Latest on Firestone tires.

[Dre]

It's gonna be hard to explain. I was just sitting watching the news on ABC when they aired a story about some lawsuit against Ford in Florida. A woman was riding as a passanger in an Explorer that rolled due to tire thread separation. Now she was suing Ford for $100 mil because she's paralyzed from the accident. She won the lawsuit but nobody wanted to say how much money was awarded. On top of that she was awarded an official apology from Ford. That was something new. They just showed the clip from that apology and then pictures showing the truck and the faulty tire. I know it was a terrible experiance. Too bad she was left parylized. But,.,.,.,. Where am I getting? Here's my question:

how do you roll a car or a truck after tire thread separates but tire keeps air? I can understand a blowout but the tire never lost air.

I know many people lost lives because of this, many that had injuries. Did anybody hear about any more lawsuits? Anybody on the list?

I'm not trying to argue here about this whole tire separation thing. I know it is very painfull to loose someone in an accident. My heart goes out to all that lost someone due to faulty tires. My question remains though.

Later,

 

[beachbuggy]

To be brutally honest? Most people can't drive. They panic. I'm sure most of those accidents were caused by overcorrecting.

 

[Peter Weber]

Andre

She didn't win the law suit. It was settled out of court before the trial started.

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

I agree 100% with Beachbuggy.....

 

[Dre]

Well, I didn't say it first! I did mention that once before that all it takes is a bit of caution. To be honest most of this comes because we don't teach people how to drive in this coutry. To get my original driver's license I had to take a 40 hour classroom course plus 18 hours driving course. They though us not only how to drive in normal conditions but also how to react in extreme conditions (wet, snowy road, emergency etc, etc), troubleshooting and on and on and on. I think something like this would help a lot! But, once again there are situations that you can't avoid even if you're the best driver on the planet.


Thanks guys!

 

[Stephen]

I'm going to move this on over to the News forum.

 

[rustytr]

I just read that it was about $30 million.

 

[Jim F]

I read that story over at usatoday.com yesterday. The part that got me worried again was the tire that separated on her Explorer was a tire made at the Wilson NC plant. There was talk of expanding the tire recall to all Wlderness AT's no matter where they were made. By the way, I have 5 Wilderness AT's on my 98 that were made in Canada. So far so good.

 

[Dre]

If you can, go back and read my initial post. I asked a question. How is it possible to roll your vehicle if a tire lost it's thread but has not lost air? I can understand a blowout (front tire), you panic, hit brakes and bum! you're gone but this is another case. I'm not bashing anybody here and trully don't know how I would react if something like this would happen to me but looks like here we can easily be reworded for our own stupidity or lack of basic driving skills. Just hire a good "ambulance chaser" and you're done. Too bad when you are parylized like that woman and can't relly live your normal live anymore.


Guess I should go back and sue Starbacks cause I spilled their coffee into my seat while driving. 2nd degree burns.

Heck,

 

[GJarrett]

To answer your question: the tread separates from the tire, wraps around the axle, and instantaneously locks up the wheel. Depending on driver ability (or lack thereof), road surface conditions and camber, whether it happens on a turn, which wheel gets locked, and whether that locked wheel pulls the vehicle off the roadway, various stages of vehicular aerobatics become possible.

[Edited by GJarrett on 01-09-2001 at 02:19 PM]

 

[Dre]

but that's only speculation. That thread most of the time is gonna end up somewhere on the road. It does not automatically wrap around. Every day driving to and from work I see plenty of tire pieces on or near the road. It's been three years since I moved and commute 30 miles each way every day. Since my move I've seen two rolled Land Rovers and a couple of Toyotas and Hondas but no Explorers. A blow out or thread separation does not mean you have to end up dead. You just have to know that anything is possible and react accordingly. Especially now, I'm driving on 31" tires. In a couple of months I'll be switching to 33's. To have a blow out of a 33" tire in the front is gonna be something else. Difference in height. Hope it doesn't happen to me though, cross my fingers.

Later,

I was just saying that sometimes we do stupid things but still make others pay for them.

 

[mrboyle]

Originally posted by Andre Hryn


Guess I should go back and sue Starbacks cause I spilled their coffee into my seat while driving. 2nd degree burns.

Heck,

Someone already did that with McDonalds.

 

[mrboyle]

I'm sure the true cause of EVERY rollover was not the tire, but the driver. If the idiots could drive they would know how to react to emergency situations. My question is, with the rise in single vehicle accidents and minor fender benders, how many people are going to be injured or killed before they ban the use of celluar phones while opperating a motor vehicle?

 

[Stephen]

As someone who uses about 4,000 minutes a month on his cell phone, about 3,000 of which are in the car let me edit your post a little. What needs to be banned is the use of HANDHELD cell phones while driving. Pay $100 for a good car kit like I did and you'll be fine.

 

[Dre]

I just saw a really nice car kit for my Nokia at Office Max for like $25.00. Anyway, I own a cell phone and use it a lot in and out of the car. It doesn't make a difference if you hold your phone in your hand or leave it in a cradle. You talk, you listen, you concentrate your mind on something but the road ahead of you. You're looking ahead but what you see is totally different. I've seen people do it many times, they're sitting in a left lane doing 45mph not knowing that they are holding up everybody else. On top of that I just had a guy talking on the phone cut me off on the highway. He was just smilling from ear to ear and did not even notice that I had to run onto the shoulder to avoid him. He kept on going and I bet that even if I stoped him he wouldn't know what the heck I was talking about. I won't say, I do use the phone with my car but first I use one of those kits and second I try not to use it on the highway where your 100% concentration is vital. I think everybody should do the same. I know, some use phones as their business tool and to make money but how much will you gain if you get killed because you didn't pay attention?


Good luck to all,

 

[Stephen]

Andre, Its a proven fact that it DOES in fact make a difference whether you hold your phone or use a handsfree kit. Talking on a handsfree kit is not unlike having a conversation with someone else in the car. I have a Startac with the Sharper Image's handfree cradle in the cigarette lighter. it sits right up there on the console ahead of the shifter. I usually drive with my right arm resting on the shifter anyways, so when I'm ready to make a call I simply reach over and hit the 1-9 turbodial key for the number I'm calling (most of the time) or if its a more obscure number I have to scroll through the menu. So the only hand I'm usuing is the one that wasn' on the steering wheel anyway. When the other party hangs up, my phone automatically ends the call so thats all there is to it. If you are holding the phone you have to take your eyes off the road to FIND it, pick it up, dial the number, and then commit one hand to holding it to your ear. Lets say if I'm on the phone and I have to react to an emergency situation, my right hand is free for me to use to control the car. If I were holding the phone......I'd only have one hand. Sure you can always drop the phone but that costs precious seconds to do.

I bought my first car phone in 1988, cost me about $2500 if I remember correctly. It paid for itself the first day I had it. Its a neccisary evil for people like me that spend more time in the car than in the office. My car IS my office.

Also, if you ask me surface street driving requires more concentration than highway driving. There are so many more variables you have to consider when you're dealing with pedestrians, driveways, intersections etc. On a highway everyone is going more or less the same speed in the same direction.

 

[Dre]

I would not elaborate on the subject anymore. Anyway, I use this eveil thing a lot myself but like I said, I'm trying the best that I can to hold everything untill I get to my office or whereever I'm going. My car is my office too. Non the less, this is dangerous world out there and we can't really predict what others might do. That should sum it up. Let's pick on someone else now, shall we?

Later,

 

[Stephen]

I always do also, but when business calls business calls Dead Link Removed

 

[Dre]

money is the evil of it all..... or something like that,

lol

 

[Stephen]

LOL Yep, something like that.