3 seconds...am I dead yet?

[Night Train]

I've just done a 453 mile round trip to Norfolk visiting for Christmas. I almost didn't make it there in one piece.

This morning I was driving along a single carriageway, at 60mph in a national speed limit. There are a few cars ahead and a few behind. The car ahead is 3 seconds ahead of me and a blue car behind is about 2 seconds behind me, all well and good. On the other side is a line of nose to tail traffic at about 40mph facing me and slowing for a roundabout.

I see a side road on the left with a pedestrian island in the mouth of the junction and a right turn lane in the hatching in the centre of the main road feeding into it.
Quick scan around, no one coming out of the side road, no one going into it. No pedestrians or other road users about, just us cars.

T-3 sec. The car ahead of me safely passes the side road.

T-2 sec. A black car on the right indicates and pulls into the right turn filter facing me. I cover the brakes, check mirrors and scan around for an escape route just in case.

T-1 sec. The black car doesn't stop and crosses my path slowly to carry out the right turn. I am pressing the horn and hard on the brakes. The ABS is hammering under my right foot. Time slows down. Decision, do I steer to the front or the back of the car or hit it square on killing the passenger? If I go to the rear I will be facing on coming traffic so I go for the front to take my chances with hitting the engine.

T-0.5 sec. I flick my car into the mouth of the junction, miss the kerb but hit the gravel, grit and rubbish, catch the back end fishtailing. Stability control lights flashing on the dashboard, ABS releasing the brakes as there is no grip. I see the island and the black car still closing towards it. Need to get control, start working the steering to counter the fishtailing.

T-0 sec. At 50 mph I aim for the gap between the island and the front bumper of the black car and breathe in. If I hit the island my car will flip over, if I hit the front of the black car I will probably die with its engine in my lap. Grit is scattered all over from the dead spots of the junction and the tyres are fighting for grip. I just make it through the gap. No contact.

T+0.5 sec. Running out of tarmac in the junction, kerb ahead. I make a quick flick back out of the junction onto the carriage way before I hit the kerb and glance in the mirror. Through the dust and grit in the air I see the black car is still driving into the junction. The blue car following me is carrying out the same moves as me but using the right turn filter in the centre of the carriageway to clear the back of the black car. The blue car is now heading straight for me.

T+1 sec. I grab first gear and full throttle my car to get up the road out of the way of the blue car behind me. The black car is in the side road and driving off oblivious. Time catches up again.

I get that sudden thought. Am I really still here driving or am I dead and my body is in a pile of crumpled metal in that junction?
Seems it wasn't my day to die. Two good drivers managed not to kill the idiot in the black car today. Idiot and passenger owe us their lives.

I am exhausted now having done my visits and got home safely. It is only just dawning on me how close it came.

 

[Dave5N]

Grpping writing.

Well done. Just shows how instinctive you can be in a crisis.

I had a near miss on the M40 the Sunday before christmas. Wasn't until after when I replayed it in my head I realised how few options I had had and how fortunate we'd been to survive.

 

[Night Train]

When I used to teach people to drive I did a lot of defensive driving explaining how to avoid situations like this and how to cope if they become unavoidable. Really scary when it happens to yourself though.
Been bottling it all up all day until now.

 

[Mr Pig]

Grpping writing.

Yeah, good story!

I'm reluctant to put too much down to my own skill in these situations. They happen so fast that you don't have time to think, well not think in a planned fashion anyway.

I'm not taking anything away from you though, top job. I'm sure that most people would've piled straight into him. Without the extra training you've had I'm sure you would have too. I wish more people would take the job of driving more seriously.

What's sickening is that he drove off. I would have drove after him! I'm not exaggerating, I know I would because I've done it before. Guy realised I was following him and sped off, I wasn't prepared to chase him at speed so that was that.

 

[Plax]

It's very strange how time just slows down when these things happen. So far I have only been in one accident. I was on the main road travelling approx 40mph (the speed limit). I see a car waiting to come out of a side road to my left (funnily enough a cemetary). There were cars coming on the opposite side of the road she was concentrating on. For some reason I got a horrible feeling when the last of the oncoming cars had passed she was just going to pull out and turn right without looking to see if my side was clear. Sure enough she goes to pull out and sees me at the last second. By this time I'd managed to do something along the lines of brake and swerve, and I believe a collision would have been avoided if she had braked. Did she brake? Well, that was her intention. Instead in her panic she stamped on the accelerator hitting me side on and knocking me quite literally into the other side of the road (which I was surprised at given the relatively low speeds we were doing). Thankfully nothing was coming the other way and we both pulled to the side of the road. Luckily still for me there was a witness and the first thing she said to me was along the lines of "Oh I'm so sorry in my panic I hit the accelerator instead of the brake". So her insurance paid up straight away .

 

[yenrod]

I've just done a 453 mile round trip to Norfolk visiting for Christmas. I almost didn't make it there in one piece.

This morning I was driving along a single carriageway, at 60mph in a national speed limit. There are a few cars ahead and a few behind. The car ahead is 3 seconds ahead of me and a blue car behind is about 2 seconds behind me, all well and good. On the other side is a line of nose to tail traffic at about 40mph facing me and slowing for a roundabout.

I see a side road on the left with a pedestrian island in the mouth of the junction and a right turn lane in the hatching in the centre of the main road feeding into it.
Quick scan around, no one coming out of the side road, no one going into it. No pedestrians or other road users about, just us cars.

T-3 sec. The car ahead of me safely passes the side road.

T-2 sec. A black car on the right indicates and pulls into the right turn filter facing me. I cover the brakes, check mirrors and scan around for an escape route just in case.

T-1 sec. The black car doesn't stop and crosses my path slowly to carry out the right turn. I am pressing the horn and hard on the brakes. The ABS is hammering under my right foot. Time slows down. Decision, do I steer to the front or the back of the car or hit it square on killing the passenger? If I go to the rear I will be facing on coming traffic so I go for the front to take my chances with hitting the engine.

T-0.5 sec. I flick my car into the mouth of the junction, miss the kerb but hit the gravel, grit and rubbish, catch the back end fishtailing. Stability control lights flashing on the dashboard, ABS releasing the brakes as there is no grip. I see the island and the black car still closing towards it. Need to get control, start working the steering to counter the fishtailing.

T-0 sec. At 50 mph I aim for the gap between the island and the front bumper of the black car and breathe in. If I hit the island my car will flip over, if I hit the front of the black car I will probably die with its engine in my lap. Grit is scattered all over from the dead spots of the junction and the tyres are fighting for grip. I just make it through the gap. No contact.

T+0.5 sec. Running out of tarmac in the junction, kerb ahead. I make a quick flick back out of the junction onto the carriage way before I hit the kerb and glance in the mirror. Through the dust and grit in the air I see the black car is still driving into the junction. The blue car following me is carrying out the same moves as me but using the right turn filter in the centre of the carriageway to clear the back of the black car. The blue car is now heading straight for me.

T+1 sec. I grab first gear and full throttle my car to get up the road out of the way of the blue car behind me. The black car is in the side road and driving off oblivious. Time catches up again.

I get that sudden thought. Am I really still here driving or am I dead and my body is in a pile of crumpled metal in that junction?
Seems it wasn't my day to die. Two good drivers managed not to kill the idiot in the black car today. Idiot and passenger owe us their lives.

I am exhausted now having done my visits and got home safely. It is only just dawning on me how close it came.

You sure you are in the correct profession - oh, you where in a car...

 

[cyclenic]

Bugger, Night train, u should write a book, glad your ok

 

[fossyant]

Blimey !

 

[Twenty Inch]

Blimey !

+ 1! Crikey, glad you're ok.

 

[Night Train]

I don't think much was down to my immediate driving skill but long forgotten practice and training just happened.
I was surprised at how much time slows down during something like that. It seems like the greater the risk the more it slows down. Even thinking back to it the memories are all in slow motion. Daren't tell my folks, it would worry them too much.

The dramatic writing shows how scared I was after I got home and had time to think about it. It took ages to get to sleep afterwards so I have only just got up. Going to go for a ride in a bit and then maybe wash the car before going out to see more friends.

 

[sheddy]

Was there a reason why the driver didn't see you ? Low winter sun ? On the phone ? Looking at the Pratnav ?

 

[Over The Hill]

New pants for christmas came in handy I guess!

It is amazing how this sort of thing happens so fast.

I had a low speed version with a Metro full of mum and about five kids but luckily I stopped about an inch from the car. ABS is really a fantastic invention. I would not have a car without it now.

 

[Joe24]

When coming back from my Aunties the other night, we saw car headlights in the ditch. We stopped to see if anyone was in the car and called the police.
No-one in, the person had just been driven down to the local petrol station to stay warm.
Heres a picture of the car, you can sort of see it, its not the best picture because it was on my phone but never mind.

 

[Night Train]

Was there a reason why the driver didn't see you ? Low winter sun ? On the phone ? Looking at the Pratnav ?

Nothing obvious, they weren't even in a rush to get across. They were driving as if there was nothing else on the road and they had all the time in the world. Just as well in some respects really.