35-0 Braking Time & Distance

[Cephyr13]

Hello.

Does anyone know an 2003 Mercury Mountaineer or Ford Explorer's approximate braking distance and time for about 30, 35, or 40 mph to 0?

I know most people don't know these stats and haven't tried this. It requires either an app on a phone that will measure it, or maybe a G-Tech.

Also, anyone know the curb weight for the V6? I'm having trouble finding it online.

I was rear-ended by a teen driver in an '03 Mountaineer and I'm trying to show how he had plenty of time and space to stop. He took off my bumper and crunched the trunk lid and trunk panel so that they all had to be replaced. It was a beautiful white '91 Taurus SHO before this. His insurance company is claiming they're not at fault, so I'm suing them for the repairs.

Don't worry--I don't hate Explorers/Mountaineers as a result! I'm not upset with the driver, even. I just don't want to be out of pocket any expenses.

 

[colintrax]

In most states if you rear end another car you're at fault no matter what. Is that not the law in texas?

 

[swshawaii]

Curb weights listed.

http://www.cars.com/mercury/mountaineer/2003/snapshot/

 

[Number4]

You should get a lawyer. Don't deal with his company on your own. You'll get shorted. Perhaps your neck is feeling stiff. Insurance companies are evil people. It's a business and businesses don't like giving up profits.

Note: at safe driving distances and while not driving distracted, there is no acceptable time in which a person should rear end another. Either he was driving to close, or he wasn't paying attention.

 

[faco]

Did you enter his lane? Are you trying to prove that even though you did he should have had time to slow down? That is going to be a toss up and in the majority of such cases you would be at fault because he had the right of way. Otherwise, he would be at fault.
Who got the traffic violation? (not that this is the final determining factor)

Like others have said, if your insurance company is not involved (you carry liability only), get a lawyer. Rear enders don't hurt now, but later on you could have serious problems.

 

[Cephyr13]

Thanks for the helpful replies and the curb weights.

No use in getting a lawyer, according to my relative who's a very successful personal injury lawyer. I'm only suing for around $3,000 in repairs and devaluation and court costs, etc. I'm not worried about that, though. I've been told I should be a lawyer a few times in my life.

I actually won a court case when I was 19 (15 years ago). A cop gave me a 10 mph speeding ticket when I knew for certain I was doing 3 over. The judge actually ruled in my favor, which is unheard of in those types of cases where a cop vs an accused teen speeder. I've been told I should be a lawyer by a few people.

In this current case, I'm confident I can clearly show it was his fault. The only thing that will make it very difficult is that it's a double turn lane with a solid white line dividing it, and I illegally crossed that line into his lane. But that solid white line has a major wear spot, because so many people make that illegal lane change there. Despite that, there aren't tons of wrecks at that intersection. If there were, they'd put a stoplight camera there or at least an intersection camera. So that wasn't the cause. And with more details revealed, it's far more clear it wasn't the cause.

When the jury hears "illegal" lane change, I'll have to bring their attention back to the point of the case, which is what caused the accident. And it clearly wasn't my lane change. The first thing the defendant said to me after the accident was, "What happened was, I thought you were gonna go through the light." The light had been red for about 3-5 seconds before he hit me. If he saw that, he was trying to run a red light and thought I was going to, also. If he didn't see that, he was trying to rush a yellow light, which is very unsafe. He had at least 4-5 seconds to stop behind me once I entered his lane, and he had at least 2-3 of those seconds to stop after I stopped. He had just started accelerating when I passed him doing a much faster speed, because I was coming off the highway and it's a 50 mph exit. I was doing 35, I'm guessing. He was doing 5 mph, but accelerating to run the yellow or red light. He'd let everyone in front of him, from both turn lanes, go through the light before he started moving. I don't know why. He was likely distracted. The only reason he didn't see me stop is probably because he was looking left to make sure no cars were coming. That's my guess, anyway.

It comes down to this--he pushed me into an intersection, because he wasn't watching, which could have gotten me and others killed if traffic had been coming. And he had plenty of time to decide NOT to rush the yellow and the red light, had he been paying attention. It's very cut and dry. The worst that could happen is they can rule against me, I'm out of pocket $250 for court costs, and I have to pay for my $2,200-$3,000 in repairs and other expenses. But so far, that's what's happening anyway, that's okay. It's just money and time. There are more important things in life than those things. Oh, and I'll make the point that the court needs to send a message to the kid to make sure he knows that driving unsafely by running yellows or reds can cost people their lives. And he's lucky that wasn't the case this time--that's a blessing in disguise. If all that happens is his insurance company has to fix his grandfather's vehicle, that's pretty minimal.

 

[Cephyr13]

Curb weights listed.

http://www.cars.com/mercury/mountaineer/2003/snapshot/

At the link you posted, I went to 3 of the tabs (such as features & specs) and did a search on screen for "weight" and "curb." It didn't find anything. I scanned down through them...couldn't find it.

That's the same problem I ran into when I searched for the curb weight on a few different websites. Weird...

Thanks for trying, though. I appreciate it.

Update: Hey, I just found it! I googled for it's curb weight and searched on the page for "weight" and found it on one of the google results page.

