First moment......

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Discussion

surveyor

Original Poster:

17,768 posts

183 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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I remember mine.

Two months in, stamped on the brakes and swerved to avoid a collision on the motorway (my fault - should have seen him), one wheel locked up and found myself sideways at 80 mph. A bit of a tank slapper followed, before I discovered that I had some control and got down to the speed of the car in front (40mph).

I remember driving very gingerly for a time after that.

Any one else remember their first 'moment'?

slipstream 1985

12,127 posts

178 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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"watch this"!

Pebbles167

3,417 posts

151 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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Bombing around at 18 in my 106 XSI and discovering what happens when you use novice late braking into a corner on a damp road..

I reversed back out of the garden of who's ever it was, and took more caution in future.

R1 Indy

4,381 posts

182 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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18, BMW 328CI, wet road, sharp corner, mid corner floored the throttle, back end went to the right, to the left, back the the right and sideways up the grass embankment!! And beached!!!

I was only going 30MPH though, so wasn't speeding hehe

ging84

8,829 posts

145 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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hard to really put my finger on any
My first car was a MK1 fiesta, it's handling wasn't brilliant, it felt like it could do with a much wider wheel base, but it was very predictable, i remember being able to make the cheap tyres absolutely scream round bends without it ever letting go.
My next car, a Renault 5 wasn't quite so good.
When i had not had it long, i missed my gear shifting down for tight corner near the bottom of a steep wet concrete road. The back end decided it would try and overtake me as it later turned out it had quite bad brake imbalance, lucky it pointed me the correct way for the bend or i would have been straight in a lamp post, i managed to avoid hitting any kerbs and get it straightened up before i got to the car coming the other way, i suspect that was my first ever drift

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,910 posts

215 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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Quite a few on bikes - but my first car moment went thus:

Passed my test, bought a Peugeot 205 Gti. Of course, I was quickly the God of driving, as we all are early on biggrin

Out blatting around one night, with a mate in tow in his Alfa GTV. Bombing down a local 'B' road, with him behind, doing silly speeds. I thought I knew the road quite well - turned out I didn't when, still at speeds approaching 3 figures, I suddenly realised that the road DIDN'T continue like I thought it did, but instead was about to terminate at a T junction...

I had maybe 200 yards to stop before I speared out onto a main road, and crashed head-on into the grass bank opposite. Hitting the anchors hard (bereft of ABS) resulted in lots of locking up, especially as the road was a bit gravelly approaching the junction. No chance of stopping yikes

I had just enough time to remember that there was a farm track on the other side of the road, that was a 'dog-leg' to the right of the end of the road I was on. In a split second, I made the decision to come off the brakes, pray to all the Gods in existence that there was no traffic coming along the 'A' road in front of me...hit the 'A' road, make a decisive 'left / right' manoeveure, and scythe perpendicular across the 'A' road, still at about 50 mph, to find myself bumping and careering almost out of control up a dirt farm track towards a field. Gentle braking, and sawing at the wheel saw me stop a few hundred yards up the track, just before a metal gate.

I was fine, the car was fine, and I was extremely lucky that there was no traffic driving along the A road. Things could have ended up so differently....

daytona365

1,773 posts

163 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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Yes, aged around 14. You'd never believe it but I had to be told how to. Times were very different then.

Alex@POD

6,133 posts

214 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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I can't really remember any "moments" as such, plenty of lift off oversteer (in a kangoo van, these are brilliant when the back is empty), but I know my first mistake was about 6 weeks after I passed my licence. The corner was wet and dirty from a quarry entrance (though I didn't know that as I approached it), the only thing I remember is coming to sitting by the side of the road, looking left to see my 106 with a 806 embedded into it up to the gearstick. Only bruises all around thankfully, it could have been much worse.

Mr GrimNasty

8,172 posts

169 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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Mine was pretty tame, Opel Manta, all of 7 month's driving experience, rain after dry, uphill bend off a roundabout, too much throttle, ended up stationary facing the wrong way in the outside lane other cars peeling around me.

Alex@POD

6,133 posts

214 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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A friend of mine had a great one in a 325 e30, came off the road sideways into a field, skidded to a stop. He got out of the car and noticed his tracks passed between two trees, with about an inch to spare either side.

He also did the same thing at Brunters once, and got to take home the break board he smashed biggrin

Ruffy94

229 posts

135 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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Within the first 2 weeks after I bought my first car (im not sure the rubbish corsa with no abs and worn ditchfinder tyres did me any favours) was also the first time id driven in the wet.

Came round a blind corner on a B road in a 40 zone (admittedly doing 40) and roadworks had appeared with no warning (weren't there the day before and no signs). Locked the wheels under braking and it was downhill so it slid a long way. Bailed out left and ended up on the verge parked perfectly next to the car at the back of the queue, left side of the car touching the hedge.

Things don't scare me easily, but I was a bit shaky after that. laugh

Cupramax

10,469 posts

251 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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A few months after passing my test I was showing off my superb J turn technique in a car park one evening, i gave my girlfriend of the time severe whiplash biggrin after a couple of hours down at A&E i dropped her off at home complete with a neckbrace as she couldnt turn her head, took some explaining to her dad who was somewhat large whistle guilty as charged M'lud getmecoat

Martin350

3,775 posts

194 months

Saturday 2nd May 2015
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About two weeks after passing my test, driving my dad's three-ish year old Peugeot 405 company car.

