my friend was being dumb one night and following right on my tail in his mistubishi eclipse, well a driver on a side street came out a little far and i gave my brakes a tap just incase he pulled out.... my friend ran into my hitch and messed part of the bumper/front, and the hood was bent in a way where it looked like a hole. not to mention his radiator had a fist sized hole through it. I felt bad, but he shouldnt have been following so close.

 

I've been in a few accidents where someon hit me from behind and with no damage the cops told me to leave, as for you whats your insurance company

 

No, you don't ever want to leave the scene of an accident without having settled with the other driver. There's never really a need for cops to show up (if it's minor) but you don't ever want to leave. Even if you're not at fault.

Actually, thinking about it - I guess it would depend on the circumstance.
Well, the smartest thing to do is at least talk to the driver and tell them that you intend to leave.

But hey, things might be different in NY.

 

I would assume that part of the force is dissipated as the hitch goes through the other car's front end? Any engineers care to explain?

 

The Insurance agent said leave, they can't hold anything against you if you have no damage, thankfully Im pretty sure they only hold accidents against you if they pay out but I've also been told they but it on your record that you where involved in an accident.

What I meant by leaving was talking to the other driver and making sure they understand it was their fault and you have no damage so their out of luck and Im fine, people crash into poles and deal with it same thing

 

My mistake... I thought you meant *bump* "ah they probably hit the hitch" (drive away)

 

Actually, that is not what happens at all. Remember Newton's third law - equal and opposite reactions. Both vehicles are subject to the exact same force.

Using a trailer hitch (or for that matter, those aftermarket bumpers many on here are so fond of) IS NOT a good idea.

When your 4Runner/Taco or whatever it is that you are driving was built by the factory, crumple zones and other, energy absorbing areas were designed into the vehicle. The idea is to sacrifice the vehicle to save the occupants of that vehicle. So, (using fictional numbers) if a collision occurs at 25mph, the bumper is severely bent absorbing 10mph of the force, the engine compartment crumple zones/hood absorb another 10mph of the force, so the passengers just get a slight jar of a 5mph collision.

Throw an aftermarket bumper in there. Now, the bumper doesn't bend, the crumple zones don't crumple, instead the entire force of the 25mph collision is directed on the frame. Which bends, usually upward, directly into the passenger compartment. So the passengers get hit with a primary impact of the 25mph frontal collision (as their body comes to a sudden stop) AND a secondary collision as the frame rails bend upwards into the passenger compartment.

In a minor collision, a bumper mounted to the frame or a trailer hitch may prevent any apparent damage to the vehicle. The key word there is apparent. There is still damage to the vehicle, it is just done to the frame (where it will likely go unnoticed, at least for the first collision). And, in any case, all of the force of the primary impact WILL be transferred to the passenger comparment.

In higher speed accidents, this can (and has) caused serious injury and fatalities when otherwise there would have been no or minor injuries.

Any vehicle involved in a front end collision will have more damage to it than a vehicle rear ended, regardless of the prescence of a trailer hitch. This is because vehicles have a higher probably of being involved in a high speed frontal collision than a high speed rear-end collision, so auto manufacturers design their vehicles to absorb a LOT more energy in a frontal crash than a rear-end collision. This is also why you are more likely to get whiplish from being rear-ended than if you run into something (even though in the latter case there will be more damage to the vehicle) - because autos are not designed to absorb a whole lot of energy from a rear end collision.

The bottom line is this - damage to the vehicle is in lieu of damage to the occupants.

Me, I'd rather call the insurance company than have to worry about if I'm ever going to walk again.

~Bill

 

 

NO offense, I agree with everything you say. But it's still sort of a "perfect world" as well. Let's face it, once you're past the bumper, you're into the frame. I feel I can limit the damage from 5-10 mph rear enders by having a hitch out there, without noticeable danger to occupants of the vehicle. If I were rear-ended at 50mph, the hitch would more or less be useless, as you bet the vehicle doing the damage would be well into my crumple zones (if not in my back seat!). Best thing you can do to avoid all of this is pay attention. Slow down WELL before the stopped traffic up ahead and watch the rearview and make sure the bonehead behind you is doing likewise. Doesn't always work, but it can help.