Destin Florida - Emerald Coast PKWY/Highway 98
Posted 01-30-2009 at 10:19 PM by destintilelady
January the 2, 2009 I am driving down emerald coast pkwy/highway 98. A man in the left turning lane decides to turn right instead.
Yes he is going to just turn right and do a little head on to meet the drive way to Bealls Retail Store. His wife needed to return something or maybe he was trying to return her.
Well I am going about 45 mph in the far right hand lane. You guessed it nothing I can do but hit the brakes and prey. Three knots on my head, elbow bruised, both knees bruised, whiplash and a 3rd degree sprained right ankle.
I was just one block from home. The man had the balls to indicate I was driving too fast. I was thinking to myself so you saw me when you did that stupid move that could have cost me and your wife our lives. It was a sad day to see and hear this grown man attempt to blame his stupidity on someone else.
At first it was his wife's fault you know she said it was clear. Of course she thought he was turning left since he was in the left turning lane. When that did not work I was going too fast. Thankfully the police officer wrote him a ticket for his stupidity.
So now my faithful venture van is totaled. His insurance company pays me 3600.00 hundred dollars for it and tells me that is fare market value and I am whole.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Debra/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] I figured there was no since in fighting them. I had a great car no rust it just had high miles and I have had it since it was new in 2000. Had minor problems nothing big I always had it serviced.
So off I go with my 3600.00 dollars to find another vehicle looking on the internet and the local newspapers. I have not found anything even close to my van for 3600.00 dollars.
Oh I could buy someone else's junk, rusted up gas hog I guess but would that really make me whole. I don't think so.
I could give the 3600.00 dollars up for someone else’s junk and then just prepare myself to pay through the nose for their junk car (repairs).
At the end I would be out my car, the money and the new junk car leaving me with no car. Sounds like a real fare market deal doesn't it?
I could take the 3600.00 dollars and use it for a down payment and take on a car payment for the next four years. If my van was in that bad of shape to begin with wouldn't I have done that before the accident?
It’s a good thing I didn't because I would have totaled a new one. I would have received the fare market value and if I for some reason did not purchase the gap insurance I would be paying thousands of dollars for a totaled new one.
In the past 28 days I have seen six car accidents within a 1/2 mile from where my car got totaled. I know of one death and several completely totaled cars.
I have seen wrecked cars everywhere for some reason the people here don't get them fixed. I am sure there is a good reason for that. I am thinking why get it fixed it’s just going to happen again before the weeks out.
To have a car on Highway 98 that doesn't have a 5 star crash rating would be insane and gambling with my life. What to do what to do? Go in debt, prepare to wreck it, prepare for even bigger debt.
How can a road in a beach community be so deadly? I didn't think I would ever see anything worse than a Houston Freeway system. Well I have now.
To top it all off I thought that this area would be better for my teenage drivers to be driving on. I am now scared to death and I am fully aware that a whole lot of people on that road have no regard for their life's, my life, my children s life or my grandbaby's life. How can that be and why is it going on?
They are not "I just made a mistake" they are carelessly driving around at high speeds and purposely running reds lights. If anyone drives through an intersection here in Destin without almost stopping and looking you will be putting the nail in your own coffin.
No since in blaming the police department or the road department they have done all they can do I suppose. I do wonder though if we here in Destin had the money and/or man hours how things would go if there were camera's on every traffic light going through this town. Let’s face it the police officers are not even safe out there when trying to clean the accidents up.
You know smile your ticket will be mailed to you and you will pay it or you will have a warrant for your arrest.
I would think the next time that person rolled through town in their careless manner that they would pay a little more respect for the other life’s on these roads.
There is a reason there are signs all over Texas that say don't mess with Texas and Texas means it. Destin needs to get a little more aggressive on Highway 98.
Now back to my problem and mainly because I don't believe anything will change here and everyone's life on Highway 98 is at high risk.
A young girl here in Destin told me the nick name for emerald coast Pkwy was bloody 98 what a shame and shame on the people making the decisions to name it instead of fighting to stop it.
When I gamble I like to hear bells and whistles and see flashing lights and know my exact odds, my odds and my families’ odds are stacked higher against us on highway 98 then gambling in a casino with our life’s savings. [IMG]file:///C:/Users/Debra/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.gif[/IMG]
What do I do to keep my family safe on these roads? Do I buy another car? Do we all just ride bikes at least we will be on the sidewalks. I almost believe that we would be a lot safer on the sidewalk than the roads.
I also understand that when summer gets here we could get across town faster on a bike then a car. Oh my god the accident and death rate must be off the hook. If it’s bumper to bumper traffic maybe they won't be speeding as much.
I am also thinking maybe the answer is to stay off of highway 98 at all cost. Maybe that's a great place to start. I have a rent a car now and for the first time in my life I am thinking I should have taken the extra insurance. I can't tell you how many accidents I have avoided since picking it up. I am scared that someone is going to total that one.
Now I know why I don't see a whole lot of scooters runny around town. If I was allowed to put one on the sidewalks I would demand that the entire family had one and keep my family off the roads of Destin.
I will continue to prey for the innocent lives out here and prey that I can get my family out of here alive when the time comes. I will keep you posted on what goes on this summer.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Debra/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.gif[/IMG] I am thinking power bicycles for now. The jobs are just not that great to be taking on car payments.
