Quote:
Originally Posted by saamfou
First post here, wish it was under better circumstances. This is a public apology, plea for advice, hope for a catharsis.
After affectionately driving BMWs all my life, I picked up my specially ordered 2011 E93 M3 on April 1, 2011. It has been almost one year since I've had the car and I was scheduled to take it on the track with professional instructors for the first time in early March. I guess that day didn't come soon enough though.
Two days ago I met up with some friends for a perfect day of group driving through canyons around coastal Los Angeles. 5 hours later, I peeled away from the group with a buddy in an E46 for more solitary driving on less crowded roads. I made a couple of bad moves around a turn and ended up plowing through a small electrical pole and totally destroying my baby. I was completely protected by the safety systems that deployed flawlessly, and I walked away without injury.
First, I need to apologize to a few groups of people: - Car lovers everywhere: what I did to this beautiful and valuable car is an insult to all who appreciate fine automobiles. I didn't deserve to steward such a car.
- BMW Engineers and employees: You guys have worked tirelessly to build the Ultimate Driving Machine and you have hit the mark over and over again. The things this car has done and would have been capable of in the hands of a better driver than myself are incredible. The fact that I was able to walk away from this accident and hardly have a stiff neck two days later is certainly a more generous feat of engineering than I deserve but I am thankful that you have gone the extra mile to make it so.
- BMW drivers: I'm afraid that this incident will perpetuate some of the stereotypes people have of many BMW drivers as irresponsible and amateurish drivers in cars they can't handle. I could defend myself here but obviously I fall into this group based on my actions.
- Drivers who enjoy the canyons responsibly: sorry guys, I know you face a lot of adversity to enjoy on these incredible and unique roads. Your opponents often lump you in with those who endanger others and they just got another statistic for their quiver.
- Residents of Malibu: You don't deserve to have your drive home extended by an hour for driving around the scene of an accident, nor live with the feeling that an accident is imminent in your neighborhood. The impression I got from the residents who came to the scene was this happens all too often. In spite of this, everyone was compassionate and really seemed to care for my well-being.
- First responders: You guys have more important things to do and you handle your jobs with the utmost professionalism.
- Anyone who is offended by the loss of $90k in the blink of an eye: These are tough times for many of us and it is hard enough to see people driving around in $90k cars when many people are starving around the world and in our backyards. The lack of respect I showed for something of this kind of value is an insult to anyone who appreciates and works hard for their resources. I am sorry to disrespect the value of our precious resources with such irresponsibility.
- my family and friends: They don't know what happened yet but after years of telling me to be careful on the road, I can't imagine how much stress and concern they have had to deal with any time I head to the track or out for a drive.
- my friend Travis: Sorry for this event marring one of your first experiences in the canyons with your E46. You were a true soldier with me out there and I appreciate your support, including the long ride home. I won't forget it.
I have spent the last 48 hours endlessly replaying the events in my mind and analyzing my moves. After I had put myself in a certain position, I really don't know what I could have done to avoid the accident; truly a testament to a lack of proper experience and an overestimation of my abilities. I really never thought this would happen to me. I love to drive and always thought I was well trained and equipped to handle the circumstances I put myself in. I could make excuses for what happened but ultimately I know I acted irresponsibly and I will paying handsomely for it.
I have to figure out what I'm going to do now. I have yet to report the accident to my insurance company, my agent is out of town for the holidays and feel like I need more advice to figure out the best route to take given that the car is probably going to be totalled.
In terms of the long-term, I have some additional thinking to do about my approach to cars and driving in general. I love to drive, it motivates many of my life decisions. I think that wherever I go from here will involve some form of repayment to the groups of people I offended; I welcome your advice and thoughts on this. One thing I know for sure is that I am going to invest more in driver education and track days as the proper outlet and education for my passion of driving. If that means I need to put aside $15k a year into these sorts of events and spend less on my car then so be it.
If anyone has had a similar experience or advice to offer, I'd love to read about it. At the moment I feel extremely embarrassed and chagrinned, not quite ready to face the scorn and "I told you so's" of my friends and family; especially those who share a love of cars and driving. At the same time I am confident that I would be dead or paralyzed if I was in most any other car so I have to feel grateful for having a second chance at life let alone driving. One thing I can guarantee is that whatever my next car is, it will be a BMW.
Thanks for reading. Sorry again guys.
tl;dr I wrecked my dream car under no fault but my own and am struggling to regain my bearings and face the consequences.
-Saam |
This is exactly how I feel. I see these little smart cars or cheap cars driving down the road and I think if something like that were to happen to them, they would be squished. I dont mind paying for a car as much as people pay for a house note because I know Im safe and its that peace of mind that makes me love BMW. Now if I was in your shoes and just totaled my 335, I might as well wish I was dead, because if the impact didnt kill me, my Mother would have!