Closest you've come to certain death whilst driving?
Discussion
Remember it like it was yesterday.
Was riding a 125cc abroad when 15. No helmet no pads just t shirt and shorts. No such thing as traffic laws there. Enjoying the sun and screwing the bike everywhere I went. Lovely place Kashmir.
Going round a left bend doing 40-50. On my nearside there was a brick wall, an outer wall to somebody's courtyard property and therefore a blind bend to me. But these lot never heard of a pavement so to my left is a massive brick wall and nothing else.
Coming the opposite way was a Bedford bus (in the correct lane) and a crazy b
d overtaking him on a blind bend in a Toyota Corolla.
So here I am, brickwall to my left 2 inches from me. Toyota corolla in my lane seconds away from a head-on. Avoid him and theres a bus heading at me. I said to myself this is it.
But, I don't know what or how, I just yanked the bike right as hard as I could and twisted the handle as fast as possible. Darted diagonally right in front of the bus and across his path......literally centimetres from being crushed
Went straight into a pile of gravel and some wheelbarrow on the opposite side of the road. Hurt a lot but il take that any day over the bus.
Corolla driver never stopped but the bus driver looked like he seen a ghost. I just remember lying on the floor not wanting to get up after that..
Was riding a 125cc abroad when 15. No helmet no pads just t shirt and shorts. No such thing as traffic laws there. Enjoying the sun and screwing the bike everywhere I went. Lovely place Kashmir.
Going round a left bend doing 40-50. On my nearside there was a brick wall, an outer wall to somebody's courtyard property and therefore a blind bend to me. But these lot never heard of a pavement so to my left is a massive brick wall and nothing else.
Coming the opposite way was a Bedford bus (in the correct lane) and a crazy b
d overtaking him on a blind bend in a Toyota Corolla. So here I am, brickwall to my left 2 inches from me. Toyota corolla in my lane seconds away from a head-on. Avoid him and theres a bus heading at me. I said to myself this is it.
But, I don't know what or how, I just yanked the bike right as hard as I could and twisted the handle as fast as possible. Darted diagonally right in front of the bus and across his path......literally centimetres from being crushed
Went straight into a pile of gravel and some wheelbarrow on the opposite side of the road. Hurt a lot but il take that any day over the bus.
Corolla driver never stopped but the bus driver looked like he seen a ghost. I just remember lying on the floor not wanting to get up after that..
As someone who does 10-12k on a motorcycle each year (UK average for motorcyclists is 3k), I suspect you've all tried to kill me at some point! 
Seriously though, it's just crazy how often people try to kill bikers to the extent that I barely notice and never get annoyed any more, just deal with it as safely as possible.
My particular favourite was the light blue VW Polo that decided to use my side of the road to overtake a 4x4 about 300 yards from me. Didn't move back in when I flashed, just went for it. I was forced to avoid him by using the little bit of road just past the white line before the concrete fell away to nothing, which is quite a frightening place to try to shed speed from doing NSL on two wheels.
All was well in the end though. As a road user in this country it's important never to attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity; you'd spend your life angry if you did. Drive defensively, be predictable in your actions and please look twice before you pull out.
In the car, beyond a few near misses in my youth caused by over exuberance, can't think of anything, but again I don't carry these things with me and worry about them or get angry, they just happen and they're done. I think if everyone was a bit calmer and a bit more forgiving of other road users (let's be honest, we aren't perfect ourselves) then driving & riding in general would be far more enjoyable in this country for everyone.
Edit: Just remembered being hospitalised after doing the best part of a ton in my mate's AX in 1998 when we hit a stationary Sierra. That hurt. Would never have believed a Citroen AX could stand up to an impact as well as it did. That's my nearest miss.
Seriously though, it's just crazy how often people try to kill bikers to the extent that I barely notice and never get annoyed any more, just deal with it as safely as possible.
