Steve's 3.2 TT/Avant

Several months ago, my wife's Avant was rear-ended by an SUV driver that thought talking on a cellphone was more important than stopping behind a line of cars at a stop light. From my wife's description of the accident, with brakes howling in a desperate attempt at a panic stop and a sonic boom at impact, I expected to find the entire back end caved in when I arrived home. Instead, a few scratches, a few relatively small depressions and no structural damage. More importantly, no damage to my wife or my two kids.

Last week, it was my turn, in my practically brand-new TT. Rush hour traffic on I-35 here in Dallas, and a woman in an SUV rear-ended the TT. She had already narrowly missed rear-ending me about a mile earlier up the road, but evidently didn't learn from that near-miss that her vehicle just doesn't have the braking power to allow her to drive about 5 feet in back of a car. The sound of the impact from inside the car was really loud, and the impact snapped my head back into the headrest. So, when I got out of the car, I also expected to see a back end that was crushed. Instead, it looks like the car needs a new bumper panel, the bar that runs underneath it, and a new right tail light assembly. That's it.

As for me, I've got whiplash. But I think it could have been a lot worse. I'm just glad, in both of these accidents, that we were driving Audi's.

And, by the way, if you haven't adjusted your headrest so that it's in the proper position, please make sure you do it the next time you get in your car. Mine was adjusted correctly, and my injuries would probably have been much worse if it hadn't been extended to the proper height.

Classic line from the driver of the car that hit me: "I had to follow you that closely, because the cars behind me were following me too close, too." Darwin was wrong....

bitterman

damn Steve! Glad you are ok!! (oh - I used to be 2.7tdallas,)

Jarrod

I only ended up with 6 stitches and, besides the scar, no long term injuries. Headrest in proper position, lucky I didn't see her coming. On a cell phone too. For the severity of the accident, (I was hit hard enough to hit the car in front of me) I was very impressed with the way the A4 took the blow.

schnellmb

I don't feel safe riding in other cars (BMWs and Mercedes are OK, at least their seats are designed better). American car companies have yet to understand the safety necessity of a properly designed head rest. Get your head/neck checked soon...you may have issues that will stem from this that may not show up for days, months, years (esp. headaches).

carbonLORD

I dont say anything though cause he thinks its the best truck ever made.

Steve's 3.2 TT/Avant

Hopefully, no long term effects, but it's too early to know.

bitterman

A Cat scan??? Did they see the shark teeth???? ;-)

QCRAZY

Walked away from this crash with only airbag burns on my hands. Inside was completely intact, very little frame sway made it over to the passenger side of the car.

Pretty good considering the car was knocked 50 feet DIRECTLY right of the impact point. Not bad for a 1990.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/1889/wrecklfront.jpg">

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/1889/wreckrfront.jpg">

Boston Driver

guy in a buick on my *** on my way to the office (after a golf tournament...heh heh!). Of all things, a cat comes runnign across the street chasing a squirrel, and I hit the brakes, only to see the fear of God in the guys face behind me. The only thing I kept thinking about were my tailpipes, and that if he hit me, I would have to buy new shiney things to put on the back of the car. However, he did stop in time.

I gave him the raised eyebrow, and he backed off the rest of our journey together.

Baloo588

I have to say that I agree with your friend, I have an Infiniti QX4, and it is the best SUV I think ever made. The headrest are the ones that save my neck when I got rearended, They prevent wipsplash by bending foward in an accident to hold your head. LOng live INFINITI!! And of course AUDI.