Most Stupid/Dangerous Thing You've Ever Done??
Discussion
Come on, what's THE one thing you've ever done on the road that lives long in the memory .......
Be honest now. You may post under a different name!
Worst moment I ever had was along the Newbury to Basingstoke road. There is a decent straight before the Star Pub (I think it's the Star) As I approached the straight I was about number 7 in a queue behind a Metro doing 35mph (not an exaggeration) and had been there since Greenham. Knowing the overtake oppotunity was approaching I dropped back slightly from the car ahead, moved towards the crown of the road, no on coming traffic could be seen on the approach to the final bend so I could hold my position. As going arround the final bend I could see a Volvo estate indicate, AH! thinks I, he is Ok to overtake so I can take advantage here and follow him!
WRONG!!!!!
He is not overtaking, he is still behind Metro as I approach carring about 25-30mph more speed than the rest of the queue ....
...... FCUK!!!!! HE IS TURNING RIGHT. He is turning right, right in front of my now fully locked-up car!!!!
Half way accross, he sees me and panicks! He stops! Oh, and now traffic is approaching from the opposite direction. GREAT. Here I am, I've got Mr Volvo driver pointing & shouting (Fair Enough) The car next to me who is also stationary waiting for Mr Volvo to turn right shouting & pointing (Fair enough! He must have shat himself as I scretched to a halt next to him) And the oncomming now stopped because Mr Volvo has stopped, Screaming and Shouting at me and Mr Volvo (Double Fair Enough)
Sheepishly and very graciously I accepted an invite to return to the correct lane after Mr Volvo had pulled out of the way and traffic flow was allowed to continue.
I must add, I was very young and stupid and of course knew all that there is to know about driving at the time. (No, not the week before last!)
Be honest now. You may post under a different name!
Worst moment I ever had was along the Newbury to Basingstoke road. There is a decent straight before the Star Pub (I think it's the Star) As I approached the straight I was about number 7 in a queue behind a Metro doing 35mph (not an exaggeration) and had been there since Greenham. Knowing the overtake oppotunity was approaching I dropped back slightly from the car ahead, moved towards the crown of the road, no on coming traffic could be seen on the approach to the final bend so I could hold my position. As going arround the final bend I could see a Volvo estate indicate, AH! thinks I, he is Ok to overtake so I can take advantage here and follow him!
WRONG!!!!!
He is not overtaking, he is still behind Metro as I approach carring about 25-30mph more speed than the rest of the queue ....
...... FCUK!!!!! HE IS TURNING RIGHT. He is turning right, right in front of my now fully locked-up car!!!!
Half way accross, he sees me and panicks! He stops! Oh, and now traffic is approaching from the opposite direction. GREAT. Here I am, I've got Mr Volvo driver pointing & shouting (Fair Enough) The car next to me who is also stationary waiting for Mr Volvo to turn right shouting & pointing (Fair enough! He must have shat himself as I scretched to a halt next to him) And the oncomming now stopped because Mr Volvo has stopped, Screaming and Shouting at me and Mr Volvo (Double Fair Enough)
Sheepishly and very graciously I accepted an invite to return to the correct lane after Mr Volvo had pulled out of the way and traffic flow was allowed to continue.
I must add, I was very young and stupid and of course knew all that there is to know about driving at the time. (No, not the week before last!)
Hmmmmmm. My closet ever to having an incident of my own making would be up the A41 just outside of newport on those wide long straights.
I was on a day trip out and as i got just outside of newport, there was a mondeo in front and a honda civic in front of him.
Road was clear so i gave it a very large bootful, turbos kicked in and i went past him like he was walking.
For reasons known only to himself, he decided to try and hold me off...as if!
Anyway civic was looming large up ahead, but had no room to go past him, as coming up fast the otherway was a car.
So i decided to slip in behind the civic.
OOps, closing speed was about 80mph....not good...even worse...brakes decided to fade on me, gulp!
Did the only thing i could, modulate the pedal and down the gears.....at one point i truly believed he was about to disappear up the intake...luckily i got it slowed down enough to scare myself and him before overtaking and going on my way.
Needless to say ive been ever such a good boy since...well sort of.
I was on a day trip out and as i got just outside of newport, there was a mondeo in front and a honda civic in front of him.
Road was clear so i gave it a very large bootful, turbos kicked in and i went past him like he was walking.
For reasons known only to himself, he decided to try and hold me off...as if!