My particular favourite was the light blue VW Polo that decided to use my side of the road to overtake a 4x4 about 300 yards from me. Didn't move back in when I flashed, just went for it. I was forced to avoid him by using the little bit of road just past the white line before the concrete fell away to nothing, which is quite a frightening place to try to shed speed from doing NSL on two wheels.
All was well in the end though. As a road user in this country it's important never to attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity; you'd spend your life angry if you did. Drive defensively, be predictable in your actions and please look twice before you pull out.
In the car, beyond a few near misses in my youth caused by over exuberance, can't think of anything, but again I don't carry these things with me and worry about them or get angry, they just happen and they're done. I think if everyone was a bit calmer and a bit more forgiving of other road users (let's be honest, we aren't perfect ourselves) then driving & riding in general would be far more enjoyable in this country for everyone.
Edit: Just remembered being hospitalised after doing the best part of a ton in my mate's AX in 1998 when we hit a stationary Sierra. That hurt. Would never have believed a Citroen AX could stand up to an impact as well as it did. That's my nearest miss.
Tango13 said:
EazyDuz said:
Tango13 said:
About 10mm
Multiple compound fracture of the femur after a bike smash. The bone missed the femoral artery by about 10mm on its way out.
Did you ride again after that?Multiple compound fracture of the femur after a bike smash. The bone missed the femoral artery by about 10mm on its way out.
You can't let such a minor thing as death stop you enjoying yourself
ChasW said:
Years ago I worked in the medical industry supplying products that put badly injured people, lots of them bikers, back together again after serious trauma. One biker had a bad femur break which was treated by inserting a metal rod down the shaft of his femur. No sooner had he been discharged, and against doctor's advice, he was back on his bike. Before long he had another smash, took the impact on his knee forcing the metal rod back out through his buttock. A real mess but he survived. Cost to the NHS would have been huge. Good business for us though. Interestingly business was better in the summer than winter. Bikers and drivers appear to take more risks when the weather is good.
As a rider myself and many others, we all accept the dangers as part of it. If motorcycles had a big plastic bubble with total guarantee of survival no matter what kind of crash, no one would ride them. A family friend was riding to his mothers birthday dinner, on the way skidded on some wet leaves. Slid right into a tree, brown bread.
Probably some ten years ago in my then Clio 172 Cup. Leaving Creswell Crags in Notts on the way home from my then job was the first bit of derestricted road, which on this evening meant I nailed it at the NSL sign. The bit of road in question is an uphill stright with maybe three hidden dips. I clocked a Transit coming the other way at high speed and for some reason it took me a moment to clock that he was over taking a train of traffic and on my side of the road quickly approaching me. I slammed on the brakes, and he got so close to me I involuntarily closed my eyes for the probably the last second or two, preparing for impact I guess. When I opened them the car was at a stop surrounded by plumes of white braking smoke (no ABS on 172 Cups....) and the van was nowhere to be seen. I got out the car and the car behind me, a young lad in a Vectra had stopped too, the first thing he said was 'you alright mate, I thought you were a f***** goner then!'
Several years ago i was bimbling along the m20 heading coast bound.
I had a nice mr2, so not very big.
A tipper truck in lane 1 lost a wheel which short across the carriageway the wheel hit the crash barrier luckily it did not bounce out but tracked the barrier.
It was a real change of underpants job seeing a loose wheel a couple of feet away from the drivers wheel.
I had a nice mr2, so not very big.
A tipper truck in lane 1 lost a wheel which short across the carriageway the wheel hit the crash barrier luckily it did not bounce out but tracked the barrier.
It was a real change of underpants job seeing a loose wheel a couple of feet away from the drivers wheel.
