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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 02:07 PM
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Default Lesson learned!!

I learned a valuable lesson this morning; always put heavy stuff in the back into the cargo net!

I leave for work about 4:30am so it's dark everyday. This morning I pulled out onto my normal street to go to work and it's a 4-lane 45-mph limit. Just as I started to get comfortable and hit about 45, one of my neighbors cats' decided to commit suicide. He came out of nowhere running directly at the front of the car. It startled me and I locked them up hard, ABS chattering all the way. I know I'll here from all the cat haters, but fortunately I didn't hit the cat; but my briefcase (large enough for a 17" lap-top) came flying through in-between the seats, hit the rear-view mirror (didn't break it) and lodged between the windshield and dashboard passenger side.
My briefcase with L/T and all the other junk I carry in it probably weighs 11/12 lbs? It put a pretty good mark on the back corner of the passenger seat and on the dash where it lodged.
That was just locking the brakes up; what could have happened if I had a passenger and it was an accident?
KEEP YOUR STUFF IN THE CARGO NET, or as I'm now doing, I put my briefcase on the passenger seat.
Just my thoughts on the issue -- tom
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 02:15 PM
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Bummer about the damage but thanks for the reminder, I can get lazy about that stuff!
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by kenownr
I learned a valuable lesson this morning; always put heavy stuff in the back into the cargo net!

I leave for work about 4:30am so it's dark everyday. This morning I pulled out onto my normal street to go to work and it's a 4-lane 45-mph limit. Just as I started to get comfortable and hit about 45, one of my neighbors cats' decided to commit suicide. He came out of nowhere running directly at the front of the car. It startled me and I locked them up hard, ABS chattering all the way. I know I'll here from all the cat haters, but fortunately I didn't hit the cat; but my briefcase (large enough for a 17" lap-top) came flying through in-between the seats, hit the rear-view mirror (didn't break it) and lodged between the windshield and dashboard passenger side.
My briefcase with L/T and all the other junk I carry in it probably weighs 11/12 lbs? It put a pretty good mark on the back corner of the passenger seat and on the dash where it lodged.
That was just locking the brakes up; what could have happened if I had a passenger and it was an accident?
KEEP YOUR STUFF IN THE CARGO NET, or as I'm now doing, I put my briefcase on the passenger seat.
Just my thoughts on the issue -- tom
All for a cat?
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by ExRedRacer
All for a cat?
Yep LOL -- I like cats
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 02:48 PM
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Originally Posted by kenownr
Yep LOL -- I like cats
I understand....A little ***** never hurt no one.....
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 02:57 PM
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Another valuable lesson can be learned here: keep your cats indoors, at least if you live in any sort of populated area. (I have outdoor barn cats, but we're 1/3rd a mile from the road)
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 03:16 PM
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It is worse with the layout in a Corvette but leaving heavy stuff where it will fly around during a sudden maneuver or accident is a problem in any vehicle. One of the odder fatality reports I have read was basically death by small cooler. A sedan was involved in a chain collision and a small cooler full of ice/drinks sitting on the back seat rolled up the passenger seat back and wedged itself between the head restraint and the passenger breaking his neck. Had the cooler been belted in through its top carrying handle this likely would not have happened.

It is a good idea to check all of your vehicles for stuff you have in the passenger compartment that will become a flying projectile during a sudden maneuver or accident. Pickup truck owners who don't properly restrain stuff in the bed are also asking for trouble if something goes wrong. Properly carrying out an emergency evasive maneuver is difficult but it becomes impossible if you are temporarily stunned from being hit by a flying object in your car.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by obxchartercaptain
I understand....A little ***** never hurt no one.....
Absolutely Correct !!!

Originally Posted by joemosfet
Another valuable lesson can be learned here: keep your cats indoors, at least if you live in any sort of populated area. (I have outdoor barn cats, but we're 1/3rd a mile from the road)
I agree, mine stays indoors and the dogs are in a fenced yard. I live right around the corner from the street I talked about.

Last edited by Steve Garrett; Aug 31, 2016 at 09:16 PM. Reason: Merged Posts-please use the Multi-Quote button (the middle icon) in the lower right hand corner of each post.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 03:41 PM
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Cats have nine lives - you only have one. That should govern your decision-making process in situations like this.

On a more serious note- glad no one was hurt.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 03:44 PM
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Probably would be best on the passenger floor, if it will fit, or belted in the passengers seat.
I don't think the little plastic hooks that hold the cargo net are going to be strong enough to secure anything of weight, in the event of a collision.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 04:13 PM
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I was thinking the same thing; those hooks are only plastic. Anybody know someone who might have something substantial to fix this thing.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by kenownr
I was thinking the same thing; those hooks are only plastic. Anybody know someone who might have something substantial to fix this thing.
There are several vendors who sell partitions for the coupe hatch. Most of them probably would stop your briefcase from entering the passenger compartment at high energy state, but I doubt any of them are 100%. If I carried a briefcase, it'd probably reside on the passenger floorboard.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 07:43 PM
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We have all put unsecured items in the back of our cars. No doubt there is danger in doing that. In a quick stop those items will get air born and can cause serious injury if they strike the back of your head. Too bad about the cat but glad you did not get hurt.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 09:13 PM
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4 compartment net off eBay was one of my best investment for under $20, liked it so much I bought one for my 2015 VW GTI.
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 09:22 PM
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What kind of cat was it
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Old Aug 31, 2016 | 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by kenownr
Yep LOL -- I like cats
They're good with gravy!
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Old Sep 1, 2016 | 05:50 AM
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I did the good ole cat mod in my GS. Completely blew out one of the fog lights. The C6 bumpers are very flexible. Was going a bit faster than you going into work one night. Tight two lane road with drainage ditches about 4ft deep on both sides. Locked them up and self preservation kicked in, nothing could be done.

That being said, as I am ananimal lover, glad you spared a life and really hope you can get your interior back to new.

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