Anyway civic was looming large up ahead, but had no room to go past him, as coming up fast the otherway was a car.
So i decided to slip in behind the civic.
OOps, closing speed was about 80mph....not good...even worse...brakes decided to fade on me, gulp!
Did the only thing i could, modulate the pedal and down the gears.....at one point i truly believed he was about to disappear up the intake...luckily i got it slowed down enough to scare myself and him before overtaking and going on my way.
Needless to say ive been ever such a good boy since...well sort of.
When I first passed my test, 1982 to be exact, I had a MK2 Escort estate with terrible brakes. Blasting along an open rural road I come up behind a Rover P6 and something else in front of that. The P6's brake lights come on and the car in front begins to indicate left. Standing on the brakes, it becomes clear that the P6 is going to be stationary well before I am, there is on coming traffic so overtaking is out, I figure that the only option is to boot it down the inside and try to beat the car turning left to the junction.On he inside was a green verge bordering a high hedge, anyway decision made I went for it! and as the car ran onto the verge, it gave way and the car spectacularly slid into a ditch, in which grass had overgrown and been flail mown! 
The resulting damage took weeks of hard work to repair, along with most of my wages, a staggering £28.50 per week! I've driven some rubbish since then, but always insisted on good brakes!
The resulting damage took weeks of hard work to repair, along with most of my wages, a staggering £28.50 per week! I've driven some rubbish since then, but always insisted on good brakes!Getting into my mates Mitsubushi L300 van after his girlfreind had just dumped him. Wet country lane wheel spin in 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th gears before we even left the junction followed by a 70mph dash down a pitch black lane
. When those things have nothing in the back they really haul.
I have been pretty calm for the last few year so nothing springs readily to mind but there have been a couple of occations in my youth where I have been locked up aproaching stationary objects and thought
followed by a 70mph dash down a pitch black lane. When those things have nothing in the back they really haul. I have been pretty calm for the last few year so nothing springs readily to mind but there have been a couple of occations in my youth where I have been locked up aproaching stationary objects and thought
Just after passing my test in '98 I was coming back from the cinema (having just watched Ronin - the worst thing a kid can see before driving home in a new car!) along a dual carriageway. At the end of the carriageway is a set of lights, which although were just turning from green to amber and I was still about 100 foot from, I thought I could make...so stupidly I put my foot down. Once I was about 5 feet from the lights and they had well and truly turned red, I floored the brake, only to skid across the whole junction, straight into the wall of the adjacent...wait for it...JAIL!
No shit, £2000 damage to my brand new Puma, my parents were on holiday at the time so I had to get taxi's everywhere, and a friend who wouldn't get back in the car with me for weeks.
Where's the smiley for :extremelyembarassed:
No shit, £2000 damage to my brand new Puma, my parents were on holiday at the time so I had to get taxi's everywhere, and a friend who wouldn't get back in the car with me for weeks.
Where's the smiley for :extremelyembarassed:
Stupid moment, well one not yet posted on here.
Coming back from Basingstoke to Thatcham down the Newbury road, decide to detour through the Headly ford, since it was a beautiful summer day, and I had the roof off my X1/9. As I reached the ford, a 4x4 coming the other way showed me the depth, but I though, WTF, I would keep going.
Engaged first, reved the engine, and went for it. The wave started to flow up the bonnet, then nearer the top, then reach the screen, then over the top. I stopped the car on the other side of the ford, the car was 3 inch deep in water.
Drove home laughing my bits off, proceeded to try the car out, sponge the foot wells, that sort of thing. Discovered next day I had blown the rad, cost me £118 to replace.
Coming back from Basingstoke to Thatcham down the Newbury road, decide to detour through the Headly ford, since it was a beautiful summer day, and I had the roof off my X1/9. As I reached the ford, a 4x4 coming the other way showed me the depth, but I though, WTF, I would keep going.
Engaged first, reved the engine, and went for it. The wave started to flow up the bonnet, then nearer the top, then reach the screen, then over the top. I stopped the car on the other side of the ford, the car was 3 inch deep in water.
Drove home laughing my bits off, proceeded to try the car out, sponge the foot wells, that sort of thing. Discovered next day I had blown the rad, cost me £118 to replace.