Probably the closest I've come was driving down an NSL A road, coming round a left hand bend at about 80mph in the dark, as I got round the bend I could see a lorry approaching on the opposite side, which had a lot of lights on it, he was being overtaken by a car which had the front light to my left hand side out, so given the amount of lights immediately next to his right headlight and his car being black, meant I didn't spot him for a couple of seconds or so. He had no intention of aborting the overtake, I slammed on my anchors far too late to avoid him but fortunately for me the truck driver anticipated the accident earlier than I did and had started an emergency stop about 2 seconds before me, this gave the overtaking car just enough time to nip back in - I can remember seeing the driver's face clearly, despite the dark, just before he pulled in. Had that truck driver not pulled in I'd have hit him travelling at around 50mph in my crappy Clio, he was travelling at close to 100mph I would estimate. Certain death missed by millimetres.
I had my girlfriend in the car, she had her head down texting her mum at the time. I quickly pulled into a pub in the village abour 300m up the road, got out, threw up and had to ask her to drive as I was shaking so much. She was completely oblivious to the whole thing and couldn't understand what all the fuss was about!
I had my girlfriend in the car, she had her head down texting her mum at the time. I quickly pulled into a pub in the village abour 300m up the road, got out, threw up and had to ask her to drive as I was shaking so much. She was completely oblivious to the whole thing and couldn't understand what all the fuss was about!
I was a passenger in a Renault 5 that had a complete brake failure (handbrake was useless) on a 25% downhill gradient pass. Luckily we were only doing about 15MPH and the driver managed to guide the car into a group of small trees at the side of the road. 100 yards further down the road, there were no trees, only a sheer cliff. It still scares the crap out of me.
some time ago but on a very busy M11 I was with Mrs my driving her old polo coupe thing. All this happens in a matter of a few seconds - both lanes very busy and I was in lane 2 with a good safe distance between me and the car in front. A Saab undertakes me then lane 1 starts to slow up so he cuts in front so halving my stopping distance. Just then, everyone in lane 2 hits the brakes. I'm in panic mode now as my safe distance has disappeared and I am as hard on my brakes as was possible. I can judge that I whilst might just stop before I hit the Saab, I can see traffic piling in behind me which is a bigger worry. Quick check in left mirror and there's a gap so I jink to the left. Car behind me goes straight into the back of the Saab.
A full code brown moment as we were nearly a Polo sandwich.
A full code brown moment as we were nearly a Polo sandwich.
A few for me...
If motor racing counts this was the worst:
Driving on a stage on wet tarmac which had had frequent logging trucks along it and saw the car that had left a minute ahead of us on the side of the road. Looked across and saw they had a flat tyre, looked forward and spotted the 90 degree bend we were approaching flat out in 4th, just ahead. Jumped on the brakes to scrub off what speed we could and chucked it into the corner (the ground dropped very steeply in front of us so had to do something). Back came round, full opposite lock - clunk - lockstops. After what seemed an age the back flicked around the opposite way - opposite lock - clunk on the lockstops. After what seemed another age it flicked straight and we carried on. The drop on the outside of the bend was around 300 feet into a valley with nothing more than a wire sheep fence to stop half a ton of car.
On the road the worst was probably an 'Ahead at T' moment....
Out with a young lady in a 3 litre Capri belting down some back roads in NZ in the middle of the night. Being a bit young and stupid was trying to impress her and we were doing around 100mph along a nice sealed road approaching a small brow. The telephone lines showed the road carried on straight for quite some distance. Except it didn't.
Just 100 yards the other side of the brow was a nice T junction. Wouldn't have been such a problem if it hadn't recently been the subject of some re-sealing work and as a result the approach and junction was covered in loose chippings. Not good.
As is predictable said Capri became a low flying missile as it careered across the junction showering stones in all directions, launched off the bank on the opposite side of the junction and straight through a farmers fence into a field full of cattle. After we stopped (around 100 metres from the fence) we tried to get the car out. Not having it. Both front lower arms were bent, the antiroll bar mounts were torn and it had a LOT of toe out. Walked back to the fence and looked at the tyre tracks. We'd missed a very large and solid strainer post by around 3" (which means the mirror must have been a fag papers thickness away from it). It would have made much the same impression on the car as a lamp post. We eventually got the car out of the field, patched the fence to keep the cattle in and drove 30 miles back to hers. She obviously wasn't too impressed as I had to sleep on the sofa!
Strangely enough had a repeat occurrence in the UK 25 years later when I had brake failure on the road from Great Tew to Enstone. Flew across the junction, across the verge, over a 5 ft bank through some undergrowth and over another 5 ft bank to come to rest in the tip inches away from a Grunden skip... Bloke at the gate heard us messing about getting stuff out of the car and asked how we got in. We pointed at the car shaped hole through the undergrowth. He looked a the locked main gate, looked at the car and looked at us. He was 9 sheets to the wind as he'd just been informed he was losing his job next month (redundancy). In the end he left us to it still scratching his head about how the car had managed to get past the locked gate!
If motor racing counts this was the worst:
Driving on a stage on wet tarmac which had had frequent logging trucks along it and saw the car that had left a minute ahead of us on the side of the road. Looked across and saw they had a flat tyre, looked forward and spotted the 90 degree bend we were approaching flat out in 4th, just ahead. Jumped on the brakes to scrub off what speed we could and chucked it into the corner (the ground dropped very steeply in front of us so had to do something). Back came round, full opposite lock - clunk - lockstops. After what seemed an age the back flicked around the opposite way - opposite lock - clunk on the lockstops. After what seemed another age it flicked straight and we carried on. The drop on the outside of the bend was around 300 feet into a valley with nothing more than a wire sheep fence to stop half a ton of car.
On the road the worst was probably an 'Ahead at T' moment....
Out with a young lady in a 3 litre Capri belting down some back roads in NZ in the middle of the night. Being a bit young and stupid was trying to impress her and we were doing around 100mph along a nice sealed road approaching a small brow. The telephone lines showed the road carried on straight for quite some distance. Except it didn't.
Just 100 yards the other side of the brow was a nice T junction. Wouldn't have been such a problem if it hadn't recently been the subject of some re-sealing work and as a result the approach and junction was covered in loose chippings. Not good.
As is predictable said Capri became a low flying missile as it careered across the junction showering stones in all directions, launched off the bank on the opposite side of the junction and straight through a farmers fence into a field full of cattle. After we stopped (around 100 metres from the fence) we tried to get the car out. Not having it. Both front lower arms were bent, the antiroll bar mounts were torn and it had a LOT of toe out. Walked back to the fence and looked at the tyre tracks. We'd missed a very large and solid strainer post by around 3" (which means the mirror must have been a fag papers thickness away from it). It would have made much the same impression on the car as a lamp post. We eventually got the car out of the field, patched the fence to keep the cattle in and drove 30 miles back to hers. She obviously wasn't too impressed as I had to sleep on the sofa!
Strangely enough had a repeat occurrence in the UK 25 years later when I had brake failure on the road from Great Tew to Enstone. Flew across the junction, across the verge, over a 5 ft bank through some undergrowth and over another 5 ft bank to come to rest in the tip inches away from a Grunden skip... Bloke at the gate heard us messing about getting stuff out of the car and asked how we got in. We pointed at the car shaped hole through the undergrowth. He looked a the locked main gate, looked at the car and looked at us. He was 9 sheets to the wind as he'd just been informed he was losing his job next month (redundancy). In the end he left us to it still scratching his head about how the car had managed to get past the locked gate!
On the road a fair while back had a near miss in my Landy on the M3 where a wooden framework on the back of a transit pickup travelling in the opposite direction lifted up and disintegrated. I jinked left as one of the 2x4" supports flew past my driver's window close enough that it whooshed as it went past, couldn't have been more than a few inches from the side of the car.
Also a couple of years ago heading to Classic Le Mans in the Evora I got caught in a particularly sudden and epic monsoon style downpour, I'd anchored on right down to about 40mph but hit an acre of standing water and aquaplaned for long enough to have not one but two brief exchanges with my mate about whether it had sat down yet or not. We were heading right for the blunt end of a stretch of armco (about windscreen height on the Lotus) and I was about half a second from trying to bail out to the right of it and take my chances with a patch of trees but thankfully it came back to me and I got enough rotation to aim it back at the road before it actually started aquaplaning briefly again, this time at about only 30mph!!
On track, had a front suspension failure at Thruxton a couple of years ago and exited stage left at the fastest corner on the track (which for the uninitiated is the fastest track in the UK). It's also got the least amount of safety features, so after skimming across the runoff and over the tyre stack I hit a tree of about 20" in diameter absolutely square on, with the last recorded speed being about 95mph. The telemetry picked up 27G but isn't really meant for recording impacts and the real force was likely much higher
Amazingly the car held up and I got away with bashing my legs on the cage and a couple of weeks of hobbling about, but the seatbelt mounts had pulled forward about 4 inches and my HANS strap was 1.5 inches longer than the 8 inches it started off. Absolutely zero doubt from the medical staff that if I hadn't been wearing it I'd have had a basilar skull fracture and been dead.
Also a couple of years ago heading to Classic Le Mans in the Evora I got caught in a particularly sudden and epic monsoon style downpour, I'd anchored on right down to about 40mph but hit an acre of standing water and aquaplaned for long enough to have not one but two brief exchanges with my mate about whether it had sat down yet or not. We were heading right for the blunt end of a stretch of armco (about windscreen height on the Lotus) and I was about half a second from trying to bail out to the right of it and take my chances with a patch of trees but thankfully it came back to me and I got enough rotation to aim it back at the road before it actually started aquaplaning briefly again, this time at about only 30mph!!
On track, had a front suspension failure at Thruxton a couple of years ago and exited stage left at the fastest corner on the track (which for the uninitiated is the fastest track in the UK). It's also got the least amount of safety features, so after skimming across the runoff and over the tyre stack I hit a tree of about 20" in diameter absolutely square on, with the last recorded speed being about 95mph. The telemetry picked up 27G but isn't really meant for recording impacts and the real force was likely much higher
Amazingly the car held up and I got away with bashing my legs on the cage and a couple of weeks of hobbling about, but the seatbelt mounts had pulled forward about 4 inches and my HANS strap was 1.5 inches longer than the 8 inches it started off. Absolutely zero doubt from the medical staff that if I hadn't been wearing it I'd have had a basilar skull fracture and been dead.
Edited by The Wookie on Thursday 1st September 12:37
Two occasions that stick in the memory:
• Overtaking a couple of cars on a straight stretch of B-road in the mighty powerhouse that is a 1983 Honda Civic 1.3 GL. I'd over-estimated how fast I was going and under-estimated how quickly the tanker heading towards us was going. I squeezed back in with what felt like a couple of feet – at best – to spare. I can still recall the look on the truck drivers and girlfriend's face. He looked angry, she was white as a sheet.
• 4 of us in what was a dog of a 1980s 3 series 328 Auto. On our way to Colchester clubbing one night on a twisty B road south of Halstead. Mate driving went to over-take, car had no more speed to give and it took what felt like ages to get past the cars in front. He didn't know the road and there was a series of bends ahead, around which a Tesco truck was coming. We pulled back with inches to give. All of us sat in silence from then on and none of us have forgotten it.
• Overtaking a couple of cars on a straight stretch of B-road in the mighty powerhouse that is a 1983 Honda Civic 1.3 GL. I'd over-estimated how fast I was going and under-estimated how quickly the tanker heading towards us was going. I squeezed back in with what felt like a couple of feet – at best – to spare. I can still recall the look on the truck drivers and girlfriend's face. He looked angry, she was white as a sheet.