Went into a blind downhill bend too quickly on a narrow road, big lorry coming the other way, backed off, rear end came round and I hit the rocky stuff on the left hand side of the road.

Two wheels came up in the air, both left hand side tyres and wheels destroyed, a lot of suspension damage, and a very awkward phone call home from a stranger's house.

ChemicalChaos

10,360 posts

159 months

Sunday 3rd May 2015
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First minor moment - aged 17, Land Rover Series 3, came over a humpback bridge in the rain on a 40mph road to find an unexpected queue of stationary traffic on the other side due to an HGV trying to turn into a tight entrance. Braked hard, and ended up stopping about 2 feet from the car in front with all 4 wheels locked up.

First major moment - aged 19, Land Rover Discovery, again in the wet, in a hurry to get to a friends house. There's a nasty right-hander on the country road into town from my house - not only does it tighten sharply halfway through, but at the same time it also becomes off-camber. I took this bend maybe 5mph faster than I normally would, and the 10-year-old tyres on the back came unstuck before the 3-year-old ones on the front. I applied opposite lock as soon as I felt it step out, but the pendulum was in full swing and I was helpless as I performed a graceful 180 pirouette, coming to rest neatly parallel-parked against the hedge on the other side of the road and facing the direction I'd come from. Luckily the road was empty and I was able to set off, do a quick u-turn and carry on now in full granny driving mode. When it started spinning, I genuinely through I was going to either roll over or go clean through the hedge into a field, both of which would of course have resulted in a very awkward phone call home. I am also lucky there was nothing coming the other way at the time, or I'd have been t-boned.

Ki3r

7,806 posts

158 months

Sunday 3rd May 2015
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Don't think I've ever had one in a car, one recently on the bike though.

Argument with my then girlfriend I decided it would be a good idea to go out for a few hours on the bike as the weather was lovely. Wasn't in the right frame of mind (exes step dad had recently killed himself, ex was understandably finding things tough, oh and I also believed she was cheating on me at the time (turns out she was)).

Going down my favourite road, knew it well. But also know its a dangerous road at one part (Wimborne to Cranborne if anyone in Dorset area knows it, by The Horton Inn).

Doing around 65/70 as I'm coming up to a junction on my left and right. Saw a vehicle coming towards me waiting to turn right, what I didn't see is the vehicle in front of me also waiting to turn right.

I don't know how, but I managed to get between the grass verge and the nearside of the car. I don't remember trying to avoid it.

I pulled up in a lay by, got off my bike and gave my ex a ring to try and clear a few things up.

I haven't got a clue how I didn't crash into that car. My ex said her step dad was looking down on me that day for her and her daughter, but seeing as I'm a atheist it wasn't that (plus he would be looking up). I want to put it down to my amazing riding skills, but it was just luck.

I rode home (only about 10 miles into my 150 mile planned ride) before locking the bike up and not using it for until recently. That was last June/July. It really put me off it.

Love for it has come back, just need to get it MOTed again now.

TonyRPH

12,963 posts

167 months

Sunday 3rd May 2015
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About 2 weeks after passing my test, driving down the main road in the town I lived in at the time.

I was ogling a bit of totty but looked for just a little bit too long... looked forward in time to see that the traffic in front has stopped and I just managed to stop in time...




P I Staker

3,308 posts

155 months

Sunday 3rd May 2015
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Pebbles167 said:
Bombing around at 18 in my 106 XSI and discovering what happens when you use novice late braking into a corner on a damp road..

I reversed back out of the garden of who's ever it was, and took more caution in future.
biggrin

17 in a 106 Quicksilver, on a back road and lifted off on corner entry, exited backwards with all four wheels locked up in to a fence.

kiseca

9,339 posts

218 months

Sunday 3rd May 2015
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Mine would be the night I discovered that perhaps my night vision wasn't as good as it used to be and I needed glasses. Road I knew perfectly well, missed a bend that I knew was coming up and then I was right on top of it. Swerved left so hard both my legs swung over into the door, but the car made it around the corner. Hit the brake pedal but it went straight to the floor. It was probably the accelerator. T-junction approaching, more wild steering to get around the intersection, thankfully nothing else coming. Hit the correct pedal this time and stopped the car.

If I had missed the first corner I'd have driven straight down a short grassy incline and into a lake. Four people in the car - a coupe, two would have been trapped in the back. It could have been tragedy there, but thankfully it all turned out fine. Had glasses by the end of the week because I realised it wasn't just my headlights getting a bit st.

Edited by kiseca on Sunday 3rd May 15:25

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Sunday 3rd May 2015
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All I'll say is, stability control is a handy thing.

Puddenchucker

4,036 posts

217 months

Sunday 3rd May 2015
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A phrase incorporating the words "hedge" and "backwards" was appropriate for my first and, thankfully, only moment.
It made me a more cautious and thinking (What if?) driver.