Thanks to a confused RAV4 driver in Maryland who ran a red light, I’m on a forced trailering hiatus.

A colleague and I were on our way to the Strathmore Arts Center for our last holiday concert of the long season, when we were T-boned within 1/2-mile of the concert site. I was just pulling through the intersection on a green arrow, and she ran a red light. The police report estimates she was doing 40mph.

A few words about airbags:

Airbags work! 5,000lb German-engineered SUVs don’t hurt, either. Both the side, and side-curtain airbags deployed beautifully. Lest you think airbags are a sales talking point, I’m here to to you that without them, my head would have gone right thru the glass.

Yes, we were sore and rattled. I’m seeing my chiropractor tomorrow for my back. But if that car had been “totaled” by the insurance company, I would go right out and buy another. Since August when I bought it to replace the Saab as my tow vehicle, I had been lamenting the poor MPG (5,000lbs is a lot of car to move around). Not any more.

Let me show you her car:

Totaled. Spewed all its fluids. Undriveable. Granted, it weighs almost 2,000lbs less than the Touareg.

Look closely at my door. The door is destroyed, the metal skin pierced near the rocker panel, but it still latches fully. The window still goes up and down in its track.

The force of the airbags exploding broke both hangers we had with our concert clothes.

EMT and police folks came. It started snowing. What could we do but start walking to the concert hall. An hour later, voila:

It’s concert time. And the two basses that were in back of the Touareg are still in tune.

The next day, we go get the car out of the evil tow yard. Cash only. I call AAA for the long tow home.

Four weeks, and $19,000 worth of work, and we’ll be back on the road with more trailering adventures…

See you then.