Yes he is going to just turn right and do a little head on to meet the drive way to Bealls Retail Store. His wife needed to return something or maybe he was trying to return her.Well I am going about 45 mph in the far right hand lane. You guessed it nothing I can do but hit the brakes and prey. Three knots on my head, elbow bruised, both knees bruised, whiplash and a 3rd degree sprained right ankle.
I was just one block from home. The man had the balls to indicate I was driving too fast. I was thinking to myself so you saw me when you did that stupid move that could have cost me and your wife our lives. It was a sad day to see and hear this grown man attempt to blame his stupidity on someone else.
At first it was his wife's fault you know she said it was clear. Of course she thought he was turning left since he was in the left turning lane. When that did not work I was going too fast. Thankfully the police officer wrote him a ticket for his stupidity.
So now my faithful venture van is totaled. His insurance company pays me 3600.00 hundred dollars for it and tells me that is fare market value and I am whole.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Debra/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] I figured there was no since in fighting them. I had a great car no rust it just had high miles and I have had it since it was new in 2000. Had minor problems nothing big I always had it serviced.
So off I go with my 3600.00 dollars to find another vehicle looking on the internet and the local newspapers. I have not found anything even close to my van for 3600.00 dollars.
Oh I could buy someone else's junk, rusted up gas hog I guess but would that really make me whole. I don't think so.
I could give the 3600.00 dollars up for someone else’s junk and then just prepare myself to pay through the nose for their junk car (repairs).
At the end I would be out my car, the money and the new junk car leaving me with no car. Sounds like a real fare market deal doesn't it?
I could take the 3600.00 dollars and use it for a down payment and take on a car payment for the next four years. If my van was in that bad of shape to begin with wouldn't I have done that before the accident?
It’s a good thing I didn't because I would have totaled a new one. I would have received the fare market value and if I for some reason did not purchase the gap insurance I would be paying thousands of dollars for a totaled new one.
In the past 28 days I have seen six car accidents within a 1/2 mile from where my car got totaled. I know of one death and several completely totaled cars.
I have seen wrecked cars everywhere for some reason the people here don't get them fixed. I am sure there is a good reason for that. I am thinking why get it fixed it’s just going to happen again before the weeks out.
To have a car on Highway 98 that doesn't have a 5 star crash rating would be insane and gambling with my life. What to do what to do? Go in debt, prepare to wreck it, prepare for even bigger debt.
How can a road in a beach community be so deadly? I didn't think I would ever see anything worse than a Houston Freeway system. Well I have now.
To top it all off I thought that this area would be better for my teenage drivers to be driving on. I am now scared to death and I am fully aware that a whole lot of people on that road have no regard for their life's, my life, my children s life or my grandbaby's life. How can that be and why is it going on?
They are not "I just made a mistake" they are carelessly driving around at high speeds and purposely running reds lights. If anyone drives through an intersection here in Destin without almost stopping and looking you will be putting the nail in your own coffin.
No since in blaming the police department or the road department they have done all they can do I suppose. I do wonder though if we here in Destin had the money and/or man hours how things would go if there were camera's on every traffic light going through this town. Let’s face it the police officers are not even safe out there when trying to clean the accidents up.
You know smile your ticket will be mailed to you and you will pay it or you will have a warrant for your arrest.
I would think the next time that person rolled through town in their careless manner that they would pay a little more respect for the other life’s on these roads.
There is a reason there are signs all over Texas that say don't mess with Texas and Texas means it. Destin needs to get a little more aggressive on Highway 98.
Now back to my problem and mainly because I don't believe anything will change here and everyone's life on Highway 98 is at high risk.
A young girl here in Destin told me the nick name for emerald coast Pkwy was bloody 98 what a shame and shame on the people making the decisions to name it instead of fighting to stop it.
When I gamble I like to hear bells and whistles and see flashing lights and know my exact odds, my odds and my families’ odds are stacked higher against us on highway 98 then gambling in a casino with our life’s savings. [IMG]file:///C:/Users/Debra/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.gif[/IMG]
What do I do to keep my family safe on these roads? Do I buy another car? Do we all just ride bikes at least we will be on the sidewalks. I almost believe that we would be a lot safer on the sidewalk than the roads.
I also understand that when summer gets here we could get across town faster on a bike then a car. Oh my god the accident and death rate must be off the hook. If it’s bumper to bumper traffic maybe they won't be speeding as much.
I am also thinking maybe the answer is to stay off of highway 98 at all cost. Maybe that's a great place to start. I have a rent a car now and for the first time in my life I am thinking I should have taken the extra insurance. I can't tell you how many accidents I have avoided since picking it up. I am scared that someone is going to total that one.
Now I know why I don't see a whole lot of scooters runny around town. If I was allowed to put one on the sidewalks I would demand that the entire family had one and keep my family off the roads of Destin.
I will continue to prey for the innocent lives out here and prey that I can get my family out of here alive when the time comes. I will keep you posted on what goes on this summer.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Debra/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.gif[/IMG] I am thinking power bicycles for now. The jobs are just not that great to be taking on car payments.
Total Comments 0
