Closest you've come to certain death whilst driving?
Discussion
2 weeks ago. Driving home from Leeds airport, A1, 2am, light traffic really only lorries, going about 90 ish when i rounded a bend to find something odd. Took my brain a couple of secs to realise what my eyes were seeing, A C-max attempting a 3 point turn ! ON THE FECKING A1 ! AT NIGHT ! It was straddling both lanes, no way i was stopping in time. On the brakes but had to make that split decision, go left or go right, luck was smiling down on me as i went right and the C-Max reversed enough. I missed him by about a foot (according to my missus). After she had stopped screaming there was silence.......then fury as i couldn't understand what that idiot had been trying to attempt, no slip roads or junctions were close by so maybe he had spun. Anyway closest i ever want to come to a big accident.
It's a difficult one to describe.....
On a 'B' road near Falmer, just outside Brighton. In 1989.
I was heading south on said B road. On the northbound side there were two lanes - 1 for 'straight' and a right turn filter to take a slip road onto the A27. Waiting to come out of the slip road was an articulated lorry. Waiting in the right turn filter lane was a petrol tanker. From my perspective, approaching the junction, I've got a lorry waiting to turn right into the slip road, and a second one waiting to turn right out of the slip road. So, at this point I have right of way to continue southbound (it's an NSL, so I was getting slowly up towards 60 in my massively powerful 1967 Triumph Spitfire).
At the point where I was about 10 yards from the junction, the petrol tanker in the right turn filter flashed his lights. The artic. decided that this meant he was clear to move, and did. I had nowhere to go, except to try to make the rapidly closing gap between their two cabs. No way to stop before impact, and not enough room to go anywhere else. I didn't make it. Read quarter of spitfire hit by artic, car shoved into side of petrol tanker. In an impact, the front clamshell on the spitfire gets pushed backwards and up over the windscreen. Feels very strange as the entire windscreen shatters and passes around your head. Then you find yourself wondering why you can see the engine with coolant and steam everywhere.
Car ended up shortened by about 60cms, I walked away with a few cuts from the fragments of windscreen. At the point of bouncing off two different trucks I was pretty sure I was toast. That car had one seriously strong chassis!
Artic driver who pulled out was prosecuted for driving without due care and attention (I think that's what it was called back then) - and the magistrates let him off completely - 'Not Guilty'.
On a 'B' road near Falmer, just outside Brighton. In 1989.
I was heading south on said B road. On the northbound side there were two lanes - 1 for 'straight' and a right turn filter to take a slip road onto the A27. Waiting to come out of the slip road was an articulated lorry. Waiting in the right turn filter lane was a petrol tanker. From my perspective, approaching the junction, I've got a lorry waiting to turn right into the slip road, and a second one waiting to turn right out of the slip road. So, at this point I have right of way to continue southbound (it's an NSL, so I was getting slowly up towards 60 in my massively powerful 1967 Triumph Spitfire).
At the point where I was about 10 yards from the junction, the petrol tanker in the right turn filter flashed his lights. The artic. decided that this meant he was clear to move, and did. I had nowhere to go, except to try to make the rapidly closing gap between their two cabs. No way to stop before impact, and not enough room to go anywhere else. I didn't make it. Read quarter of spitfire hit by artic, car shoved into side of petrol tanker. In an impact, the front clamshell on the spitfire gets pushed backwards and up over the windscreen. Feels very strange as the entire windscreen shatters and passes around your head. Then you find yourself wondering why you can see the engine with coolant and steam everywhere.
Car ended up shortened by about 60cms, I walked away with a few cuts from the fragments of windscreen. At the point of bouncing off two different trucks I was pretty sure I was toast. That car had one seriously strong chassis!
Artic driver who pulled out was prosecuted for driving without due care and attention (I think that's what it was called back then) - and the magistrates let him off completely - 'Not Guilty'.
March 1995 - going skiing in Andorra, I lived in Brussels @ the time - drove down to Charles De Gaulle airport outside Paris to pick my mate up who had flown in from Gatwick.
