I’m sure that everyone who’s been driving for a few years will have experienced a frightening experience on the road- usually just pure chance- being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I can recall a few, and will kick off with one.
Some years ago on the M4 heading north, fairly busy road, daytime. Whilst I was overtaking at about 65mph. in the middle lane, the vehicle in front, loaded with aluminium airline catering ‘hot boxes’ started shedding them left, right and centre, when a restraining strap broke.
The boxes, about the size of a 20” TV, scattered all over the three carriageways, and the next few seconds were ‘interesting’..! Cars slaloming to avoid the boxes, but amazingly no car appeared to hit any other. One car that had jammed a box under its front skidded along issuing a fountain of sparks until it stopped.
The traffic slowed to a crawl and made its way through the obstacles, and the occurrence was left behind – nobody seemed to want to stop and clear the road.
Any other scary stories?
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I was stationary in the middle of the road, in a clearly marked box for the purpose, with hatched area for quite some distance on either end, waiting to turn right in to a side road.
A juggernaut was coming in the opposite direction, when, with hardle any distance to go, out popped an XR2i for an overtake. Horror was not the word for it.
Thankfully, the XR2i went past me on one side, as the juggernaut did on the other.
/Steve
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A good few years ago I was heading south on the outside lane of the A1 at about 70 when a large male pheasant walked out of the central reservation about 10 yards in front of me. Fortunately it didn't try to fly up as it would have been at about windscreen height and I had no time at all to react, it just disappeared under the car. Looking in my mirror all I could see was a cloud of feathers.. It was all over in less than a couple of seconds but left a lasting impression (and not just in my shreddies!)
Boff
My wife says I don't listen to her, or something like that.
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I have had two moments on BMW motorbike. Whilst touring, once in Wales and once in Scotland I thought I was going to die. On both occasions I was overtaking on small A roads and for some reason completely failed to see a bus/coach coming in the opposite direction. I was convinved for a few seconds I was going to die but somehow managed to avoid the on-coming bus. In Scotland I had to get off to be sick.
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Biking down the A414 in Essex in the dark at about 50 mph on my way home one winters evening, a deer shot out of a gap in the hedge on the left and across the road in front of me.
I had no time to react and it passed about 4 or 5 feet in front, close enough to hear its hooves scraping on the road over the sound of the wind and engine as it scrambled clear.
Same road on another day, following a builders flat-back when some planks propped up on the back either were not secured or the fastenings gave way and they tumbled off the back.
Fortunately nothing coming the other way at that moment and was able to negotiate round them as they bounced down the road.
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My magic moment was on the M4, morning rush hour.
In lane 3 doing about 50 - 60, overtaking a lorry in lane 2 which was moving back into lane 1.
From around the front of the lorry appeared a car, fairly quickly, pointing at me in my lane.
He had been innocently driving in lane 1, the lorry didn't see him when he moved back into lane 1, and caught the back quarter of the car. This turned the carinto the lorry's path, where he was pushed along sideways for a few yards, but the fact that his gear was still engaged meant that while being pushed sideways, he was also going forwards (across the front of the lorry) and as he emerged from my side of the lorry the lorry again pushed the back (is it called fishtailng when police do it?) so that he was pointing at me.
Luckily I wasn't overdoing the speed and had time to stop, He came to a rest against the Armco. Lorry driver explained the blind spot to us (worrying!), car driver seemed OK, police arrived and didn't want me so I left.
Some months later I received a call from the car drivers solicitors, the lorry driver had changed his story (surprise surprise). However, the little that I could tell them was of no use...
And just yesterday, during that heavy morning rain, a swan sitting in the lane 1 of the (2 lane) A329M. I was OK but the guy behind me nearly lost it
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M4 going North? 3 carriageways??? Now that's scary!
Terry
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M4 going North? Now that's scary!
No, that's impossible. The M4 doesn't go North.
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>> M4 going North? Now that's scary! No, that's impossible. The M4 doesn't go North.
Hmmm ...probably why it's scary!!
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On my way down the M20 one morning, three lanes of solid traffic but moving nicely. Suddenly confronted by the sight of a lorry wheel bouncing dambuster style down the carriage way straight for me.
Nowhere to go either side I had a stroke of luck as it hit my nearside front bumber on the "half volley" and squirted out to the side.
To this day I don't know whether the traffic on the nearside avoided it but a few feet further on and it would have been into my windscreen from a decent height.
Makes me shudder just thinking about it.
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Driving back from Cardiff on the M4 many years ago something hit the windscreen. We think it was an owl.
Fortunately it didn't break the screen and come through.
Frightened the life out of us, though!
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You should have hooted...
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TerryB,
I stand corrected - I was heading west.
P.
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You should have hooted...
Twit
:-)
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Many years ago, and when I had not been driving long I was foolish but was taught a valuable lesson.
