Drivers beware

If you are addressing me in full or in part...we are not at odds on this. Either I am not expressing my position well or you aren't reading my whole post. There was sarcasm involved in the original waterboarding comment.

Charges?
Call your insurance company. I don't see how this can be considered your fault. They should have been ticketed for unsafe driving.
Walton County's finest

I was in Destin last year October 1, give or take a few days. My wife and I were in Ralph's or Publix I don't remember which. After being in there for while I could not believe what I was seeing, I thought I had gone to Mexico or at least southern Texas. There was a Mexican or two or more on every isle. If they were here legally, paying there share of what I have to pay for roads, law enforcement, government perks, yahta,yahta, yahta, more power to them, I hope the best for them. But I have a sneeky suspension, that"s not the case. Maybe I am wrong and just thinking wrong. I wish.

My calling the sheriff's department was to get the vehicle and the unlicensed, uninsured driver off the road, and to protect myself in case I needed to file a claim, that's all.

FYI- I do believe it is against the law to not report an accident. You always want to file a police report, because even if it increases your insurance rates, it beats the heck out of spending time when they charge you for hit and run, which the other driver could file, even if they look like a nice guy when you pull over and talk to them.

Does that vary from state to state? From what I understand, it's legal here to pull over and swap insurance information. I've even heard it encouraged in rush-hour situations to prevent subsequent/rubberneck accidents while people are waiting on police.

When I had a fender bender in Clearwater about 10 yrs. ago, the police told me to exchange info and said not to call the police unless it's a major accident. I thought that was bizaar.

The last time I was in a fender-bender was in rush hour in the big city of Gainesville (Georgia.) I was in my big ol' truck, and I gave a camaro a little love tap--it was raining and she slammed on the brakes. I hit her at about 2 mph. She didn't even want to move out of the road and insisted on calling the police.

I later found out that she was using the accident as an excuse to fix everything that was wrong with her car. The impact wasn't enough to even spill my drink in the truck, but she showed up with a neck collar at State Farm and wanted all kinds of things fixed.

Makes me wonder if insurance is a great idea which has had its day. (Then again, I reckon that there will always be people who will find ways to take advantage of a good system.)

I guess I don't find it odd that 17 year olds drive to pick up their paychecks. How else do they get them?

There is something very disturbing about this post. What gave you the impression that they were here illegally? The fact that they were from Mexico? (And my guess is that you don't actually know they are from Mexico but are making a generalization -- which goes back to the old "They all look the same to me" statement that has been applied to any group that you don't care enough to really notice.) I would caution you to get more information before jumping to the conclusion that they are here illegally.

And while I'm on my soapbox please save your disgust for the people who are bringing them here illegally so that they can do their work much cheaper -- and bypass paying taxes on their salaries. Could you really say that if your family was desperate for money you wouldn't do whatever it takes to get them fed????



(Stepping off soapbox for now)

Direct deposit, the mail, handed out at work.........

I was thinking more in terms that "17 year olds" should have been in school.


ALWAYS call the cops when you get in an accident! Amazing how often a minor tap that was completely someone else's fault can end up with a neck brace and suit against you. :roll:

There is something very disturbing about this post. What gave you the impression that they were here illegally? The fact that they were from Mexico? (And my guess is that you don't actually know they are from Mexico but are making a generalization -- which goes back to the old "They all look the same to me" statement that has been applied to any group that you don't care enough to really notice.) I would caution you to get more information before jumping to the conclusion that they are here illegally.

And while I'm on my soapbox please save your disgust for the people who are bringing them here illegally so that they can do their work much cheaper -- and bypass paying taxes on their salaries. Could you really say that if your family was desperate for money you wouldn't do whatever it takes to get them fed????

(Stepping off soapbox for now)

'Tis an interesting thought regarding who "brings the illegals in to work." If we look at the bigger picture, we begin to look into the mirror at ourselves. We consumers demand cheaper prices. I guess in some ways, we could also say that we are responsible for lead being put into our children's toys, as we cry to China to give us outstanding prices. In the end, in numerous ways, we get that for which we pay. In this case, we get unlicensed, uninsured motorists, driving vehicles which are not roadworthy.

Apparently, if they are under 18, the law enforcement in our country has no alternative other than finding a "responsible" older family member, illegal or not to pick them up. That was hard to swallow. If he had been over 18, he would have gone to jail.....don't know for how long though, probably no laws to support that either.

It seems at the very least we could have some inspection system for vehicles to require minimal safety standards and this would eliminate part of the safety issues for other drivers.

In Missouri, if you are the one that "hits" something, it is your fault.
I was driving down the highway, in front of me was a trailer with tree clippings on it, a huge branch came flying out of the back and bounced up my hood and busted my windshield. The trailer had no license plate on it, I had to pull over, he kept going. My insurance company told me it was my fault because I hit the branch.

I feel your frustration!!

Thanks for all of the perspectives. It gave me balance.

It was a real eye opener to realize that non-documented residents willfully violating our laws have more rights, and are not subject to any of the natural consequences of those violations, simply because you can't verify who they are, their true age, where they really live, and if they own the car....regardless of who is at fault.

At the end of the day, I am grateful....for my mildly sore shoulders, and no other real reason to complain about anything today! Thanks all.