We then had the length of France to drive on only non toll roads - me driving him map reading. So all in a 1200km / 754 mile drive (only stopping for petrol to eat etc) to do before crashing in the car for the night and skiing 1st thing the next day.
We were North of Toulouse I think - and coming down a long hill - pitch black, and it had just started raining - I'd slowed a bit - but was probably still doing 80mph. At the bottom of the hill (more a valley) the road had flooded with another car coming opposite direction at a similar speed - we both hit the standing water @ the same time - well thought it was game over - both cars aquaplaning/water splash from opposing car huge - like a wave hitting the windscreen.
What was probably 2-3 seconds - time just stopped/slowed - felt like this was it/we're brown bread.
Anyway after pulling over (other car had done same) we sort of waved to each other - and then set off in our opposite directions. I can say however that I slowed down considerably for the next hr - until we hit the lit roads outside of Toulouse.
We then had the length of France to drive on only non toll roads - me driving him map reading. So all in a 1200km / 754 mile drive (only stopping for petrol to eat etc) to do before crashing in the car for the night and skiing 1st thing the next day.
We were North of Toulouse I think - and coming down a long hill - pitch black, and it had just started raining - I'd slowed a bit - but was probably still doing 80mph. At the bottom of the hill (more a valley) the road had flooded with another car coming opposite direction at a similar speed - we both hit the standing water @ the same time - well thought it was game over - both cars aquaplaning/water splash from opposing car huge - like a wave hitting the windscreen.
What was probably 2-3 seconds - time just stopped/slowed - felt like this was it/we're brown bread.
Anyway after pulling over (other car had done same) we sort of waved to each other - and then set off in our opposite directions. I can say however that I slowed down considerably for the next hr - until we hit the lit roads outside of Toulouse.
addsvrs said:
2 weeks ago. Driving home from Leeds airport, A1, 2am, light traffic really only lorries, going about 90 ish when i rounded a bend to find something odd. Took my brain a couple of secs to realise what my eyes were seeing, A C-max attempting a 3 point turn ! ON THE FECKING A1 ! AT NIGHT ! It was straddling both lanes, no way i was stopping in time. On the brakes but had to make that split decision, go left or go right, luck was smiling down on me as i went right and the C-Max reversed enough. I missed him by about a foot (according to my missus). After she had stopped screaming there was silence.......then fury as i couldn't understand what that idiot had been trying to attempt, no slip roads or junctions were close by so maybe he had spun. Anyway closest i ever want to come to a big accident.
This is one of the reasons I sold my TVR Tuscan. I don't mean to seem sanctimonious but you really, REALLY shouldn't be carrying that sort of speed around bends where you can't see the exit point. My Dad does IAM instruction and I have had to do some advanced driving days for Supercar club memberships so I've been made aware of this.
Why is this relevant? Well... one of the major techniques is to choose to limit speed round a corner to that which enables me to brake in the distance I can see. Or at least make it a very minor shunt. So the Tuscan was possibly too fast to push the car to anywhere near its limits on the twistys while being able to stop in a sensible distance.
So it was fun for 4 years but it was quite point and squirt and so I am looking for a change where I have something that can be pushed harder but actually be doing lower speeds. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone.
Documented on here somewhere else over the years. Short version... No pics this time 
Sunday afternoon, Grif speed on a DC, roof down so not mentally quick. Lorry appeared from other side side of road in an instant and took both lanes on my side coming head on, didn't really want to hit that, especially in a Grif. So milliseconds to pick a soft spot in the scenery. Well it looked soft.
In this hedge was a barbed wire fence and a number of pointy sticks and trees later on. Car slewed through the barbed wire ripping out posts and started tearing through my face and arms on the way down. End of nose cut off, eyelids ripped through, bridge of nose missing and arteries cut through, lots of other facial cuts and a large stick through my neck. Another stick through my arm and a muscle hanging out of a puncture hole in the arm. So a bit messy. Hit a tree hard and stopped on the stump.
