LILBENZ230

Frank is right. Modern cars are still not designed to protect you from higher speeds.. and much to most of our dismay.. 60mph is a higher speed. You can see the devastation for yourself in 31-40mph crash tests. 60mph is a bit beyond the scope of protection for even the safest modern cars. Am I the only one who gets really annoyed at people involved in fender benders who grossly overestimate the impact speeds? I can't tell you how many people I know that have been involved in accidents resulting in dented bumpers or scratches who said the other car must've "been doing 40 or 50mph." The will do do this: to them is overwhelming.

Edmunds InsideLine had a ForTwo in LA for a year and found it to be only slightly better than walking - even in the city. So I definitely would not own one!

Norwichdelta06

yeaaa that is great lol but yes even a 10mph impact will cost 1,000's to repair....keey in mind they are not designed to protect the vehicle... they are designed to protect the occupants. And as per a smartcar....yes a smart car would be safe if they were not excessively larger vehicles are there. I saw one on the Long island expressway in the left lane....i was just waitin for it to get taken away by a swift breeze or something else lol

Glyn M Ruck

We have had a number of deaths in Smart's in SA. The most recent a well known TV personality. If they are hit by an SUV or larger they simply can't take the knock. A bus or truck is devastating. I'd rather be in an S Class thanks - more tin to bash up.

moosejaw

Interesting Story to read.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Callie

Glyn M Ruck

Good sleuthing! Yes - we were all very fond of Ashley.

e24kgold

As we know even with ESP off the computer will still intervene when the car is out of shape. Even with no ESP period it should have not been that hard to control the car. I drive in the rain all the time with esp off and have no problems. I wonder how you people drove before esp??? Sounds like you need to learn some basic car control skills hot shot, I suggest you call Skip Barber or another driving school and get a clue. When driving like a fool you deserve to end up in the ditch

TemjinX2

i think he means that his esp was off because the esp was malfunctioning. If you get a esp or abs error, the ecu will deactivate your esp and it will not function.

no need to flame.

Norwichdelta06

i kinda somewhat agree on the point that people do rely on devices such as traction control....ESP...ABS too much. Which is completely fine because that's the course of the future of automobiles where ABS is basically standard nowaways on everycar where it was an expensive option before. and now ESP is starting to become a standard....But I also believe that speed plays a major part in any accident. People drive too fast for the conditions they are in. I dunno but i don't drive ridiculously fast because i look at it this way.....spend an extra 10-15 minutes and drive slower on the road or end up in a ditch where it will add another 5-6 hours to the trip or worst death plus or minus getting pulled over and adding more time.

LILBENZ230

Way to make a first impression, Mario.. or is it Michael?

If you're deliberately driving in inclement weather with ESP shut down, you have no room to criticize anyone for lack-of-intelligence moments. I guess you think with your superior skills, you don't need ESP at all.. I just love it when people brag about being such great drivers. It's akin to the guys to brag about the size of their.. it's always an exaggeration.

The accident was due to hydroplaning - a situation where ESP may or may not have ultimately helped. LA was pounded by rain and the roads were extremely slick. It could have happened to anyone. It's pretty hard to control a car when the contact patch of all tires is riding up on water.

Glyn M Ruck

+1 - what a dick!

W203E35

I didn't see this till now. Deserve to be in a ditch?? Ya, this guy is a douche.

Drives with ESP off?? Good thing he didn't say he drives around in dyno mode

Norwichdelta06

hmmm what's dyno mode? lol

W203E35

ESP off you still have protection. Dyno mode you don't have anything not even ABS.

Turn key to first click then press reset button 3 times and cycle through the steering wheel buttons.

When you do doughnuts even with ESP off you are risking to damage something but with Dyno mode you won't damage much (just rubber and if you crank something)

I guess you can call Dyno Mode Naughty Mode

e24kgold

Granted my post was a bit harsh and of course I wish no harm to that gentlemen or his girlfriend. I feel people rely too much of the additional safety aids i.e. esp, traction control and the like. If his shunt was a matter of extreme aquaplaning there was little the esp would have done anyway, but clearly he was driving too fast of the conditions or his tires were garbage. Lets remember esp cannot overcome physics. I love how people with poor driving skills think esp gives them a free pass to drive fast in poor weather conditions. I dont dont drive around all the time with esp off, I do it to test the limitations of the car, to see under what conditions the back will step out along with other things. LILbenz sounds like he wouldnt step out of the house if his esp wasn't working, which I find truly incredible. Here is an example of someone relying on driver safety aids. I have been driving long before the advent of esp and had no problems then, and for those not luckly enough to drive a car with esp, those people seem to do just fine. I dont think i'm the greatest driver but, I raced karts since the age of 5, the moved on to formula vee and formula fords and take part in vintage races, as well as many track days as an instructor. If you spend enough time with your car at the limit, learn to manipulate the dynamic mass properly you will be a better driver. Please for your own good take part in a MBCA driver instrustion school and track day

LILBENZ230

I appreciate technology that can do what I cannot. Neither me nor ESP can overcome physics, but I can't apply brakes to individual wheels and make decisions in microseconds. I have not always had cars with ESP, and I managed just fine because I'm a decent driver (also a kart racer from early on). Not all people have the luxury of being able to partake in the events you have had to. That does not mean any of them deserve a bad crash. The OP was aware that the ESP was shutdown on his car. His driving too fast for conditions is no more cocky than your "who needs ESP" attitude, after all.

Prudence is key. ESP makes no car invincible, but it does help when things get out of hand.

Norwichdelta06

awww i'm so glad you guys made up!! but now enjoy this vehicle of an awesome EPS and traction control system

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/...=0001534545763

Norwichdelta06

i wonder if he can do that without the ESP lol

OverDrive

Driving and owning a 190e, a w210 E320 , and a 03 C32 I can tell you that the w201 (190e) works just fine in the rain and snow. I just got back from a trip from oregon, and I took the 190e up there... Worried about snow/ice i brought chains. I just have the standard tires that are Mud and Snow rated as well. With ice and snow on the road and a snow plow in front of me, I still never needed the chains though if i floored it the tires would start spinning... I found that the 190e is the most predictable if the tail does ever come out. The w203 esp (on mine at least) if i do anything with it.... It stops you dead on and disables the entire S/C. Once that happens it feels like a 130hp car if it detects it spinning for 5-10 seconds... Cool and all to keep you safe..... sucks when want to get a good launch ... The w210 I feel is in between as far using esp... Not as advance as the w210 but good to have a little fun with.

e24kgold

In the Video the driver had esp (I think Audi calls it ASR) turned off. The all-wheel drive quattro system sure helped too. Nice use of the handbrake to start the slide though

samaritrey

Did you ever here from the insurance company?