Post about a crash you've been involved in
Discussion
Sorry if this topic has been covered before - I had a quick browse and couldn't see a similar one.
So - post about a crash, incident, near-miss or just unexpected happening on the road. It happens to us all, and we can all learn from each others mistakes (if there were any).
I'll start, although it's nothing too exciting. I'd only had my Z4 for a few weeks, and managed to spin it whilst going through a roundabout in the wet. I wasn't travelling too fast, and by some combination of traction control and luck, just ended up facing the wrong way in the road. Fortunately there were no other vehicles on or near the roundabout, and just had to turn the car round and carry on my journey. Not easy when your whole body is shaking
It sounds like a cop-out, but I'm maintaining there must have been diesel on the road there... lol. I was ultra cautious when I first got the car, and having had it for the last 18 months, realise that I was nowhere near the speed or loss of grip for that to happen - even in the wet. This was at 20mph or so, on a 2 lane roundabout in a 50 (or maybe NSL) zone. Perhaps I was just inexperienced with the car, but the incident really frightened the sh*t out of me. Any other cars on the roundabout and I'd have hit them, been to blame, etc. Made me decide to do my IAM, but I still don't know what I'd do if it happened again being honest. Last I heard was to just keep steering the same way, lift slightly off the accelerator and let the DSC do its stuff. That's one of the reasons I want a shot on a skidpan. It'd be great to be able to take your own car on there and just chuck it about and get a feel for it.
Erd
some while ago...
1 found my citroen BX (16v - great car) to be undriveable (ie un-stoppable) in the snow (first time). Went straight on at a 15mph off the road and into a fence on the estate where I lived. A rolling brake-check would have prevented that!
2 got into a tank slapper and hit a rock on the side of a road I had previously driven in the peak district. I had prev done it in the BX, then in a sierra estate. Doh. Didn't take account of a rwd car I wasn't used to on an early morning damp road.
Bert
1 found my citroen BX (16v - great car) to be undriveable (ie un-stoppable) in the snow (first time). Went straight on at a 15mph off the road and into a fence on the estate where I lived. A rolling brake-check would have prevented that!
2 got into a tank slapper and hit a rock on the side of a road I had previously driven in the peak district. I had prev done it in the BX, then in a sierra estate. Doh. Didn't take account of a rwd car I wasn't used to on an early morning damp road.
Bert
erdnase said:
I'll start, although it's nothing too exciting. I'd only had my Z4 for a few weeks, and managed to spin it whilst going through a roundabout in the wet. I wasn't travelling too fast, and by some combination of traction control and luck, just ended up facing the wrong way in the road. Fortunately there were no other vehicles on or near the roundabout, and just had to turn the car round and carry on my journey. Not easy when your whole body is shaking
.... Any other cars on the roundabout and I'd have hit them, been to blame, etc. Made me decide to do my IAM, but I still don't know what I'd do if it happened again being honest. Last I heard was to just keep steering the same way, lift slightly off the accelerator and let the DSC do its stuff. That's one of the reasons I want a shot on a skidpan. It'd be great to be able to take your own car on there and just chuck it about and get a feel for it.
Was DSC on or off? If it was on and you still spun then I'd say nothing you could have done could have stopped you with the exception of being vastly slower or taking another route..... Any other cars on the roundabout and I'd have hit them, been to blame, etc. Made me decide to do my IAM, but I still don't know what I'd do if it happened again being honest. Last I heard was to just keep steering the same way, lift slightly off the accelerator and let the DSC do its stuff. That's one of the reasons I want a shot on a skidpan. It'd be great to be able to take your own car on there and just chuck it about and get a feel for it.
I'd love to hear people's opinions on this one:
November 2001. A friday evening at about 6pm: I'm driving home from work in the dark in my MR2 Mk1 on dry roads with my girlfriend of the time in the passenger seat. We're doing about 35mph in a 40 limit with cars in front and cars behind. It's a roman road so no bends in sight. There is a similar (although slightly lighter) volume of traffic coming towards us. To my left is a deep ditch with trees every 50 yards, and the other side of the road has a woodland. Suddenly, I see a car coming towards me - I instinctively twitch the steering to the left to avoid the car but bang she takes my wing mirror off and strikes my driver's door. This pushes me onto the grass verge and down into the ditch. We stopped inches before a tree and were absolutely fine.
Any thoughts?