Couldn't see, thought I have been blinded but it turned out to be just a lot of blood. When sight returned after what seemed like an eternity, I could close my eyes and still see out of the cuts through the eyelids
. Realised I was in danger of running out of blood so calmed the f*** down! sat down upright and took off tee shirt and pushed it into the hole in the front of my head where my nose used to be to stem the artery flow. A nurse arrived on scene and helped hold that in place while we waited for the ambulance. Phoned the missus to say I would be a bit delayed as I had a few scratches from a shunt...
250+ stitches in the face and neck plus more in arms. Fair amount of blood missing too, but just enough to keep going till I got to hospital thankfully. Missus came to pick me up and walked straight past me as she didn't recognise me!
Had a few days off work and went back looking like a bad pizza to find a picture of me from the day after it happened on the coffee machine with the note "Kev cuts himself shaving". Thanked my boss for coming to see me... I knew there was an ulterior motive
Sunday afternoon, Grif speed on a DC, roof down so not mentally quick. Lorry appeared from other side side of road in an instant and took both lanes on my side coming head on, didn't really want to hit that, especially in a Grif. So milliseconds to pick a soft spot in the scenery. Well it looked soft.
In this hedge was a barbed wire fence and a number of pointy sticks and trees later on. Car slewed through the barbed wire ripping out posts and started tearing through my face and arms on the way down. End of nose cut off, eyelids ripped through, bridge of nose missing and arteries cut through, lots of other facial cuts and a large stick through my neck. Another stick through my arm and a muscle hanging out of a puncture hole in the arm. So a bit messy. Hit a tree hard and stopped on the stump.
Couldn't see, thought I have been blinded but it turned out to be just a lot of blood. When sight returned after what seemed like an eternity, I could close my eyes and still see out of the cuts through the eyelids
. Realised I was in danger of running out of blood so calmed the f*** down! sat down upright and took off tee shirt and pushed it into the hole in the front of my head where my nose used to be to stem the artery flow. A nurse arrived on scene and helped hold that in place while we waited for the ambulance. Phoned the missus to say I would be a bit delayed as I had a few scratches from a shunt...250+ stitches in the face and neck plus more in arms. Fair amount of blood missing too, but just enough to keep going till I got to hospital thankfully. Missus came to pick me up and walked straight past me as she didn't recognise me!
Had a few days off work and went back looking like a bad pizza to find a picture of me from the day after it happened on the coffee machine with the note "Kev cuts himself shaving". Thanked my boss for coming to see me... I knew there was an ulterior motive
BluePurpleRed said:
Why is this relevant? Well... one of the major techniques is to choose to limit speed round a corner to that which enables me to brake in the distance I can see. Or at least make it a very minor shunt. So the Tuscan was possibly too fast to push the car to anywhere near its limits on the twistys while being able to stop in a sensible distance.
Much easier said than done though. For one thing it's difficult to work out the stopping distance on a bend, for another (as in this case) faced with something totally unexpected it can take a couple of seconds to recognize that an emergency stop is required. So even having theoretically enough room to stop might very well not save you.There was an horrendous crash a few years back when a police advanced instructor (!) giving instruction (!!) went round a bend and into a line of stationary traffic. A witness in his front passenger seat remarked on the driver doing a 'double take' before braking.
Dr Jekyll said:
BluePurpleRed said:
Why is this relevant? Well... one of the major techniques is to choose to limit speed round a corner to that which enables me to brake in the distance I can see. Or at least make it a very minor shunt. So the Tuscan was possibly too fast to push the car to anywhere near its limits on the twistys while being able to stop in a sensible distance.
Much easier said than done though. For one thing it's difficult to work out the stopping distance on a bend, for another (as in this case) faced with something totally unexpected it can take a couple of seconds to recognize that an emergency stop is required. So even having theoretically enough room to stop might very well not save you.There was an horrendous crash a few years back when a police advanced instructor (!) giving instruction (!!) went round a bend and into a line of stationary traffic. A witness in his front passenger seat remarked on the driver doing a 'double take' before braking.
