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This is a bit tangential, but this is far from just a Tesla problem. All cars since 2011, but many cars back to I think 2005 have Crash Data Recorders. I had to
by smeej 4y ago
This is a bit tangential, but this is far from just a Tesla problem. All cars since 2011, but many cars back to I think 2005 have Crash Data Recorders. I had to jump through hoops to get the data from the CDR in my Toyota that sound almost exactly like what's described here.
My insurance company refused to listen to me without it because the other driver was insured by the same company and they had NO incentive to correctly assess fault, never mind that they do have the tool to pull the data and the expensive proprietary software to read it.
I had to contact the manufacturer of my car, who sent me to a website with a list of independent people who own the $40,000 tool that can pull the CDR data. Fortunately one of them (and ONLY one of them) was within a two hour drive from me.
And then the insurance company refused to review it anyway until my state insurance commissioner got involved and told them they can't refuse to review the facts of the case just because they're on the hook for all the damage no matter who caused it.
And that's how they ended up on the list of companies I'll never do business with again.
- cbozeman 4y agoUm... please name all these companies?
- smeej 4y agoToyota manufactured my car, but honestly they were pretty helpful about it. GEICO is the insurance company I will NEVER do business with again.
- belltaco 4y agoDid you go to all that trouble to lower your premium? Edit: I was on mobile and wanted to ask why they went to that trouble if the car insurance company was the same and it didn't matter who's fault it was. Didn't mean to imply it wasn't worth it.
- donthellbanme 4y ago
- smeej 4y agoI didn't want an at-fault accident on my record when I wasn't at fault. That'd screw me for years, even though all I did was save a guy's life when he pulled out immediately in front of me (and hit a post instead). The problem was partially the fault of the police officer who wrote the report. She told me at the scene that she had never written a report for an accident where the at-fault vehicle had no damage before. She noted that there were no skid marks at the scene, so concluded my speed may have been a factor, totally ignoring the fact that the vehicle has ABS and it had been raining lightly all day. She also said I told her I knew I wasn't speeding, but I didn't know what the speed limit was. What I actually said was, "There are 3 speed limits on this stretch of road (I live on that road--I drive down it every day), 30, 35, and 40, and I don't know whether I was just before a change or just after one, but I'm certain I wasn't going more than 30." Turns out the pole I hit was 50 feet after the sign that changed from 30 to 35, and the CDR agreed I hadn't been going more than 30. And the driver of the car the at-fault driver was pulling around to get in front of me actually called the police station the next day to try to make absolutely sure they knew it was 100% the other driver's fault, because he had the perfect view on it and heard the guy say, out loud, "I can't see, so I'm just going to go." And even after the insurance commissioner got involved, GEICO wouldn't go below holding me 10% responsible for the accident, because when you're the judge of your own accident, apparently facts don't have to matter at all...except who has the higher deductible, so who you can get more from. It took more than 6 months to get through this garbage. I think they saw someone driving a 15yo car and assumed they had my back against a wall and I couldn't do anything about it. I happen just to be a superfan of the 2nd gen Prius for its climate controlled car camping potential (and generally just being one of the most well-made cars in history)! Finding them is my challenge, not paying for them!