Epilogue if anyone wants to learn something from my experience: She claimed on her insurance form that I lost control on a bend and slid sideways into her car. That fact that it was a Roman Road meant nothing as it was my word against hers for everything down to the location of the accident. That is so important I can't stress it enough - the police weren't called so it was just my word against hers - me a 25 year old scientist in a sports car and her a 50 something housewife in a sensible car - I didn't have a leg to stand on. As it happened, a solicitor was following me at the time and saw everything... The insurance company didn't ask for his statement till I asked them to though!! It was indeed all sorted to my benefit. The day after the incident I was posted 70 miles away and had to commute daily, which I did in an insurance paid for hire car Clio that did 50mpg, whilst my nice low mileage car sat in a garage waiting for a new door to come from Japan. The 40p a mile from work paid for a new telescope
November 2001. A friday evening at about 6pm: I'm driving home from work in the dark in my MR2 Mk1 on dry roads with my girlfriend of the time in the passenger seat. We're doing about 35mph in a 40 limit with cars in front and cars behind. It's a roman road so no bends in sight. There is a similar (although slightly lighter) volume of traffic coming towards us. To my left is a deep ditch with trees every 50 yards, and the other side of the road has a woodland. Suddenly, I see a car coming towards me - I instinctively twitch the steering to the left to avoid the car but bang she takes my wing mirror off and strikes my driver's door. This pushes me onto the grass verge and down into the ditch. We stopped inches before a tree and were absolutely fine.
Any thoughts?
Epilogue if anyone wants to learn something from my experience: She claimed on her insurance form that I lost control on a bend and slid sideways into her car. That fact that it was a Roman Road meant nothing as it was my word against hers for everything down to the location of the accident. That is so important I can't stress it enough - the police weren't called so it was just my word against hers - me a 25 year old scientist in a sports car and her a 50 something housewife in a sensible car - I didn't have a leg to stand on. As it happened, a solicitor was following me at the time and saw everything... The insurance company didn't ask for his statement till I asked them to though!! It was indeed all sorted to my benefit. The day after the incident I was posted 70 miles away and had to commute daily, which I did in an insurance paid for hire car Clio that did 50mpg, whilst my nice low mileage car sat in a garage waiting for a new door to come from Japan. The 40p a mile from work paid for a new telescope
I've had some very close calls which have so far all been caused by other drivers (and no that doesn’t make me the best driver in the world).
I was sat at a T junction in Kingston waiting to turn right when I saw someone hurtling down the road I was about to join from my left. Consequently I waited as I knew he has no intention of slowing down, but as he closed in I noticed that he was hugging the kerb and I anticipated he was about to do something very stupid so I checked behind my car and reversed back about 6 feet (I was well behind the line to start with!).
Just as I had reversed back the idiot decided he was going to turn right so he flicked the wheel around and lost control and span out. He ended with his tail end exactly where my car would have been.
I have had an odd experience in my old mini when approaching a bridge. I always go over bridges slowly as you never know what is on the other side. As I approached I was going fairly slow with my windows down then I heard an engine being absolutely thrashed, so I hugged the left kerb and slowed right back only to see some form of mercedes C class appear over the bridge and fly dukes of hazard stylee which landed bang in the middle of the road. My brother and I still maintain that if I did not hear him he would have landed on my side of the car.
I have had various indidents where people have aqua planned and spun out on the motorway as they have passed me, ladders falling off cars, bricks falling from lorries, etc...
I was sat at a T junction in Kingston waiting to turn right when I saw someone hurtling down the road I was about to join from my left. Consequently I waited as I knew he has no intention of slowing down, but as he closed in I noticed that he was hugging the kerb and I anticipated he was about to do something very stupid so I checked behind my car and reversed back about 6 feet (I was well behind the line to start with!).
Just as I had reversed back the idiot decided he was going to turn right so he flicked the wheel around and lost control and span out. He ended with his tail end exactly where my car would have been.
I have had an odd experience in my old mini when approaching a bridge. I always go over bridges slowly as you never know what is on the other side. As I approached I was going fairly slow with my windows down then I heard an engine being absolutely thrashed, so I hugged the left kerb and slowed right back only to see some form of mercedes C class appear over the bridge and fly dukes of hazard stylee which landed bang in the middle of the road. My brother and I still maintain that if I did not hear him he would have landed on my side of the car.
I have had various indidents where people have aqua planned and spun out on the motorway as they have passed me, ladders falling off cars, bricks falling from lorries, etc...
The only time I've ever "lost it" and come close to crashing:
December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
Towards trees.
Kept it going in a straight line backwards, on the black stuff, until I stopped.