Not me, but... Anyone here know the American Bridge in Newbury? One night, a group of us were moving from the White House to the Hatchet, and one guy decided to take a nice young lady in his car (a horizon, as I recall). They got to the pub several minutes after us, her white as a sheet, and him moaning about his car. Turned out he was showing off, accelerated along the approach to a canal bridge, which had a right hand bend just before it. He clipped the curb, jumped up and ran the side of his car along the railings. He had ripped his spare wheel off the back, trashed the near side wing/door, and made sure Sarah wound NEVER get in his car again.
Yes I know that bridge! I nearly lost my head, quite literally under that bridge! More than a few years ago, my wife and I used to live on an old working narrow boat, and we had just left our moorings for the previous evening, next to the park by that bridge, when suddenly I realised that I'd left some vital peice of equiptment on the roof, which was just about to get swept into the river by the underside of the bridge. I reached for it and grabbed hold as the bridge smacked me on the back of the head and my ears were nearly pulled off as the boat went under with my head wedged. Had the rive rbeing running an inch higher it would have killed me.
Where to start...
A few years ago I had a 1969 MG Midget. When I drove in the wet I found that driving above 40 mph I didnt get wet.
So I ytired it...on a roundabout. The back swung out, and I just managed to catch it. When the back whels finally found grip, I was facing exactly the same way and was able to floor it away from the roundabout.
Must have looked very impressive, but was a pure fluke!
Then a BMW. Another roundabout. It had been raining the night before, and I applied a little too much power to early. And lost it. The strange thing was, it was only about 30 mph.
I ended up, perpendicular to the direction of travel on the central reservation. White knuckles on the steering wheel, swearing profusely.
Then there was the incident with my porsche, resulting on me going to le Mans with a blue car. And a white front bumper. And a Grey nose panel. But that's a different story...
Oh, to remain ananymous I'll post under "Dave" please.
Oh hang on...er....
A few years ago I had a 1969 MG Midget. When I drove in the wet I found that driving above 40 mph I didnt get wet.
So I ytired it...on a roundabout. The back swung out, and I just managed to catch it. When the back whels finally found grip, I was facing exactly the same way and was able to floor it away from the roundabout.
Must have looked very impressive, but was a pure fluke!
Then a BMW. Another roundabout. It had been raining the night before, and I applied a little too much power to early. And lost it. The strange thing was, it was only about 30 mph.
I ended up, perpendicular to the direction of travel on the central reservation. White knuckles on the steering wheel, swearing profusely.
Then there was the incident with my porsche, resulting on me going to le Mans with a blue car. And a white front bumper. And a Grey nose panel. But that's a different story...
Oh, to remain ananymous I'll post under "Dave" please.
Oh hang on...er....
Reurning home from a Kayaking trip up north, It's dark and raining and I'm shattered. 1.1 Fiesta, 5 Kayaks on the roof so somewhat limited performance, me driving and a pax. Take an unplanned route segment and get stuck behind some muppet doing about 30mph in the twisties, 40 on the straights, pax mentions that it's bad to be stuck behind this guy as it's a long narrow segment. Narrow roads and no central markings.
I got p!ssed off with the guy and decided to overtake on what I thought was a straight, thought, I guess I couldn't really see.
I got about 1/2 way past him and suddenly he started braking dramatically and flashing his lights . . . WTF ?
What I hadn't seen was the 90 degree bend in the road, which turned left, and the rough farm track that went straight ahead . . .
Needless to say I continued up the farm track, at about 60, over the other side of the road, and only just managed to stop before running into a barn.
No vehicle damage, pax was somewhat stressed, as was I, luckily nobody coming the other way . . .
Hmmmm
Fd
I got p!ssed off with the guy and decided to overtake on what I thought was a straight, thought, I guess I couldn't really see.
I got about 1/2 way past him and suddenly he started braking dramatically and flashing his lights . . . WTF ?
What I hadn't seen was the 90 degree bend in the road, which turned left, and the rough farm track that went straight ahead . . .
Needless to say I continued up the farm track, at about 60, over the other side of the road, and only just managed to stop before running into a barn.
No vehicle damage, pax was somewhat stressed, as was I, luckily nobody coming the other way . . .
Hmmmm
Fd
In my mothers astra 1.6 trying to keep up with a saxo vts over some twisty stuff. Basically it started out friendly and ended up bloody dangerous!
I could keep up on the straight but had no chance on the bends due to chronic understeer built into astras's chasis.
Anyway, approaching a blind corner (i knew the road very very well) at approx 110 and braked hard. Saxo went round tight bend at about 70 ish, all OK.
I however went round at about 70 but understeered across the road onto the other side, on a blind bend.