In France skiing and came out of a night club at 4am got in the car (which was the 1st supid thing that I did). Police car pulls up behind me as I set off. Because I should not be driving in the first place I get paranoid and think that the copper is following me. As I get around the corner I decide to go a bit faster. Unfortunately I took a corner too fast and remember heading towards a concrete lamp post paralysed with fear. Fortunately for me, my passenger tugged the wheel and we missed the lamp post by inches.
As I said it taught me a lesson I shall never forget and what taxis are for. It is an incidence 100% of my own making and still one which makes me feel ashamed/embarassed and eternally grateful to my passenger.
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Only one moment really sticks in the mind........
Driving on 'A' roads near Mansfield after dark (scary in itself!!), I had to make a right turn, and all I could see were two sets of 'car' headlights coming round a gentle bend from the right. Plenty of time to pull out.
Straightened up just in time to realise that those two sets of lights were, in fact, one artic overtaking another. Arrrrrgh! Just for good measure, the wall of a country estate formed the left-hand kerb!!
All I could do was pull over a couple of feet, wait - and pray. The overtaking artic must have missed me by a coat of paint's thickness, the whole car shaking at 8.5 on the Richter scale.
Reminded of it when I see the current advert showing the Grim Reaper taking time out to down a pint..............
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Co-driver in rally car (local event).
Snow and assorted.
Approaching T-junction at about 80 mph - I call "90 right - at 50"
I then call "90 right - at 50" LOUDER
pilot is playing with feet and hands -
I SHOUT "F . . "90 right - at 50"
NOthing. Black ice.
We hit T-junction - clear hedge because of "ramp effect" of camber and land in frozen ploughed field.
Firmly.
I can talk about 5 minutes later.
Marshals report back and they cancel stage.
(then have trouble getting Escort out - "interesting" suspension
PLUS locked gate out of field).
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Oh, so many of these moments. Which ones to choose? Well, the only time it was of my own making was not long after I passed my test. I was driving on one of the B roads round where I had recently moved - it was getting dark and I changed up into fifth gear after coming onto a straight bit. About a second later, my wife realised I'd missed the sign (cleverly placed in the hedgerow) and said "Give Way, Give Way!!" just as I saw the junction. I hit the brakes with the sole effect of causing the back end to shimmy slightly, but without affecting our speed at all. We just skated on towards the junction, so once we were in it I floored the throttle to get across quickly and not come to a stop half way across. There was nothing in the road, so we were unscathed. Had to stop just after till my hands stopped shaking. Still not sure if I could have done anything different once this started happening, but ever since I have always driven unfamiliar country roads with the attitude that if I can't see it, it's probably there. This has actually saved me on several occasions - brow of hill, hidden junction, dips in the road, etc.
Another time happened in June of this year, and it was a much closer thing. I was slowing down on the approach to a sharp bend ahead when a car came round it way too fast and lost control - I'd guess he was doing well over 70 mph. He rode up the slope of the bank, just missing the telegraph pole, wobbled along on two wheels for a moment, then thumped down upright facing directly towards me, still under a full head of steam. I had stopped when I first saw him go out of control and literally slammed into reverse when he started heading for me. I got back about four yards, he just missed me (I could see his eyes), went through the hedge, sailed through the air and landed upright in the field after an eight foot drop, leaving a twenty yard furrow. All took about ten seconds - he didn't have a scratch on him. If I hadn't reversed, or if I'd stalled, he would have ploughed right through me and I'm certain I wouldn't have survived. I could tell several more like this, but to be honest I don't like remembering how often I've come close to being obliterated.
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i think the tractors pulling onto the A1 on the newcastle to edinburgh run, pitch black, friday night everyone driving home for the weekend, and some d**k head in a tractor pulls out of a side road into traffic doing 70 + in a tractor at 5 mph covering the road in slippy mud at the same time
boy does that road need making into a motorway
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Heading west over "the highest bit" of the A66, my wife and I are doing 90-95 when I spy a car in the central reservation waiting to cross. We are the only two cars visible on the road.
I ease off a bit. He waits until I am right on him before he drives across. I do a quick flick to the right and just miss T-boning him.
He was certainly a thrill-seeker!!!
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I was just on the last stretch of a trip to the parents which involved coming off the M40 at Leamington Spa and a short trip through the town and home. I cruised up a nice national A-road and slowed to the roundabout at the end. A three lane one with the exit I wanted going over a canal bridge. I had to wait for a while as the traffic was almost continuous.
I anticipated a gap that required a quick squirt on the accelerator and off I went. Only as I started the turn, the rear of the car had other ideas. The back-end just wouldn't respond to any attempt to steer into the corner or skid and it fishtailed left and then right with the oscillation get bigger and bigger. I could see the car was getting really close to the edge of the bridge and the impending drop into the canal looked like a real possibility.
