Facebook, ignorance and an amusing anecdote...
Discussion
So i've been on this facebook thing for, oooh, about a year now. I'll give it it's due, i've caught up with a few girls from a previous life, if you know what I mean 
Anyway I digress. Here's an amusing story about someone who found me on facebook who I haven't seen for about 18 years.
The story is we were about 20 odd years old. This chap, let's call him G, had a variety of cars which he seemed to be good at damaging, through both mechanical unsympathy and good old brave driving, which, I concede, some seem to do at that age. And if i'm honest, I've not been Mr. drive by the book either when I was young.
Anyhow, this lad G's parents were on holiday. He was using his own car, an Astra, until he put a rod through the side of the block, which was fun for him.
He then started using his Mum's car, which I think was a little Nissan if I remember rightly, until he knackered the auto transmission.
So last of all, he then jumped into his Dad's car, which at the time was a brand new and very flash Sierra XR 4x4, and it was quick; i'm pretty sure it was a V6? Not sure, suffice to say that back then was a very nice, swift car.
So he rolls up round a friend's house in it while I was there, and offered to take us out for a spin. It was wet, and after about 5 mins started driving quickly down a 40 limit single carriageway. Before long, my friend and I asked if he would knock it off, because it was just mad even by our standards. He didn't, and about a minute later a car pulled out of a driveway about 50 yards in front of us, he tried to brake but it just didn't happen (no ABS) and we ploughed pretty spectacularly into some concrete and steel pipe fencing avoiding the car which had pulled out.
I grant that the chap pulling out should have exercised better observation, but then you don't expect traffic on this little road to be approaching three figure speeds, especially in the wet.
The car was utterly destroyed. Luckily, all three of us were belted up or it would have been deaths. The thing that rattled me the most was the scaffold tube end that was facing me after coming through the screen. It was about 12 inches in front of my face. If the car had gone another 12 inches, well, you know.
At the police interview, I gave a frank, factual and non-dramatic statement, and so did my friend. We were mates with this chap but also felt that we came close to the grim reaper that day.
He received a lengthy driving ban, a big fine, and of course the wrath of his poor parents, you can only imagine their horror on returning from their holiday!
Since then, I haven't seen hide nor hair of him, until an email arrived on my facebook page.
Full transcript below for your amusement...
Anyway I digress. Here's an amusing story about someone who found me on facebook who I haven't seen for about 18 years.
The story is we were about 20 odd years old. This chap, let's call him G, had a variety of cars which he seemed to be good at damaging, through both mechanical unsympathy and good old brave driving, which, I concede, some seem to do at that age. And if i'm honest, I've not been Mr. drive by the book either when I was young.
Anyhow, this lad G's parents were on holiday. He was using his own car, an Astra, until he put a rod through the side of the block, which was fun for him.
He then started using his Mum's car, which I think was a little Nissan if I remember rightly, until he knackered the auto transmission.
So last of all, he then jumped into his Dad's car, which at the time was a brand new and very flash Sierra XR 4x4, and it was quick; i'm pretty sure it was a V6? Not sure, suffice to say that back then was a very nice, swift car.
So he rolls up round a friend's house in it while I was there, and offered to take us out for a spin. It was wet, and after about 5 mins started driving quickly down a 40 limit single carriageway. Before long, my friend and I asked if he would knock it off, because it was just mad even by our standards. He didn't, and about a minute later a car pulled out of a driveway about 50 yards in front of us, he tried to brake but it just didn't happen (no ABS) and we ploughed pretty spectacularly into some concrete and steel pipe fencing avoiding the car which had pulled out.
I grant that the chap pulling out should have exercised better observation, but then you don't expect traffic on this little road to be approaching three figure speeds, especially in the wet.
The car was utterly destroyed. Luckily, all three of us were belted up or it would have been deaths. The thing that rattled me the most was the scaffold tube end that was facing me after coming through the screen. It was about 12 inches in front of my face. If the car had gone another 12 inches, well, you know.
At the police interview, I gave a frank, factual and non-dramatic statement, and so did my friend. We were mates with this chap but also felt that we came close to the grim reaper that day.
He received a lengthy driving ban, a big fine, and of course the wrath of his poor parents, you can only imagine their horror on returning from their holiday!
