Minivan Fender Benders are Costly

Posted on December 20, 2007 by Law Office of D. Hardison Wood
According to a new report published from new crash  tests conducted by the insurance industry, low speed collisions involving minivans could  prove to be costly to  repair.
Repairing damages to minivans involved in low-speed crashes of 3 to 6 miles per hour could range from $483 to more than $3,500, according to test results released Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Nissan Quest had the most expensive bill for the minivans, costing $3,549 for a low-speed crash to the rear bumper. In the four tests, the Quest tallied $8,102 in combined damages.

The Dodge Grand Caravan had the lowest costs in one of the four tests, $483 for damage to the rear corner of the minivan. In all four tests, the Grand Caravan had a combined $5,495 in damages.

The Honda Odyssey had the lowest combined repair costs of $5,258 in the four tests. The Toyota Sienna cost $5,726 in repairs for all the tests, while the Chevrolet Uplander had $5,799 in expenses. The tests estimated $6,525 in damages to the Kia Sedona.

Tailgates on five of the six minivans -- except the Uplander -- had damage in the rear full-width test. Only the Quest and the Sienna required the tailgate to be replaced.


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As with all crashes it is important to  know what to do when involved in one.  If you are injured seek  medical attention immediately and if your  feel we may be  able to  assist you in any way, please contact us.
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Cheap & Chinese Made

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Law Office of D. Hardison Wood
I hope at some point, and I suspect that point is close, American consumers will realize that price in itself is determinative of nothing... except price.

What does that mean?  It means that even though "you can't judge a book by its cover" it is equally true that "cheaper ain't always better."  And thus, we have the world of the crashworthiness narrowed down into a couple of trite sayings.  Here's a contemporary example... the Chinese sedan...


More on the flip.
I don't mean to make light of this.  I just spent 7 hours in my car, only to spend 5 hours in an actual mediation (can anyone say, "video conference"?), and the entire time I was thankful that I was able to ride in a fairly safe automobile.

But many people aren't able.  They can only afford what they can afford, and that isn't much.  Because they can't afford much, they can't survive much... literally.

I wonder, do you think that if their employers knew, if society knew, if the marketplace knew that with affordability we also sacrifice survivability, these folks would make so little?  Really??

I'd like to think not, but perhaps that is naive.

Watch the crash test again.  This is an "inexpensive" car.  And it is an utter disaster.  Anyone in this vehicle would die, a horribly painful death, in what should be a perfectly survivable collision.  Just ask the Germans.
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