It was only luck, and perhaps a tiny bit due to some skid pan training, that I didn't write the car off and come to serious harm.
Lessons learnt:
1) Respect the 200SX
2) I am not a hero
3) My perceived ability and my actual ability are two very different things.
December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
Towards trees.
Kept it going in a straight line backwards, on the black stuff, until I stopped.
It was only luck, and perhaps a tiny bit due to some skid pan training, that I didn't write the car off and come to serious harm.
Lessons learnt:
1) Respect the 200SX
2) I am not a hero
3) My perceived ability and my actual ability are two very different things.
WeirdNeville said:
The only time I've ever "lost it" and come close to crashing:
December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
Towards trees.
Kept it going in a straight line backwards, on the black stuff, until I stopped.
It was only luck, and perhaps a tiny bit due to some skid pan training, that I didn't write the car off and come to serious harm.
Lessons learnt:
1) Respect the 200SX
2) I am not a hero
3) My perceived ability and my actual ability are two very different things.
It may interest you to know that 5 degrees slip angle is about where the optimum grip of a car's tyres is December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
Towards trees.
Kept it going in a straight line backwards, on the black stuff, until I stopped.
It was only luck, and perhaps a tiny bit due to some skid pan training, that I didn't write the car off and come to serious harm.
Lessons learnt:
1) Respect the 200SX
2) I am not a hero
3) My perceived ability and my actual ability are two very different things.
That's where you need to hold it for the duration of a corner to get a good lap time Never had anything but the odd altercation with scraping walls at low speed (oh, and driving my old Micra into my workbench at an estimated 0.5mph, in order to see just how big the car was)... as a passenger, once got shunted from behind while sitting at a roundabout in Tamworth. Load of squaddies in a car, came flying round and found, by the medium of touch and noise. their desired space occupied by our old Escort.
WeirdNeville said:
The only time I've ever "lost it" and come close to crashing:
December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
Towards trees.
Kept it going in a straight line backwards, on the black stuff, until I stopped.
It was only luck, and perhaps a tiny bit due to some skid pan training, that I didn't write the car off and come to serious harm.
Lessons learnt:
1) Respect the 200SX
2) I am not a hero
3) My perceived ability and my actual ability are two very different things.
Hmm I think I'm spotting a large clue there December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
Towards trees.
Kept it going in a straight line backwards, on the black stuff, until I stopped.
It was only luck, and perhaps a tiny bit due to some skid pan training, that I didn't write the car off and come to serious harm.
Lessons learnt:
1) Respect the 200SX
2) I am not a hero
3) My perceived ability and my actual ability are two very different things.
RobM77 said:
WeirdNeville said:
The only time I've ever "lost it" and come close to crashing:
December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
It may interest you to know that 5 degrees slip angle is about where the optimum grip of a car's tyres is December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
That's where you need to hold it for the duration of a corner to get a good lap time The 200SX definately has a "hero" zone, with the rear end very mobile under part throttle out of roundabouts and round the twisties. When you're in it you're really having fun, and often at "normal" speeds too.
However, what caught me and I suspect many other less fortunate Ex- 200SX owners out was the snap transition from mild slip angle to total loss of rear traction. It could have been a lift off of the throttle, much more likely it was the combination of grit, damp and the slope of the road. TBH it all happened too fast and unexpectedly for me to give a minute account of what I did and what happened when.
However, it boils down to the fact that my speed and harsh acceleration were inappropriate for the conditions. Lesson learnt. I actually considered it as the car giving me a friendly warning shot to calm me down. I'd had it a year, and was getting cocky.
RobM77 said:
It may interest you to know that 5 degrees slip angle is about where the optimum grip of a car's tyres is That's where you need to hold it for the duration of a corner to get a good lap time
The optimum slip angle for maximum grip depends on the level of grip and also the tyre characteristics. On a slippery road with normal road tyres the optimum slip angle is probably very small indeed. That's where you need to hold it for the duration of a corner to get a good lap time I was driving my old 1.6 Bluebird through a local gyratory system. I was approaching one of the mini roundabouts so slowed down and looked right. I saw headlights in the distance coming towards me. Fine to proceed, I thought, he'll have to slow down and negotiate the next two mini roundabouts in the sequence before he arrives at mine. WRONG! I hadn't reckoned with the awesomely retarded methods of the British minicabber. I pulled out only to see the cab, diesel Vectra natch, approaching my driver's door at a fair lick. He gone straight over the top of the two roundabouts separating him and myself without slowing at all! "Oh christ" thought I "this is it". A more safety concious driver would have dropped the anchors at this point and caused a horrific crash. I jammed the throttle open, luckily being in second, and twitched the wheel left. To this day I have no idea what quite happened, but I managed to steer round the front of the moving taxi and be clear of it in time to prevent a collision. I continued, high on adrenalin, the taxi - much chastised - dropped out of sight in the reariew mirror. H didn't even honk his horn.