I'm by not means perfect but when getting up to 90 I'd be pretty sure of the road ahead. Hurt pride stuffing it into the back of someone round a tight NSL blind bend is different. I've been out with people in fast cars and I have to say it makes me very nervous when people are "conserving momentum" round tight bends... I just don't feel right doing it.
I do enjoy nailing it once the corner opens up but then its braking time all too soon.
Its affecting my next car choice now I have a baby and need 4 doors for a year or so. It was an E60 M5 but I think that is "too fast" for my mood. So it might be a standard Mitsubishi Evo 5 with "only" 276. Lol
Not sure it would have been certain death for me, but the other guy may have been in a bad way...
I was travelling at night along the A413 here:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.7682777,-0.76137...
I was doing about 80mph, it's a very wide single carriageway, I was in the Monaro, and I'm a terrible human being that murders kittens and children.
Anyway, no other traffic on the road, except a small white van (I think ~2000s Peugeot Partner type thing) was driving through the layby pictured above, and starts indicating to pull out.
Concerned he may not see me and just pull out (as it's dark and he's in a van), I cover the brake and move towards the centre of the road so I'm further away from him should he just pull out into the road.
Lo' and behold he doesn't pull out, but in fact is swinging it round for a U-turn and my windscreen is rather swiftly filling with the side of his van.
I braked and swerved left behind him to avoid, but was comfortably still doing about 60 at the point I would have broadsided him. A bit of a surprise for both of us I'd imagine!
I think generally accidents happen when multiple mistakes are made at the same time, and have often pondered whether pulling towards the centre was my contribution to the mistakes that caused it, making me harder to see when he looked in his mirrors, or whether it's still the more sensible move to make in that situation, as the other car is more likely to pull out and continue than pull out and U-turn?
I was travelling at night along the A413 here:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.7682777,-0.76137...
I was doing about 80mph, it's a very wide single carriageway, I was in the Monaro, and I'm a terrible human being that murders kittens and children.
Anyway, no other traffic on the road, except a small white van (I think ~2000s Peugeot Partner type thing) was driving through the layby pictured above, and starts indicating to pull out.
Concerned he may not see me and just pull out (as it's dark and he's in a van), I cover the brake and move towards the centre of the road so I'm further away from him should he just pull out into the road.
Lo' and behold he doesn't pull out, but in fact is swinging it round for a U-turn and my windscreen is rather swiftly filling with the side of his van.
I braked and swerved left behind him to avoid, but was comfortably still doing about 60 at the point I would have broadsided him. A bit of a surprise for both of us I'd imagine!
I think generally accidents happen when multiple mistakes are made at the same time, and have often pondered whether pulling towards the centre was my contribution to the mistakes that caused it, making me harder to see when he looked in his mirrors, or whether it's still the more sensible move to make in that situation, as the other car is more likely to pull out and continue than pull out and U-turn?
I had a bonnet flap in an Impreza whilst travelling at a 3 figure speed. The bonnet impacting the roof caused it to hit the top of my head (lovely egg on the top of my head). Although the the windscreen was completely ruined, I was thankful for the small radius of the bonnet under which I could see and snake the car to a halt. I remember getting out the car and falling over, breathing heavily.
A kind policeman took me home after the incident and recommended that I should have a drink.
A kind policeman took me home after the incident and recommended that I should have a drink.
BluePurpleRed said:
Agreed. However 40mph and getting in a pickle with a silly tractor stopping place or herd of sheep is not 90mph round a bend to be fair. That's all I meant.
I'm by not means perfect but when getting up to 90 I'd be pretty sure of the road ahead. Hurt pride stuffing it into the back of someone round a tight NSL blind bend is different. I've been out with people in fast cars and I have to say it makes me very nervous when people are "conserving momentum" round tight bends... I just don't feel right doing it.
I do enjoy nailing it once the corner opens up but then its braking time all too soon.
+1 I'm by not means perfect but when getting up to 90 I'd be pretty sure of the road ahead. Hurt pride stuffing it into the back of someone round a tight NSL blind bend is different. I've been out with people in fast cars and I have to say it makes me very nervous when people are "conserving momentum" round tight bends... I just don't feel right doing it.
I do enjoy nailing it once the corner opens up but then its braking time all too soon.
Part of the reason I parted company with my IAM bike group is a conversation with an observer who queried how much I slowed for blind bends. "What if there is a tractor blocking the road?" I asked, "what if there isn't?" he replied. Which really summed up the attitude difference.
It also rather explained why the announcements at the monthly meetings invariably included a list of supposed 'advanced' riders who had injured themselves, often in single vehicle cornering accidents.
Dr Jekyll said:
+1
Part of the reason I parted company with my IAM bike group is a conversation with an observer who queried how much I slowed for blind bends. "What if there is a tractor blocking the road?" I asked, "what if there isn't?" he replied. Which really summed up the attitude difference.
It also rather explained why the announcements at the monthly meetings invariably included a list of supposed 'advanced' riders who had injured themselves, often in single vehicle cornering accidents.
Years ago my Dad was tearing round a blind bend in his new MG Metro. Round the bend was a tractor turning right. Luckily he managed to miss the tractor, but he put the Metro on its side and wrote it off.Part of the reason I parted company with my IAM bike group is a conversation with an observer who queried how much I slowed for blind bends. "What if there is a tractor blocking the road?" I asked, "what if there isn't?" he replied. Which really summed up the attitude difference.
It also rather explained why the announcements at the monthly meetings invariably included a list of supposed 'advanced' riders who had injured themselves, often in single vehicle cornering accidents.
Slightly fewer years ago, he was tearing round another bend in his 1 week old MG Maestro Turbo. Round this corner was a large BT van turning right. The car was a right off, Dad was ok but learnt a valuable lesson. Don't buy anymore MG cars
Having been a motorcyclist in my youth, I always slow for cars waiting to pull out of junctions and am wary about blind bends too. I know I am in a big metal box now, but the distant thought of being on 2 wheels and any crash hurting still remains.
Few years back I was hurrying back down the M1 late at night at ~130leptons when a car from lane 1 swerved violently to avoid a tiny piece of debris in the road right across partially into lane 3, my subsequent brake and swerve forced me into the grass of the central reservation, the front end then steered out as directed but the backend decided it fancied carrying on down the grass, que a high speed powerslide and a tankslapper as I fought to get it back straight, deciding that no braking input and just keep trying to point away from hard things (like the other car, AMCO etc) was the best policy, after a couple of swings either way I managed to get it out of the grass and pointing down the motorway again (still doing ~80), I slowed down, let my thoughts be known to the other driver and took a very steady drive home!
This was probably the one single event that made me seriously assess my young driving attitude of "as fast as I thought was safely possible, everywhere!" and has led to me now having a clean license for the first time since 3 months after passing my test, I accept that while there was a small amount of skill/good reactions in getting it straight again I was extremely lucky and that just because it's an empty motorway with just one other car in lane 1 doesn't mean high speed driving is perfectly safe!
This was probably the one single event that made me seriously assess my young driving attitude of "as fast as I thought was safely possible, everywhere!" and has led to me now having a clean license for the first time since 3 months after passing my test, I accept that while there was a small amount of skill/good reactions in getting it straight again I was extremely lucky and that just because it's an empty motorway with just one other car in lane 1 doesn't mean high speed driving is perfectly safe!
Dr Jekyll said:
BluePurpleRed said:
Why is this relevant? Well... one of the major techniques is to choose to limit speed round a corner to that which enables me to brake in the distance I can see. Or at least make it a very minor shunt. So the Tuscan was possibly too fast to push the car to anywhere near its limits on the twistys while being able to stop in a sensible distance.