Shat myself and learnt from the potentially terrible incident.
1. Dont push the car too far behond its limits
2. Dont buy a Vauxhall
Never the less, I am older and mature now. It does take something like this to make you realise tho!
I could keep up on the straight but had no chance on the bends due to chronic understeer built into astras's chasis.
Anyway, approaching a blind corner (i knew the road very very well) at approx 110 and braked hard. Saxo went round tight bend at about 70 ish, all OK.
I however went round at about 70 but understeered across the road onto the other side, on a blind bend.
Shat myself and learnt from the potentially terrible incident.
1. Dont push the car too far behond its limits
2. Dont buy a Vauxhall
Never the less, I am older and mature now. It does take something like this to make you realise tho!
Hmmmmmm, eeny meeny miny mo.
Has to be traveling to a freinds 18th some years ago. The party was being held way out in the wilds of North Yorkshire just off a road I knew very well. Best freind shotgun, two lucky (?) young ladies in the back. As we turn off the main road I am still feeling rather chipper after as good a blast as you can have in a 1L Fiat Uno and keep the pace up on this rather twisty B road. Then a stroke of good luck, we pass a hump back bridge sign. Obviously, being 17 at the time I could have done Burns round Kielder, so accelerate. Just as we are reaching lift off I notice the sharp left 100yds past the bridge so twitch the steering wheel. Uno pirouettes mid air before landing on the left hand verge. By some stroke miracle I (the car) manages to go through 180 and back onto the tarmac, only to be faced with the same problem on the right hand side. Again, the car looks after us and puts me back on the road. Silence, apart from the occasional whimper from the back seat.
Now just to make sure I post this anonymously to protect the innocent. Oh
Has to be traveling to a freinds 18th some years ago. The party was being held way out in the wilds of North Yorkshire just off a road I knew very well. Best freind shotgun, two lucky (?) young ladies in the back. As we turn off the main road I am still feeling rather chipper after as good a blast as you can have in a 1L Fiat Uno and keep the pace up on this rather twisty B road. Then a stroke of good luck, we pass a hump back bridge sign. Obviously, being 17 at the time I could have done Burns round Kielder, so accelerate. Just as we are reaching lift off I notice the sharp left 100yds past the bridge so twitch the steering wheel. Uno pirouettes mid air before landing on the left hand verge. By some stroke miracle I (the car) manages to go through 180 and back onto the tarmac, only to be faced with the same problem on the right hand side. Again, the car looks after us and puts me back on the road. Silence, apart from the occasional whimper from the back seat.
Now just to make sure I post this anonymously to protect the innocent. Oh
Ingredients: A dark night, Triumph Stag with 'slightly bald' tyres, a moped travelling at 15mph, a wet road, a radio, and a young 23 yo twat driver (me)
Coming down slip road onto a dual carriageway, trying to tune the radio and light a fag at the same time, suddenly noticed a moped going megaslow across the dotted whites where the slip road meets the carriageway - panicked, braked, locked 'em all up, 1 big 180 or more through a gap in the armco of about three cars length, across the other two lanes going t'other way, up the grass bank (45 degree angle), ended up at the top of this, down to the axles in mud front and back on the one side.
Near silence. Engine stalled, wipers going, radio still going, fag crushed and hanging out one side of mouth.
All happened so quick - would have been dead if anything else was coming the other way - cop car stopped, asked if I'd been drinking - said no, so they drove off after promising to call a breakdown truck for me which they did. Towing to local garage cost £50 (a fortune in 1986).
Learnt my lesson though. Concentrate whilst driving!
Coming down slip road onto a dual carriageway, trying to tune the radio and light a fag at the same time, suddenly noticed a moped going megaslow across the dotted whites where the slip road meets the carriageway - panicked, braked, locked 'em all up, 1 big 180 or more through a gap in the armco of about three cars length, across the other two lanes going t'other way, up the grass bank (45 degree angle), ended up at the top of this, down to the axles in mud front and back on the one side.
Near silence. Engine stalled, wipers going, radio still going, fag crushed and hanging out one side of mouth.
All happened so quick - would have been dead if anything else was coming the other way - cop car stopped, asked if I'd been drinking - said no, so they drove off after promising to call a breakdown truck for me which they did. Towing to local garage cost £50 (a fortune in 1986).
Learnt my lesson though. Concentrate whilst driving!
To followthe rest of this thread my moment happened in my distant youth.
Whilst heading back from a night out we were following a group of girls in an Astra me and my mates in my old trusty (not) 1.3 escort. I managed to pass the girls on a long straight which approached a hump in the road. Decided to keep my foot down to the hump for a bit of air born(sp) action. Now doing 95mph and on reaching the sumit of said hump realised a golf was exiting a side road and was now blocking my side of the road FCUK! No time to brake just steered as near to the side of the road as I dared and missed him by inches.
We don't speak about this incident now
Whilst heading back from a night out we were following a group of girls in an Astra me and my mates in my old trusty (not) 1.3 escort. I managed to pass the girls on a long straight which approached a hump in the road. Decided to keep my foot down to the hump for a bit of air born(sp) action. Now doing 95mph and on reaching the sumit of said hump realised a golf was exiting a side road and was now blocking my side of the road FCUK! No time to brake just steered as near to the side of the road as I dared and missed him by inches.
We don't speak about this incident now
I've poste probably the most dangerous - now time for the most stupid - which again took place when young - don't they always? 
Me and a mate used to play snooker in the 80s some Sat night s til about 3/4 in the morning. This particular Sat I'd given up fags that day, then proceeded to have a few beers in the evening and play snooker - lost about 14-3 or something - we used to play for hours ...
Threw my cue down the stairs at the club - it rattled down about three flight ... got in his car ... I was 
Anyway, driving home, I proceeded to open the car window and utter a few loud expletives - just as we passed a cop car.
We were then pulled up within about another 50 yards or so it seemed.
Me and a mate used to play snooker in the 80s some Sat night s til about 3/4 in the morning. This particular Sat I'd given up fags that day, then proceeded to have a few beers in the evening and play snooker - lost about 14-3 or something - we used to play for hours ...
Threw my cue down the stairs at the club - it rattled down about three flight ... got in his car ... I was
Anyway, driving home, I proceeded to open the car window and utter a few loud expletives - just as we passed a cop car. We were then pulled up within about another 50 yards or so it seemed.
deltaf is that as in Newport Shropshire?
Anyway, after much thought I realised that it was this:
I was at the front of a queue of traffic at a set of lights at a T, turning right onto a main road. On green I managed to stall, thus embarassed I rushed starting and pulling off, giving it large out of the road.
Silly me, I had not accounted for the effects of RWD and started too slide. Dumped the power and of course fishtailed the other way, mounting the pavement before I eventually regained control. I'm glad no pedastrians were about!
Steve.
Anyway, after much thought I realised that it was this:
I was at the front of a queue of traffic at a set of lights at a T, turning right onto a main road. On green I managed to stall, thus embarassed I rushed starting and pulling off, giving it large out of the road.
Silly me, I had not accounted for the effects of RWD and started too slide. Dumped the power and of course fishtailed the other way, mounting the pavement
before I eventually regained control. I'm glad no pedastrians were about! Steve.
13 years old, mum out with me dad, me sat in her 1litre Fiesta messing around pretending to drive.
Decided it would be cool to reverse up and down drive, select first instead of reverse by mistake, rev nuts off engine, dump clutch and fly straight through the CLOSED up and over garage door.....BANG.
Needless to say I was was in the deepest kind of shit imaginable, only remedied by donating all my paperound money for the following 12 months.
Decided it would be cool to reverse up and down drive, select first instead of reverse by mistake, rev nuts off engine, dump clutch and fly straight through the CLOSED up and over garage door.....BANG.
Needless to say I was was in the deepest kind of shit imaginable, only remedied by donating all my paperound money for the following 12 months.
dave_s13 said: 13 years old, mum out with me dad, me sat in her 1litre Fiesta messing around pretending to drive.
Decided it would be cool to reverse up and down drive, select first instead of reverse by mistake, rev nuts off engine, dump clutch and fly straight through the CLOSED up and over garage door.....BANG.
Needless to say I was was in the deepest kind of shit imaginable, only remedied by donating all my paperound money for the following 12 months.
On a similar track a friend from school (who I have lost contact with) managed to put his fathers Jag XJ6 THROUGH the garage into the kitchen...!!! In the garage and had a few drinks, sat in the car admiring the straight six motor (it was the 4.2). Anyway, someone (never did find out who) leans on the auto gear selector and launched it through the end of the garage into the kitchen.....
Knocked down one wall and the Jag was a write-off. Poor kid was grounded for months. Actually, if my memory serves me right I think it was a year.... harsh but fair....
Cheers,
Paul
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