people need to learn to drive

[GiLLT]

i came out of work last night and i noticed immediately my license plate had somehow gotten bent right in half, so 1st thing this morning i see that my whole drivers side of the rear bumper is scuffed all up someone backed into me. the worst part is i park way away from all cars to avoid **** like this and it still happens. anyway i talked to work about it they showed me the cameras and all u can see is a blob of a car slightly hitting me and fleeing the scene, their cameras suck. ugh... what to do now, i suppose i can call the insurance company Monday see what they have to say. this kind of stuff is so aggravating now i gotta look at a scuffed up bumper.

[audtatious]

If the bumper paint is simply scuffed, you can probably get someone to buff it out. If it looks like a repaint is needed, I would check to see what a shop would charge then determine if it is worth filing based on your deductible. Of course, if you did not file a police report the insurance company will probably "blame you".

Not only do some people need to learn to drive, people need to start taking responsibility for their actions instead of "gee, damn shame that car got in my way".....

[GiLLT]

yeah i completely agree with you and people needing to take responsibility. there are 3 big scuffs for the most part one to the left of the license plate and couple on top of the bumper and a little piece of paint is chipped, it could of been a lot worse ill give it that this is pretty minor but still makes me mad ill try getting it buffed. Same thing happened to my old sentra someone backed into me left a huge dent on the passenger side bumper i was able to pry the dent out and just left the paint chipped looked pretty bad on a silver car because it was all black under the paint, i care way more about my V i want to keep it looking good i don't need this. seems to always happen to me no luck when it comes to "the other guy" ive never hit anyone they always hit me.

[DreamU]

Someone keyed my left fender last year. My insurance company paid for the whole repair - no deductible. You may find the same thing in your case.

[OKVersa]

I come home from OKC to find out I have blue paint on the driver's side door.

[KimberKenobi]

Dang, someone kicked in a rear panel on my car, I even got a police report, and my insurance company didn't do diddly... who do you have?!?

[GiLLT]

for the quarter sized spot with no paint you think the versa touch up paint is worth trying. i had a buddy of mine check my car out tonight said the scuffs are definitely buffable and he will do that part for me so i am a little bit more relieved.

my insurance company sucks i'm sure they will be gay about it, i don't know if they are even worth bothering with. as far as i'm concerned if i can get it buffed out and have a little spot with no paint its better than nothing.

[themanfromvlad]

Considering there's a thread on this board with people boasting about racing with their Versas, this probably isn't a place that will learn how to drive anytime soon. Sorry about your misfortune, try to get an insurance company that treats you well.

[DreamU]

who do you have?!?

That was Allstate that took of everything when my car was keyed.

[proxim2020]

It's too easy to get a license in this country. You get your license when you turn 16 or 18 and you're set for life. All you need to do is read a small book, memorize the answers, take the test. In Texas, if you go though the parent taught course, you can even forgo the driving test and only take the written test. I'm amazed at how most parents wouldn't be able to pass the test that their children are taking. People to easily forget things. I like Germany's way of going about licensing. For everyone, there's a mandatory 12 hours of book time and 25-50 hours of professional training. After that, you pay $1,500-2,000 for your license. Passing on the right is strictly forbidden and all traffic fines are based on income (as with a lot of countries in Europe) . Riding in the left lane of the Autobahn and not passing will get your license taken away. Depending on the offense, these fines can get up to 20% of your income and a few days in jail. If they're this serious about these simple things you may see everyday, just imagine what would happen to someone that was caught in a hit and run.

[GiLLT]

i agree people here would drive so much more cautious and better if there were rules and laws like that. but then again you can get away with murder in this country.

[KimberKenobi]

it's also too easy to KEEP your license in this country..... Some people just aren't safe to be on the roads anymore and don't realize it... we treat driving like a right and not a privilege/responsibility.

[DreamU]

I miss the order and security of driving in the US. Sure, there are some bad drivers, but in Panama bad driving is the norm!

Although they have pretty hefty fines for many driving offenses in Panama they just don't seem to be enforced. People run red lights all the time, park in yellow no parking zones, don't signal, drive in the oncoming lane, etc. In the US I was reasonably sure that if I drove carefully I would not have an accident. In Panama, I don't have that same confidence.

They have introduced some stiffer fines this year, for example, driving while talking on the phone, driving without a seat-belt, etc. That is good and they do enforce those to some degree - I was stopped for not wearing my seatbelt. Didn't Giuliani reduce crime in New York by starting with the small stuff, e.g. jay-walkers and window washers, etc? That, as the story goes, eventually reduced major crime in the city. Hopefully, enforcing the small stuff will blossom into less dangerous driving conditions overall.

Edit: It is so bad here the Nissan dealer will not let people test drive cars between 5-6pm, during rush hour.