Since then, I haven't seen hide nor hair of him, until an email arrived on my facebook page.
Full transcript below for your amusement...
He said:
f
kin hell here is a blast from the past!!!! i thought you were horrifcally killed in a car crash in 1990???????
kin hell here is a blast from the past!!!! i thought you were horrifcally killed in a car crash in 1990??????? I said:
Eh? Are you on drugs? How come you thought that??!!
He said:
Nah.. but you must of been to step out of the car without a scratch, walk up the hill then gobb off that you were nearly killed!!!!!! Oh then grass to the police!!!!!!!!!
I said:
Ho, ho, you still have an issue with something that happened 18 years ago? You need to have a word with yourself, you mentalist.
If you hadn't driven like such a cockspanner then nobody would have said anything to anyone. Getting on for about 100 mph in the wet down a single carriageway if I remember rightly? Despite the fact that both myself and Ben asked you to slow down?
I could well have been horrifically killed in a car crash in 1990 and it would have been the fault of someone with no regard to their passenger's safety. If I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt I wouldn't be here now.
Wasn't the first and last car you broke either was it G?
If you hadn't driven like such a cockspanner then nobody would have said anything to anyone. Getting on for about 100 mph in the wet down a single carriageway if I remember rightly? Despite the fact that both myself and Ben asked you to slow down?
I could well have been horrifically killed in a car crash in 1990 and it would have been the fault of someone with no regard to their passenger's safety. If I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt I wouldn't be here now.
Wasn't the first and last car you broke either was it G?
He said:
mentalist??? no such word,
bits of your statement i have to agree with... driving like a cock spanner??? yep!!!! gettin on for 100.. true, NOT the speed we crashed at or all 3 of us would not of been here...
asking to slow down fkING BULLst.
Now back to the point... my fking issue is 18yrs on still hearing about it and the fking jackanory version you come out with COCK
bits of your statement i have to agree with... driving like a cock spanner??? yep!!!! gettin on for 100.. true, NOT the speed we crashed at or all 3 of us would not of been here...
asking to slow down f
kING BULLst. Now back to the point... my f
king issue is 18yrs on still hearing about it and the fking jackanory version you come out with COCKI said:
Yawn.
Touch a nerve there, did I?
I've no idea who talks about it so much for you to be still hearing about it 18 years later. I certainly haven't mentioned it to anyone else in about...ooooh, 18 years. Are you sure it's not the voices in your head?
I'm not going to apologise or quantify what I may or may not have said back then to anyone, the fact is that you drove in a manner that was highly inappropriate for the vehicle, conditions, or most importantly your experience. Which is why it ended up smashed to bits, in a similar way to other vehicles you've driven. Does that not tell you something? Have you actually learned anything in the past 18 years at all about appropriate usage of a vehicle for the prevailing conditions?
I understand that the police decided that there was sufficient evidence to submit a file to the Crown Prosecution Service in the consideration of bringing charges becasue they felt your standard of driving fell well below that expected of a reasonable and competent driver, and that you were subsequently charged and convicted. My statement to the police would have made up a small part of that overall file submission, and generally speaking the police only submit a file when they are sure they have enough evidence and are sure of gaining a conviction. Whatever I did or didn't say, it would have been clear to them anyway that your driving was poor enough to warrant such a charge.
Let's not forget that I wasn't the only witness to that incident, and that's before you even consider the Accident Investigator's report of the scene afterwards, the measurements of the skid marks in the road and the extent of the damage to the vehicle.
Would you have preferred it then if Ben and I had died that day? Would that have somehow justified the situation better?
You admit that you were drivng like a cockspanner and travelling in wet conditions at close to 100 mph. If I remember rightly, that section of highway is a 40 mph limit, which emerges from a 30 mph limit. There is limited visibility before the crest of the hill and an obvious reduction in traction on a wet road surface. To engage in driving down that section of road at that speed is insane, by anyone's standards.
I would suggest that instead of swearing at or insulting people who were genuinely in fear of their lives and who could have suffered serious injury, especially after this much time has passed, that you book yourself onto an advanced driving course and maybe revisit the Highway Code. It might also help to have some councelling to engage with the emotional attachment that you still display to an event which happened a long time ago. There's obviously still outstanding issues that you have.
Life is about learning lessons and not repeating past mistakes.
