Possibly the closest shave I've ever had without the crunch
Discussion
Driving back from Newark to Sheffield across the A57, empty road, snowing lightly, me doing just under the speed limit. As I came up towards a parking area on the left a dark new shape Focus started a U turn - I'm guessing he/she/they just plain hadnt seen me coming. I remember thinking I should aim for them, they'd be gone by the time I got there, then thought ThisIsntDaysOfThunderYout
t, and then I think instinct took over.
I dont really know how what happened next happened, it wasnt a conscious thing I did, but I managed to put my car on the grass on the right hand side of the road, trying to steer round them, while they were pretty much stopped in the middle of the road. I think I shaved their front bumper across my rear wheelarch, or the sound might have been my right wheels hitting the gravel on the right hand side of the road - whichever it was the car started sliding, gripped and I came back onto the left hand side of the road again, still in emergency stop mode.
It felt like a potential biggie, something that had I been in the Focus I'd probably have stopped for, but they just disappeared in my mirror while I was stationary. I've only had a quick look at the car, nothing's hanging off, so if there's scratches then that's not so bad.
I dont know if someone's looking out over me, or if I dodged something that someone's setting me up for (that's a bit Final Destination), but I've never ever had such a close call and come out of it without a bang, scrape or something bigger.
I dont blame the other guy, I dont think that's something you'd do consciously, but if I met him/her in the future I'd just like to thank them for not moving forward and having a head on with me while I was trying to get around them
I'm WhatIf'ing had I been in the Rover rather than the AWD Jag, I'm not sure whether tyre choice had anything to do with being able to get around an obstruction, but I know deep down had I been in the Rover I'd have slid into them and had a very big bump
Now I'm going to drink whisky and see if I can stop shaking.
t, and then I think instinct took over. I dont really know how what happened next happened, it wasnt a conscious thing I did, but I managed to put my car on the grass on the right hand side of the road, trying to steer round them, while they were pretty much stopped in the middle of the road. I think I shaved their front bumper across my rear wheelarch, or the sound might have been my right wheels hitting the gravel on the right hand side of the road - whichever it was the car started sliding, gripped and I came back onto the left hand side of the road again, still in emergency stop mode.
It felt like a potential biggie, something that had I been in the Focus I'd probably have stopped for, but they just disappeared in my mirror while I was stationary. I've only had a quick look at the car, nothing's hanging off, so if there's scratches then that's not so bad.
I dont know if someone's looking out over me, or if I dodged something that someone's setting me up for (that's a bit Final Destination), but I've never ever had such a close call and come out of it without a bang, scrape or something bigger.
I dont blame the other guy, I dont think that's something you'd do consciously, but if I met him/her in the future I'd just like to thank them for not moving forward and having a head on with me while I was trying to get around them
I'm WhatIf'ing had I been in the Rover rather than the AWD Jag, I'm not sure whether tyre choice had anything to do with being able to get around an obstruction, but I know deep down had I been in the Rover I'd have slid into them and had a very big bump
Now I'm going to drink whisky and see if I can stop shaking.
I had a similar incident on the A59 Skipton/Harrogate road a few years ago, a guy pulled across in front of me to turn right as I was roughly 75ft from him doing 50mph the lord only knows how I didn't hit him, huge amounts of braking, steering wheel twirling and masses of luck.
Enjoy that drink.
Enjoy that drink.
I had some chump in a Seat Leon do a similar move on me a while ago, he came blasting past me down a slip road if just come off, went round me then turned left off the roundabout at the end of the slip road, as I went the same way he then decided to pull a u-turn in the middle of the road with no warning whatsoever!!!
I'd like to thank Honda's suspension technicians for making such a good handling car, and Brembo for their top notch braking system.
I'd like to thank Honda's suspension technicians for making such a good handling car, and Brembo for their top notch braking system.
Reminds me of an incident a few years ago, on a dark A road one evening, in my Volvo S40 T4...
It was an A road I'd never been down before, so I was already driving carefully.
I came to a 90 degree right-hander, which under normal conditions, I would suggest could be easily negotiated at 60-70 mph.
I was doing around 50. As I got halfway round, I smelt the problem before I experienced it - the strong, unmistakeable aroma of spilt Diesel.
So, I'm now emerging from the bend, and I see an oncoming pair of headlights and feel the back of the car slide out towards the verge and trees at the same time
In a split second, my brain says 'if you over-compensate this slide, it will make the car fish-tail back out enough so that the rear will encroach onto the opposite carriageway, and that oncoming car WILL smash heinously into it!!!'
Somehow, my reflexes calmly corrected the skid, but gently, and it happened without me really thinking! It was wierd, but as my conscious mind watched my steering input, I remember thinking 'that's not enough of a reaction, you're gonna crash!'
But, it turned out it was 'just enough' of a reaction - the car slid, started to grip at the rear again, became straight, gave a small shudder, and then ended up facing arrow-true up the road at the exit of the turn, just as the oncoming car went flying past me...
A case of my subconscious driving mind taking over, and winning the battle with my panic-stricken conscious mind!
It was all a bit surreal, and over in an instant...
It was an A road I'd never been down before, so I was already driving carefully.
I came to a 90 degree right-hander, which under normal conditions, I would suggest could be easily negotiated at 60-70 mph.
I was doing around 50. As I got halfway round, I smelt the problem before I experienced it - the strong, unmistakeable aroma of spilt Diesel.
So, I'm now emerging from the bend, and I see an oncoming pair of headlights and feel the back of the car slide out towards the verge and trees at the same time
In a split second, my brain says 'if you over-compensate this slide, it will make the car fish-tail back out enough so that the rear will encroach onto the opposite carriageway, and that oncoming car WILL smash heinously into it!!!'
Somehow, my reflexes calmly corrected the skid, but gently, and it happened without me really thinking! It was wierd, but as my conscious mind watched my steering input, I remember thinking 'that's not enough of a reaction, you're gonna crash!'
But, it turned out it was 'just enough' of a reaction - the car slid, started to grip at the rear again, became straight, gave a small shudder, and then ended up facing arrow-true up the road at the exit of the turn, just as the oncoming car went flying past me...
A case of my subconscious driving mind taking over, and winning the battle with my panic-stricken conscious mind!
It was all a bit surreal, and over in an instant...
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