• 4 of us in what was a dog of a 1980s 3 series 328 Auto. On our way to Colchester clubbing one night on a twisty B road south of Halstead. Mate driving went to over-take, car had no more speed to give and it took what felt like ages to get past the cars in front. He didn't know the road and there was a series of bends ahead, around which a Tesco truck was coming. We pulled back with inches to give. All of us sat in silence from then on and none of us have forgotten it.
Circa 1990. in an Xr3i full of my mates on a wet 2 lane motorway, when someone pulled out straight in front of me and I steered left through the gap they had emerged from to avoid them (no ABS in them days).
540deg spin just missing the barriers on both sides at about 75mph and we ended up doing over 50mph backwards with a lorry heading straight at us in the inside lane.
After the initial shock wore off, I was more pissed off about flat spotting all four wheel bearings and ruining a set of nearly new tyres.
540deg spin just missing the barriers on both sides at about 75mph and we ended up doing over 50mph backwards with a lorry heading straight at us in the inside lane.
After the initial shock wore off, I was more pissed off about flat spotting all four wheel bearings and ruining a set of nearly new tyres.
1989. the era of the rave scene to set context.
Driving home, possibly at about 6.30 am having been up all night.
WOKE up at the wheel, wrong side of the road heading towards an articulated lorry flashing its lights and beeping its horn at me.
did a huge swerve and was ok thank goodness.
Driving home, possibly at about 6.30 am having been up all night.
WOKE up at the wheel, wrong side of the road heading towards an articulated lorry flashing its lights and beeping its horn at me.
did a huge swerve and was ok thank goodness.
Just being a bit pedantic, but it obviously wasn't certain death if you didn't actually die.
Probably my closest was while rallying a Mini on Mull many years ago. I was going slightly too fast and was oversteering on a long bend on a clifftop over the sea, slowly drifting towards the outside edge of the road and nothing I could do but try to keep it neutral and hope I'd stop drifting out before I reached the edge. It didn't work, the front wheel slid off the road but luckily hit a rock on the scarily narrow verge. I bounced back on to the tarmac but with my steering wheel on full lock, as soon as the tyre gripped, the Mini rolled, two and and a half times down the road, landed upside down at right angles across the road. I climbed out the shattered window, lifted the car back onto it's wheels and got back in and drove off. My only injury was a black finger nail which had been trapped under the roof as I turned the car back over.
I went back later in daylight to look at the crash site and almost st myself. The verge which I had slid onto was only about 2 feet wide with at least a 100 foot drop to the sea below, no barrier. The section of road I'd barrel rolled down was single track, about 9 feet wide, a foot narrower than the length of the mini with a rock face on one side and drop to the sea on the other.
If they'd done the lottery back then that would've been the day to buy a ticket.
Probably my closest was while rallying a Mini on Mull many years ago. I was going slightly too fast and was oversteering on a long bend on a clifftop over the sea, slowly drifting towards the outside edge of the road and nothing I could do but try to keep it neutral and hope I'd stop drifting out before I reached the edge. It didn't work, the front wheel slid off the road but luckily hit a rock on the scarily narrow verge. I bounced back on to the tarmac but with my steering wheel on full lock, as soon as the tyre gripped, the Mini rolled, two and and a half times down the road, landed upside down at right angles across the road. I climbed out the shattered window, lifted the car back onto it's wheels and got back in and drove off. My only injury was a black finger nail which had been trapped under the roof as I turned the car back over.
I went back later in daylight to look at the crash site and almost s
t myself. The verge which I had slid onto was only about 2 feet wide with at least a 100 foot drop to the sea below, no barrier. The section of road I'd barrel rolled down was single track, about 9 feet wide, a foot narrower than the length of the mini with a rock face on one side and drop to the sea on the other.If they'd done the lottery back then that would've been the day to buy a ticket.
