bhazard]

Im with everyone else...very sorry for your loss. What's up with the semi driver? Big trouble?

I must say though, I don't know of any vehicles that would fare well hitting something like that at that speed...

[DriverOne]

Festy90, I'm sorry for your loss. If I ever lost my wife, I don't know what I'd do. She and I were also in an accident in an Aspire. At 35mph we stopped dead in the back end of a pickup truck that hit the car in front of him. During the impact, my wife's head went through the windshield and then the airbags went off, blasting her back into the seat. The seat belts locked up and wouldn't let us out of the car. We had to break them apart to get them to let us go.

I also want to tell you something else. It doesn't matter what vehicle you're in when you hit a semi. I drive one for a living, and I've seen at least three deaths because of accidents with the back end of a semi. They're designed to be rammed up against a dock and survive, while protecting the freight. There was an accident in Spartanburg, SC that killed a man in this pickup:


It doesn't matter what you drive. Please don't let this destroy your love of Festivas. I know sometimes things happen. My dad was in a mini pickup and got hit in the passenger side by a man in a Cavalier doing in excess of 100mph. Turned that truck into a motorcycle. Had he been in the passenger seat, I wouldn't know him today. Had it been a semi, it would've rolled over him.

Again, I'm sorry. My heart hurts for you and yours.

[1988festivazoom]

That's a horrible, I'm sorry for the loss of your love and your ride. I can understand why you don't feel comfortable in a shoe box with wheels anymore. I cannot imagine what you have gone through and I wish u my best!