The V6 curb weight is 4,490 lbs. NADAguides.com is the website that had it. Has lots of stats. Good site!

- Brian

 

[swshawaii]

Standard Specs and Dimensions

Between Drag coefficient and GVWR specs.

 

[Cephyr13]

Standard Specs and Dimensions

Between Drag coefficient and GVWR specs.

How weird! I've searched all of those tabs and their different options (their are two pages under a couple of the tabs). I can't find weight, GVWR, or Drag Coefficient. The browser isn't finding any of them with the "find" option, and I can't either. I must be blind. lol

Thank you for trying to help, though. I have no idea why I can't see those stats. That's just bizarre.

 

[faco]

Once you interfere with another vehicle's right of way, then you will be either totally or partially responsible for the outcome. Ex: you pull into the roadway and an incoming car hits you. You are at fault. if he was operating in a reckless/careless manner (which could be proven - too fast for conditions, drunk, etc) then he could also be at fault. You for failure to yield right of way and him for one of them.

Did the police gave him a ticket? Are there cameras at the intersection? it does not matter what you know (or think you know), but only what you can prove.

Good luck and thank goodness all are OK.

 

[Cephyr13]

Once you interfere with another vehicle's right of way, then you will be either totally or partially responsible for the outcome. Ex: you pull into the roadway and an incoming car hits you. You are at fault. if he was operating in a reckless/careless manner (which could be proven - too fast for conditions, drunk, etc) then he could also be at fault. You for failure to yield right of way and him for one of them.

Did the police gave him a ticket? Are there cameras at the intersection? it does not matter what you know (or think you know), but only what you can prove.

Good luck and thank goodness all are OK.

No intersection cameras. The police did not come, so there were no tickets.

If the turn lanes were divided by a broken line, then I would not have been hindering his right of way, because he was so far behind me and just starting to accelerate from a stop. Since I did something illegal, though, I tend to agree with you that I hindered his right of way. If I had not been there, he would've run the red light by about 3 seconds.

I'll have to argue this from the point of the actual cause of the accident. Maybe I can at least get it to where we were both at fault so that his insurance company has to pay for his damages, and I'll just have to pay for mine. But I suspect my insurance company will do that. My insurance company says that because I was fully established in the lane, it's his fault. But they said me crossing illegally into his lane makes it more difficult to prove it was his fault.

 

[bizzs]

I investigated accidents for 20 years and if he rear ended you, the insurance company has no defense unless you committed a reckless act of some sort.

 

[Cephyr13]

I investigated accidents for 20 years and if he rear ended you, the insurance company has no defense unless you committed a reckless act of some sort.

Thanks. That's the way I think of it, too. I plan to argue that if there was a broken white line between the lanes, he still would've hit me, because he thought I was going through the light and accelerated into me. He could have gotten me and others killed. That's pretty reckless on his part. I think I have a pretty good case.

Thanks again. Makes me feel a little better about my case.

- Brian

 

[D Hook]

I certainly wouldn't mention anything about a solid or broken white line in court unless someone else brings it up.

 

[Number4]

I certainly wouldn't mention anything about a solid or broken white line in court unless someone else brings it up.

Exactly, don't volunteer incriminating details. But be careful omitting them. It's a your-word-vs-his-word case. If he proves your testimony to be less than truthful, your done.

I'd always have a LEO respond to the scene. It's your only way of proving the event happened in some form or fashion as you've described. If he had anything to drink, a warrant or anything that the cop would have gone after, your case would be solid.
What's the other guys info, let's get both sides of the story going here.

 

[kevinspann]

A 91 Plus? :thumbdwn::thumbdwn::thumbdwn:

 

[faco]

If he had anything to drink, a warrant or anything that the cop would have gone after, your case would be solid

A LEO at the scene is always good ,especially when you are right. But this guy could have had a warrant for the murder of ten nuns and it would make no difference to the cop investigating the collision, the traffic court judge, or a judge hearing this lawsuit. it is not relevant to whom had the right of way in this case. if the driver can establish that Cephyr13 entered the lane in an unsafe manner, he would have a case even if he rear ended Cephyr13. The fact that the turn was illegal is not going to help Cephyr13.
This driver may have been very apologetic at the scene, but he (and possible the insurance lawyer) are not going to be that nice in court.

 

[Number4]

A LEO at the scene is always good ,especially when you are right. But this guy could have had a warrant for the murder of ten nuns and it would make no difference to the cop investigating the collision, the traffic court judge, or a judge hearing this lawsuit. it is not relevant to whom had the right of way in this case. if the driver can establish that Cephyr13 entered the lane in an unsafe manner, he would have a case even if he rear ended Cephyr13. The fact that the turn was illegal is not going to help Cephyr13.
This driver may have been very apologetic at the scene, but he (and possible the insurance lawyer) are not going to be that nice in court.

Reason for the mention and it's relativness to the case would be for the purpose of establishing character. Obviously this wouldn't be a jury trial case, but if the individual that rear ended Cephyr13 has a 'criminal' history, this would make any of his testimonies suspect.

 

[Cephyr13]

A 91 Plus? :thumbdwn::thumbdwn::thumbdwn:

LOL Nice.

 

[Number4]

LOL Nice.

Glad someone understood that. Went over my head.