So I gave it one last throw of the wheel into the skid and then the back end snapped back in and allowed me to correct. Phew ! Of course, I looked around and there were cars literally everywhere all stopped to admire my skid pan work. How I managed not to hit one I'll never know.
I pulled over to the side to calm down and wound down the window to get some cold air into the car.
I got home and mentioned the brown trousers incident, my dad said the local bus depot was just off the same roundabout and as they go round, the sometimes over full diesel tank of the bus would spill a little diesel onto the roundabout. I must have ran over a patch prompting the skid.
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M1 junction 24 southbound by East Midlands airport. A dumper truck politely crashes through the central reservation going northbound. I swerve, he misses me by what felt like an inch (more like a couple of metres) straight over the southbound carraigeway and ended up on the hard shoulder.
If it was my fault, I would have been able to cope with it a bit more, but as it was out of my control, I was SCARED!!!
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driving into Manchester on the M602, approaching the end and the big roundabout joining it to the A57, I remember seeing a flying Punto do a couple of pyrouettes in the air before sliding to a stop on its roof about 50 yards in front of me. I managed to stop in time and help the young lady out who miraculously only had a graze on her forehead. Reason for the acrobatics? BMW 5 series speeding up the inside of her before pulling out in front, clipping the front bumper and causing her to veer into the central reservation. He, of course denied all involvement. I remember being stood there with the car key in my hand, after switching off the engine trying to give it to a Policemen only to be asked, 'what use is that to anyone?'.
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Worst in UK: fully grown swan at full flight into screen in front of me, hands trapped between smashed screen and wheel. Relieved swan did not enter cabin.
Worst overseas albeit totally funny in hindsight : USA being "chased" down a moderately twisty road by a trucker driving a plain white Mack tanker. Of course all I could think of was the film Duel where Dennis Weaver is chased by a black Mack tanker.
Worst competition moment:
Not sure if competition incidents count as surely it should be one long broon trews moment or else you ain't trying hard enough, but seeing as TrevorP has started I'll add mine.
Stage in the mountains on an international where I had actually spectated a few years before. Oh how the memory plays tricks.
Pace notes not allowed: I'd forgotten the surface change on this particular hairpin bend. DOH!
One spin later and as the car did an excellent impression of the bus at the end of the Italian job memory came back.
Now remembered walking down this stage three years previous, all of us looking over the cliff edge on this very corner and somebody saying "not much to stop you before you hit the lake surface right down there" Gulp!
Lucky some strong spectators came to help.
And no we DID NOT sing Self Preservation Society!
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Quite a few on the A44 from Llangurig to Abersytwyth over the years:
1) There are a couple of 90 degree bends with clear visibility around them to allow for overtaking. AA van in front with trailer, road clear so proceeded to overtake expecting him to slow a little for the bend as most sane people do when towing... he didn't... I ended up heading sideways towards fence on wrong side of road! Fortunately managed to recover
2) Badgers.....grhhhhhhhhhh!
3) Farmers who pull out of their fields without checking both ways.
The Mountain Road from Rhayaedar to Aberystwyth, hump back bridge, forgot it was there and ended up airborne in a Uno. Suspension never quite the same after that.
Getting car stuck on beach with tide coming in!
Dopey British people pulling out in front of you on the Autobahns travelling approximately 90mph slower than you are.
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Pretty minor ones, but worrying nonetheless! Just beyond the end of the M67 heading towards Mottram. Heard the car infront beep their horn. Just had time to think 'eh? Why?' when I saw the metal gate swinging out in to the road nicely at passenger head height. Lucky I've got good reactions!
The earliest one I can remember was on the road between Haswell and Easington Village where I crested a rise to be faced with a van coming the other way overtaking!
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chased by a black Mack tanker.
FIF,
Good tongue twister.
Try saying that after a couple of glasses of falling down water :o)
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One that comes to mind was when I was in Plymouth heading towards the A38 on the Tavistock Road. I was driving my 16v Lada Riva, when I heard a screech of brakes and a horn and glanced in my rear view mirror just in time to see this M reg metro swerve violently all over the road and just clip my offside rear bumper as he tried to use the lane next to me as an escape lane. He didn't seem like stopping so I followed until he had to stop a few yards later on. I don't think he would have intentinally driven off, he was in his 80s and probably a bit confused. He duly apologised and gave his details but...wait for it....no damage whatsoever to the Lada - not even a scratch! But new bumper time for the metro!
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Traveling along a duel carrigeway very late one night i was doing about 50mph all the road lights were out, then into the view of my head lights came this metal bin that someone had delibrately left in the middle of the road, i hit it dead centre with my rangerover it went under the car and lifted both front wheels of the ground,the car started to veer of the road and i was heading for a lamp post, managed to stop with inches to spare, i can still remember the noise as if it was yesterday.
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