I've been on the forum for about 3.5 years, and I've seen lots of threads about people getting into accidents with their Crossfires. For the most part it's usually not their fault, but it seems that more often than not, they're driving an SRT6.
Now with a ratio of nearly 27 to 1, (NA Crossfires to SRT's) it just seems to be a disproportionate number of SRT's are showing up in harms way.
Has anybody else noticed this? Or am I just being paranoid.

 

It's because there so damn FAST !

 

I think some folks are so enamored with seeing an srt, that they forget they are driving,
and just run into them.

When its the srt fault, these cars will get away from a driver plenty fast.



And yes, you may be paranoid! Just kidding

 

Its the design of the car...

Driver's have blindspots (like my recent post)

And most importantly the car is small and low so it 'hides' behind SUVs and larger cars easily, causing many people to turn right into it or in front of it. It happens almost everyday that a car starts to turn out because my car is behind another car, and the turning car slams on its brakes when it sees me.

I'd imagine if you cruised a Miata, Solstice/Sky, SLK,or maybe a Lotus forum you'd see the same results.

 

As one of very few spotted in my state, I have observed a lot of rubbernecking.

(Sent from another random airport in the continental US.)

 

the SRT is a TRUE sports car, and like learning to ride and control a motorcycle, RWD sports cars with high horsepower take some experience, practice and skill.
this is a car with AMG power that you can now step into under $20,000!!! that means you get a lot of amateurs and teenagers as well as the experienced players.

i have friends who have crashed many corvettes and camaros etc, but have yet to crash any of their daily commuter-camrys or bmw sedans!

i would also bet that with a lot of these crashes, many of the cars were not running appropriate tires for their horsepower. (or bald tires) i have seen this a LOT. drivers will slap lots of power goodies and such, but ignore suspension, brakes and tires. you push an all-season bald continental tire to it's threshold, and you will lose!!!!
this reveals the OTHER aspect i believe is involved, 'Money.' many are purchasing this car VERY cheap, but not realizing the MONEY that goes into the upkeep of what is basically a $60,000 AMG SLK.(i think i even heard as high as $68,000 at one time) so they cut corners on tires and safety and pay for other things.

i am NOT saying this is the case for everyone! so please don't be insulted.

any time my tires get even remotely questionable, i buy new ones, and i try to buy the best. not just for performance, but also for safety.

the last scenario is the old addage: 'sh*te happens.' sometimes just the rotation and placement of the universe, the wind, the rain etc. can GET even the most experienced of us. and it is even more difficult to swallow when it does.......

i think this car deserves the 'best,' and is truly a worthy pleasure-investment!

 

also, i URGE anyone to buy HID headlights!!! with the projector lenses they 'sparkle' which makes it easier for others to see you, i run mine(AND my fogs) even during the daytime!!!!

 

Me and my family run lights on our vehicles at all times....its the law for bikes and many studies proving it helps you.....

Now for the bad news...

This summer my wife was at a light...with a big ford cube van stopped behind her...the light was red....Lady in a minivan with kids doesn't stop for the red and rearends the cube van at 45 plus.

Pushed the cube van into my car...put a license plate impression in the bumper and pushed it up and to the right cracking the rightrear taillight.

Reartaillight and rearbumper both replaced.

Everyone was not permenately hurt.

Maybe there is something to this accident thing...

 

Me and my girlfriend see people just staring at the car as they pass by(not paying attention to the road) my 6 all the time when I'm driving down the road. It just strikes me as odd that most people don't even know what MAKE it is let alone the MODEL.

 

Blund spots, low profile etc etc explains why people can't see Crossfires. The question is why SRT's get hurt more often. A lot more often than NA's.

Come on guys. Be honest.
I drive my NA pretty fast compared to other cars around me. Because I want to and I can.

With another 100 or so horsepower, I would drive with even more arrogance. Most anyone would.

And that puts one in a position of hitting more deer, mountan sides and Camrys than with your average car.

Never had an accident in my Plymouth Fury, Chrysler 300, 5 Oldsmobile 98's, the K car convertable, a Lincoln town car, two pick ups or three minivans. However, every high performance car I ever owned bumped into something.

Must be the car's fault! Can't wait to get my ( Cathy's) SRT.


roadster with a stick

 

Blame it on the driver, not the car. Some people don't understand how to handle the power of cars with lots of power. I've heard of several men that got a Vette for their mid-life crissis and didn't know how to handle the HP. They ended up killing themselves because of it.

As j-fire stated, the low cost or these cars has put them in the hands of people that don't understand how to handle them. But then, who said income and/or age equats to brains. Who hasn't seen the gruesome photos of Lamborgenis parts spread all over a California highway?

 

I have to agree with j-fire on this. Anyone who buys a high performance car really should do a couple of NASA HPDE days or other similar track day experiences with their car. It's amazing how much you learn from really pushing your car in the relative safety of a controlled road course session.

And the instructors will always tell you it's the guys with the really high HP cars who screw up because they think their car is so badass and that somehow makes them badass too. Sadly, the drivers often run out of talent long before the car does.

Of course, if you're just driving along and some dipsh!t simply runs into you then your own driving ability doesn't necessarily mean squat.

 

we are just so rare that is all that gets reported...plus there's hope for a price rebound if they keep crashing them. I don't have any problems with blind spots, backing up, etc. I am in my midlife crisis with 4 z-28s, 5 corvettes, 1 of which was a zo6, now my xf...never had an "at fault" accident, but was hit by other drivers disregarding stop signs. Not to jinx myself, but I drive away from the pack, don't listen to music that much, enjoy listening to the sc instead, but then again, I drive for a living.

 

Exactly, it's because of those reasons why I will always have a job. Soooo many high end cars these days have a lot more power than their drivers can handle. I have been telling people for years that just because you can afford to buy that AMG, M, Viper, LP640 etc..........that doesn't mean you know how to drive it. You wouldn't believe how many Lambo LP640's have been in my shop since they came out; it's rediculous. I have been driving high powered cars all my life and have more experience behind the wheel than people more than twice my age. The KEY to being able to drive a high powered car is to take it to its limits(and beyond); preferrably in a controlled environment, so that you do know what will happen when you get into a situation that you "lose control" you will know how to react and how your car will react. I have been involved in 6 car accidents since I was 21 years old and NONE of them were my fault.

 

Six accisents in 5 years and you still have insurance! I have come close to maybe 50 accidents in nearly 40 years of driving. I was only cited once and that was when I was 16 and that was because a tree was blocking a stop sign. I think that defensive driving is a requirement when you get into a car because there are so many idiots on the road.

 

4 accidents were while I was sitting at an intersection and 2 where when I was driving down the road and stupid tourists decided they wanted my lane more than theirs. I wasn't at fault for any of them and therefore never had to file a claim on my own insurance. You should come to this wonderful 24 hour drinking town called Las Vegas and see what kind of idiots I have to deal with on a daily basis. I can't complain too much however as I make my living off of those people...........I just don't like it when they are on the road at the same time as me.

 

well, there's a good point...if you live rural, chances are a lot less...but if you commute in traffic everyday, then someone will eventually get you...I have been very lucky dodging accidents, but I am use to people doing dumb things...I see it everyday in the big rig...I have only had 1 accident in 3 million miles in the big truck, and I just had no where to go...2 cars next to me rear ended each other and slid into to the side of me. We had Dayton I-70 backed up for miles...new hood, new bumper, new budd wheel, new tire..$6500...poor girl that hit me didn't have a clue how close she come to death that day.

 

i live in a town of 25k people. definitely rural. everytime i take the 6 out, i get attention of some kind. people stay out of my way. now when i drive into fresno (8 miles to the west), i tend to look for similar cars to traffic flow with (mercedes, bmw, audi, corvette, lexus). then it's no problems as we work together in sync to to ratchet the flow up. this has always worked fine for me and i have never gotten close to any road altercations. the only thing that bothers me is when vehicles try speed up to my a$$ to see what the helltarnation i'm driving. a bit annoying.

 

I think you are just paranoid But that doesn't mean they are not after you !

 

When i drive the SRT - I drive with the philosophy.... "what is behind you - is behind you" and I make sure it stays that way