Much easier said than done though. For one thing it's difficult to work out the stopping distance on a bend, for another (as in this case) faced with something totally unexpected it can take a couple of seconds to recognize that an emergency stop is required. So even having theoretically enough room to stop might very well not save you.There was an horrendous crash a few years back when a police advanced instructor (!) giving instruction (!!) went round a bend and into a line of stationary traffic. A witness in his front passenger seat remarked on the driver doing a 'double take' before braking.
Thankfully no one has yet tried to kill me in a way which wasn't forseeable and/or avoidable, long may it continue.
BluePurpleRed said:
This is one of the reasons I sold my TVR Tuscan.
I don't mean to seem sanctimonious but you really, REALLY shouldn't be carrying that sort of speed around bends where you can't see the exit point. My Dad does IAM instruction and I have had to do some advanced driving days for Supercar club memberships so I've been made aware of this.
Why is this relevant? Well... one of the major techniques is to choose to limit speed round a corner to that which enables me to brake in the distance I can see. Or at least make it a very minor shunt. So the Tuscan was possibly too fast to push the car to anywhere near its limits on the twistys while being able to stop in a sensible distance.
So it was fun for 4 years but it was quite point and squirt and so I am looking for a change where I have something that can be pushed harder but actually be doing lower speeds. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone.
Absolutely 100% i was going too fast, but 'corner' probably sounds a bit reckless, more a long sweeping bend. I had just gone past a lorry and could see trailer lights in the distance, i always tell my kids to expect the unexpected on the road, need to practice what i preach as i certainly didnt expect a car sideways across both lanes ! I don't mean to seem sanctimonious but you really, REALLY shouldn't be carrying that sort of speed around bends where you can't see the exit point. My Dad does IAM instruction and I have had to do some advanced driving days for Supercar club memberships so I've been made aware of this.
Why is this relevant? Well... one of the major techniques is to choose to limit speed round a corner to that which enables me to brake in the distance I can see. Or at least make it a very minor shunt. So the Tuscan was possibly too fast to push the car to anywhere near its limits on the twistys while being able to stop in a sensible distance.
So it was fun for 4 years but it was quite point and squirt and so I am looking for a change where I have something that can be pushed harder but actually be doing lower speeds. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone.
seyre1972 said:
only stopping for petrol to eat
Mmmmmm delicious, delicious petrol Closest I think I've come to punching out while driving was hitting a large amount of standing water in the dark about 4 years ago.
It was about 5am in January, DC, no streetlights. My eyes saw the shimmering on the road, but my brain (that had woken up about 10 minutes previously) didn't see it or register that a flood across both lanes of a large DC was possible. I can relate to the 'double take' that has been mentioned elsewhere on this thread.
Hit it at about 70, it was deep enough that it began to bring the front end around almost immediately. Fought for control for a while, but ended up spearing off into the trees. Span 180, rolled, then flipped into a ditch.
When I got out of the car, I realised that I had missed a very large tree by about a foot. Ambulance driver called me a lucky b
d, police officer suggested I buy a lottery ticket.Driving while tired is dangerous.
2 days before my 18th, on the way home from college in my '74 beetle. Stopped outside my parents house waiting for oncoming traffic before turning right into the driveway. Brake lights on, indicator on. Clear day, dry, straight road, 40 limit. Rear ended at 50/60ish according to the driver of the Cavalier. Fortunately he admitted full liability as he was - and I quote - "enjoying the view and not concentrating".
Fortunately, being young, I'd just changed the seats for Porsche seats and they had headrests. If I hadn't done that, my neck would have snapped and it would probably have been lights out.
Both cars were total write offs. Still, the insurance company paid out twice what I paid for the car. Every cloud.
Fortunately, being young, I'd just changed the seats for Porsche seats and they had headrests. If I hadn't done that, my neck would have snapped and it would probably have been lights out.
Both cars were total write offs. Still, the insurance company paid out twice what I paid for the car. Every cloud.
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