Bloke in a 5 Series BMW towing a trailer had a heart attack at the wheel & nearly hit us head on, my Clio 172 wouldn't have fared very well 
Amazingly, he narrowly missed the car in front, I swerved to avoid him (he went between us & the NS kerb!), he then mounted the pavement & narrowly missed a woman walking her 2 kids to school before crashing into a parked car about 200yds down the hill.
Amazingly, he narrowly missed the car in front, I swerved to avoid him (he went between us & the NS kerb!), he then mounted the pavement & narrowly missed a woman walking her 2 kids to school before crashing into a parked car about 200yds down the hill.
About a year ago.
Had just picked up a new motor, took it up some well known country roads in my area.
Had been ragging it about for a good 10 or 15 minutes before coming to a wide straight, must have been going 80-90 coming up to a right turn facing a river. Left what I thought was plenty of time to brake, pushed the pedal to be met with a weird sensation and not much stopping power. Only managed to shave round about 15mph off before realizing it wasn't going to make it round.
Into the oncoming lane, blind corner, somehow pulled it round.
Needless to say upgraded discs and pads all round in the following week.
Had just picked up a new motor, took it up some well known country roads in my area.
Had been ragging it about for a good 10 or 15 minutes before coming to a wide straight, must have been going 80-90 coming up to a right turn facing a river. Left what I thought was plenty of time to brake, pushed the pedal to be met with a weird sensation and not much stopping power. Only managed to shave round about 15mph off before realizing it wasn't going to make it round.
Into the oncoming lane, blind corner, somehow pulled it round.
Needless to say upgraded discs and pads all round in the following week.
brrapp said:
Just being a bit pedantic, but it obviously wasn't certain death if you didn't actually die.
Probably my closest was while rallying a Mini on Mull many years ago. I was going slightly too fast and was oversteering on a long bend on a clifftop over the sea, slowly drifting towards the outside edge of the road and nothing I could do but try to keep it neutral and hope I'd stop drifting out before I reached the edge. It didn't work, the front wheel slid off the road but luckily hit a rock on the scarily narrow verge. I bounced back on to the tarmac but with my steering wheel on full lock, as soon as the tyre gripped, the Mini rolled, two and and a half times down the road, landed upside down at right angles across the road. I climbed out the shattered window, lifted the car back onto it's wheels and got back in and drove off. My only injury was a black finger nail which had been trapped under the roof as I turned the car back over.
I went back later in daylight to look at the crash site and almost st myself. The verge which I had slid onto was only about 2 feet wide with at least a 100 foot drop to the sea below, no barrier. The section of road I'd barrel rolled down was single track, about 9 feet wide, a foot narrower than the length of the mini with a rock face on one side and drop to the sea on the other.
If they'd done the lottery back then that would've been the day to buy a ticket.
What year? If it's in the last 20 then I was almost certainly there and can probably guess whereabouts it was !Probably my closest was while rallying a Mini on Mull many years ago. I was going slightly too fast and was oversteering on a long bend on a clifftop over the sea, slowly drifting towards the outside edge of the road and nothing I could do but try to keep it neutral and hope I'd stop drifting out before I reached the edge. It didn't work, the front wheel slid off the road but luckily hit a rock on the scarily narrow verge. I bounced back on to the tarmac but with my steering wheel on full lock, as soon as the tyre gripped, the Mini rolled, two and and a half times down the road, landed upside down at right angles across the road. I climbed out the shattered window, lifted the car back onto it's wheels and got back in and drove off. My only injury was a black finger nail which had been trapped under the roof as I turned the car back over.
I went back later in daylight to look at the crash site and almost s
t myself. The verge which I had slid onto was only about 2 feet wide with at least a 100 foot drop to the sea below, no barrier. The section of road I'd barrel rolled down was single track, about 9 feet wide, a foot narrower than the length of the mini with a rock face on one side and drop to the sea on the other.If they'd done the lottery back then that would've been the day to buy a ticket.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff