Top 15 Car Crashes from the Simpsons

Here at The Reeves Law Group, we know car crashes can be very serious. That’s why, as a car accident attorney group, we always take great care in helping our clients navigate their accidents and plan a future filled with better days. That being said, the television show The Simpsons has always managed to find a silver lining and a sense of humor in all of life’s circumstances, even when there is an unexpected bump in the road.

It’s definitely one of our favorite shows, and with the recent FXX marathon putting it back in the forefront of American consciousness, we thought now would be a great time to get distracted with a lighter post that tickles our funny bones in a way only Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and the rest of the Springfield gang can. Below, our picks for the Top 15 Car Crashes From the Simpsons!

15. Das Bus: Season 9, Episode 14

The Springfield Elementary School Model United Nations club faces big trouble with Otto behind the wheel of a school bus. When he presses down on the gas pedal, he squishes a piece of fallen fruit — a casualty from a kiddie game played by Bart, Nelson, Ralph and Milhouse — and ends up getting squirted in the eye as a result. This leads to him losing control and crashing the bus off a bridge into the river. Auto accidents like this remind us why it’s important for not only the driver to be engaged with the road, but also for his passengers to limit distractions. After all, these can derail the best of drivers, and in Otto’s case, he had more than enough problems without having to worry about anyone else, as you can see from this separate driving incident.

14. Reality Bites: Season 9, Episode 9

While the episode focuses on Marge’s job working for Lionel Hutz, Homer does get some significant screen time when he acquires Snake’s Li’l Bandit car. Snake, however, isn’t ready to let go, and he’s not above taking matters in his own hands in order to get the car back. The pursuit leads to a memorable crash through the front of the Flanders new home, teaching us a valuable lesson about getting too attached to vehicles.

13. Treehouse Of Horror VII: Season 8, Episode 1

What better way to start a season than with a Treehouse of Horror? In this homage to Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, Homer is once again the man responsible for wrecking a vehicle, though this time it’s a spaceship. The outcome is somewhat positive in that Homer is able to reveal a couple of phony presidential candidates in the process. The downside is that Homer ejects the real candidates into space while trying to save the day. Lesson: never rely too heavily on your own skill and don’t get carried away.

12. Bart On The Road: Season 7, Episode 20

The idea of the road trip seems as if it were designed around Bart Simpson, a fun-loving renegade. However, things don’t turn out so well for him in this episode, considered one of the best of the entire series. After making a fake ID and using it to pick up a rental car, Bart and his boys hit the road. But when a freak accident leaves the car destroyed and the boys on foot, it’s up to dear old Dad to get them home. Homer’s methods aren’t always the smartest, but we’ll admit he occasionally gets results. Here, he orders extra parts for the power plant and arranges to have the boys shipped with them. Lesson: if you’re taking a road trip, always have someone back home that you can count on in an emergency.

11. Lisa’s Rival: Season 6, Episode 2

The core plot of this episode explores what happens when Lisa Simpson is faced with someone smarter, younger, and more musically talented. As the green-eyed monster sets in, the subplot turns to Homer and his dubious side business. After one of the show’s few truck accidents, Homer seizes the opportunity to loot the contents — in this case, a pile of sugar — and begins selling it from door-to-door. Not exactly behaviors one would want to emulate.

10. Homer The Vigilante: Season 5, Episode 11

The “Homer the Vigilante” episode focuses more on the charming villainy of Molloy, who raises the ire of Homer and his lame-brained Neighborhood Watch buddies after stealing Lisa’s saxophone. While the boys hunt for their master criminal adversary, the show manages to cram in numerous cultural references, including an homage to It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In the homage, Bart convinces comedian Phil Silvers to run his car into a river, the way he did in the film. It works. Lesson learned: use your GPS and stop asking for directions!

9. Marge On The Lam: Season 5, Episode 6

In this episode, patterned after Thelma & Louise’s suicidal cliff-jump ending, Marge and Ruth Powers go to the ballet together and strike up a friendship that makes Homer jealous. After all, Marge will probably find out she can have a good time without him. Through crazy cartoon fate, Homer and Chief Wiggum end up in a high-speed pursuit of Marge and Ruth only to end up going over the cliff themselves. Thankfully, this is a cartoon played for laughs, but not paying attention to the path in front of you can cause serious accidents. Lesson learned: work to eliminate distracted driving and keep your eyes on the road at all times.

8. Treehouse Of Horror IV: Season 5, Episode 5

Another romp through the Treehouse of Horror finds Bart facing “Terror at 5 1/2 Feet.” In a clear homage to the classic Twilight Zone episode, Bart catches a gremlin loosening the lug nuts on one of the school bus tires. While Bart manages to save the day — at the cost of his sanity — his heroics serve as a reminder that you shouldn’t ignore nagging or glaring problems your vehicle is facing. If your car were to cause an accident as a result, and it could be proven that you knew about the problem and did nothing while continuing to drive, you could face criminal and civil liability or even charges of wrongful death.

7. Duffless: Season 4, Episode 16

Homer and Barney on a tour of the Duff Brewery is a recipe for disaster. In an episode that highlights the dangers of not planning responsibly for a night out on the town, Homer (trying to be responsible in a way that only he can) takes the keys from Barney and decides to drive them both home. Naturally, the two get pulled over and Homer fails his breathalyzer, thus incurring mandatory stints at AA and traffic school. While a wreck doesn’t actually happen in this case, thankfully, it’s only because the police got to the pair first. Lesson learned: don’t make the same mistake. You and your fellow car travelers may not be so lucky.

Image link: Giocomagazzino

6. Mr. Plow: Season 4, Episode 9

Not all car accidents lead to lucrative business ideas. It only does here because, well, this is The Simpsons and it’s a cartoon. Furthermore, the business doesn’t last. Anyhow, Homer starts a snow plow business after he wrecks his car on the way home from Moe’s Tavern. In typical Homer fashion, the place he wrecks is his own driveway, and the car he hits is his family’s second vehicle. A couple of lessons to learn here: never drive if the weather has obstructed your vision, and if you get in a car accident with your own vehicle it’s always your own fault!

5. Itchy & Scratchy — The Movie: Season 4, Episode 6

Bart Simpson has always been out of control, but when he steals Homer’s car and crashes it through the wall of Springfield Prison, he releases the entire prison population into the community. While this is an unlikely and humorous outcome to immature drivers repurposing their parent’s car for personal use, teenagers do sneak out of the house and do this sort of thing every day throughout the U.S. The results can be serious. Lesson here: lock those keys up at night, you never know when your child will be ready for this type of mischief.

4. Saturdays Of Thunder: Season 3, Episode 9

This episode finds Bart, his friend Martin, and the town bully all in a soapbox derby race against each other. Martin’s sleek, aerodynamic racer easily wins, but loses control at high speed and crashes. Meanwhile, Homer is having a parenting crisis when he first feels like he knows nothing about Bart and then later feels betrayed when Bart chooses Martin’s rebuilt racer over the one he and Bart made together. While Bart goes on to victory and reconciliation with his father, poor Martin learned a hard lesson about driving a car he wasn’t ready for. Similarly, teen drivers should have cars that force them to be responsible on the road. Fast cars as first cars? That’s never a good idea.

3. Bart Gets Hit By A Car: Season 2, Episode 10

The age-old battle of pedestrian right-of-way vs. driver gets some attention in this episode where Bart is hit by Mr. Burns’ car while out riding his skateboard. The accident marks the beginning of a lengthy court case wherein Homer finds himself going head-to-head with his boss. While we’ll leave you to watch the episode to see how it turns out, the accident itself is a reminder that traffic signs and speed limits are there for a reason. Make sure you honor them, and teach your family to do the same. After all, you can’t always be there to keep them out of trouble.

2. Bart The Daredevil: Season 2, Episode 8

Automobiles and other wheeled transports are not meant for showboating. That’s the message that you can take from this episode, where a family trip to the monster truck rally ends in their car’s destruction. Worse than that, Bart, inspired by death-defying stuntman Lance Murdock, attempts to jump over a huge gorge on nothing but his skateboard. To stop Bart from doing it, Homer decides to go in his place. Before that happens, Bart comes to his senses and backs out of the stunt. But it’s too late. Homer is on the board and flying over the gorge — by accident — and of course, he doesn’t make it. Not only does the episode end with Homer crashing against the rocks, his ambulance also crashes and sends him plummeting over the side of the gorge once more. The lesson here: don’t try and do things with your car, motorcycle, skateboard, unicycle, etc., that they weren’t meant for doing.

1. The Call Of The Simpsons: Season 1, Episode 7

In this episode from the early years, The Simpsons purchase an RV, and it takes Homer very little time to drive it over a cliff. With a newly wrecked vehicle, the family find themselves in a fight for survival to make it back to civilization, but there are more bumps along the way. If you are the type of person who likes to ride off the beaten path and explore nature, make sure you can handle the transportation at your fingertips. RVs and 4-wheel-drive automobiles take some getting used to, and if all you’re accustomed to a four-cylinder automatic, you could be in for a bad time – maybe not getting-mistaken-for-Bigfoot bad (like Homer) – but bad just the same.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane from one of our favorite shows and learned something along the way. Should you need a car accident attorney specialist or just want to ask a question or two, let us know how we can serve you by dropping us a note through our contact form. In the meantime, keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your heart on the journey.