You may then find that people talk about you in a less derogitary fashion and you become an altogether better person all round, without having to resort to finding people on facebook and sgging them down from behind the safety of your keyboard for kicks.
My last email was sent over a week ago, and funnily enough, it's all gone quiet...Touch a nerve there, did I?
I've no idea who talks about it so much for you to be still hearing about it 18 years later. I certainly haven't mentioned it to anyone else in about...ooooh, 18 years. Are you sure it's not the voices in your head?
I'm not going to apologise or quantify what I may or may not have said back then to anyone, the fact is that you drove in a manner that was highly inappropriate for the vehicle, conditions, or most importantly your experience. Which is why it ended up smashed to bits, in a similar way to other vehicles you've driven. Does that not tell you something? Have you actually learned anything in the past 18 years at all about appropriate usage of a vehicle for the prevailing conditions?
I understand that the police decided that there was sufficient evidence to submit a file to the Crown Prosecution Service in the consideration of bringing charges becasue they felt your standard of driving fell well below that expected of a reasonable and competent driver, and that you were subsequently charged and convicted. My statement to the police would have made up a small part of that overall file submission, and generally speaking the police only submit a file when they are sure they have enough evidence and are sure of gaining a conviction. Whatever I did or didn't say, it would have been clear to them anyway that your driving was poor enough to warrant such a charge.
Let's not forget that I wasn't the only witness to that incident, and that's before you even consider the Accident Investigator's report of the scene afterwards, the measurements of the skid marks in the road and the extent of the damage to the vehicle.
Would you have preferred it then if Ben and I had died that day? Would that have somehow justified the situation better?
You admit that you were drivng like a cockspanner and travelling in wet conditions at close to 100 mph. If I remember rightly, that section of highway is a 40 mph limit, which emerges from a 30 mph limit. There is limited visibility before the crest of the hill and an obvious reduction in traction on a wet road surface. To engage in driving down that section of road at that speed is insane, by anyone's standards.
I would suggest that instead of swearing at or insulting people who were genuinely in fear of their lives and who could have suffered serious injury, especially after this much time has passed, that you book yourself onto an advanced driving course and maybe revisit the Highway Code. It might also help to have some councelling to engage with the emotional attachment that you still display to an event which happened a long time ago. There's obviously still outstanding issues that you have.
Life is about learning lessons and not repeating past mistakes.
You may then find that people talk about you in a less derogitary fashion and you become an altogether better person all round, without having to resort to finding people on facebook and s
gging them down from behind the safety of your keyboard for kicks.
SS HSV said:
My '83 XR4i Had ABS and I thought the 4x4 was a later model. Strange that 
Deffo no ABS, as even after all this time, I can remember the sound of locked tyres scraping uselessly along a wet road surface, and thinking, bloody hell - no ABS!Unless it did have ABS and it failed I guess.
wildoliver said:
Your usually pretty sensible Ray, but grow up man. Lad obviously never grew up like most of us hit ignore and walk away.
Hey thanks matey. A mixed comment there, for me I think I could gracefully receive the grow up comment if I had risen to the bait and childishly retorted with a load of immature banter interlaced with swearing.
What I tried to do was assist in the lad's focus on the important personal development challenges that life places in front of all of us, and hoped he would stop and think a while.
Seems to have failed though!
Ignoring him now, as instructed Mr. Mainwearing.
I guess he is still p***ed that his mate wasn't willing to lie and cheat for him. More fool him, he'd still be found guilty because it's pretty obvious what will happen in court with that sort of thing.
And it doesn't sound like he has learnt from his error either, which is a shame when it could have killed you.
And it doesn't sound like he has learnt from his error either, which is a shame when it could have killed you.
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
SS HSV said:
My '83 XR4i Had ABS and I thought the 4x4 was a later model. Strange that
Deffo no ABS, as even after all this time, I can remember the sound of locked tyres scraping uselessly along a wet road surface, and thinking, bloody hell - no ABS!Unless it did have ABS and it failed I guess.
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
SS HSV said:
My '83 XR4i Had ABS and I thought the 4x4 was a later model. Strange that
Deffo no ABS, as even after all this time, I can remember the sound of locked tyres scraping uselessly along a wet road surface, and thinking, bloody hell - no ABS!Unless it did have ABS and it failed I guess.
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