Lessons learnt from this incident:
1) Never ever trust a cabbie.
2) Never ever trust a Vauxhall driver.
3) The accelerator gets you out of just as much trouble as the brakes.
4) The gods of driving love the Nissan Bluebird.
Lessons learnt from this incident:
1) Never ever trust a cabbie.
2) Never ever trust a Vauxhall driver.
3) The accelerator gets you out of just as much trouble as the brakes.
4) The gods of driving love the Nissan Bluebird.
GreenV8S said:
RobM77 said:
It may interest you to know that 5 degrees slip angle is about where the optimum grip of a car's tyres is That's where you need to hold it for the duration of a corner to get a good lap time
The optimum slip angle for maximum grip depends on the level of grip and also the tyre characteristics. On a slippery road with normal road tyres the optimum slip angle is probably very small indeed. That's where you need to hold it for the duration of a corner to get a good lap time http://www.racing-car-technology.com.au/Steering%2...
http://www.creativecarcontrol.co.uk/modelgrip.htm
i was once sitting parked up in my works transit opposite a very wide entrance to an industrial estate, i could see an artic trundle up behind me and he looked fairly close as he passed, he then tried to turn around in the entrance causing the rear of his trailer to swing in toward me, and more or less cut the whole drivers disde of my van in half, in slow motion. i jumped over to the passenger side and tried to jump out whilst my van was juddering around, the driver of the wagon was oblivious.... when the insurance claim went through, it transpired that the name he gave me was the name of a driver at his company who had died years before, and his company more or less denied that their wagon was involved in the accident, next time, i will call the police to any rta, it makes the insurance claim a hell of a lot easier.
Me and some mates were 5 up in a pug 106, driving in the cold and wet at about 1 in the morning (i wasnt driving). Anyway, we went round this sweeping right hand bend, past a farm, and must have hit some oil/diesel/farmer in the road. My mate lost the car, we hit the verge on the other side of the road. He countersteered too much, so we hit the verge on our side, which tipped the car and made it land upside down on some grass on our side of the road, but facing the other way. I was drunk at the time, so thought it was a good laugh waiting for BiB (who wouldnt even take us back). After it had worn off, i realized what a twonk i had been. I have to say if i was in my fiesta, i dont know what the outcome would have been
I hit a newly laid country road at 70mph in my new (to me) 911 inducing a very serious pendulum effect...Three 'choices' hit artic coming out of left hand road, hit telegraph pole and into ditch on the right or swing from left to right whilst pissing about with the brakes and continue journey to nearest pub for a sit down and a strong coffee.....I 'chose' three.....
Had a frightening experience in one of these in quite a low speed smash many years ago (1996 I think)
Came round a lefthander at about 20-25mph (in a 30 zone) and there was a transit van going round a badly parked car (closing speed say, 60mph all told). I avoided a head on although I don't know how and instead went down the side of the van tearing most of the corner off my vehicle. I stepped out with a few cuts and bruises. A head on smash would have probably been fatal for me. Crash protection? What crash protection?
Suffice to say that I now assume there's something on my side of the road on every corner. The smash 11 years ago certainly made me a better driver!
Came round a lefthander at about 20-25mph (in a 30 zone) and there was a transit van going round a badly parked car (closing speed say, 60mph all told). I avoided a head on although I don't know how and instead went down the side of the van tearing most of the corner off my vehicle. I stepped out with a few cuts and bruises. A head on smash would have probably been fatal for me. Crash protection? What crash protection?
Suffice to say that I now assume there's something on my side of the road on every corner. The smash 11 years ago certainly made me a better driver!
RobM77 said:
WeirdNeville said:
The only time I've ever "lost it" and come close to crashing:
December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
It may interest you to know that 5 degrees slip angle is about where the optimum grip of a car's tyres is December, on a freshly gritted sliproad onto the M-way.
Too much throttle in 2nd gear, gain about 5 deg slip angle, think I can hold it like a hero.... Oh, no, I'm going backwards.
That's where you need to hold it for the duration of a corner to get a good lap time The slip angle of a tyre as opposed the slip(/drift) angle of a car?
(Just ignore me if I read that the wrong way)
Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff