A close pass (non cycling)

[Tin Pot]

I had a blow out on the M11 last year, never had one before and wasn't really sure what had happened.

I climbed out the passenger side all right, but I will confess to going for a nosey as I wasn't sure what was going on. Shock of shocks I saw a ruined tyre, so no it wasn't worth looking. But I did have a good view of oncoming traffic to time it safely.

The advice from the insurers to stay in the car just didn't seem right, so I went off into the field and sat on a fence in the rain with no coat for an hour or so while Green Flag mosied their way over to pick me up.

 

[Drago]

The insurers advised you to.stay.in the car on the hard shoulder?!!!

 

[ColinJ]

!!! !!! !!!

Absolutely. The plum should've got out the nearside and up the embankment, not fanny about adjacent to the live lane. I mean, what did he hope to achieve by getting out for a nosey?

I will get out of the none driver's side.
I will go up the embankment.
I will make sure all my passengers are in a safe place.
I will be going home later not being scraped up by the plod.

This should be shown to everyone learning to drive. I might even show it at school.

HA!!! When I was 23 I was a bit skint so I tried hitching from the Midlands to Leeds. A truck driver dropped me off just before junction 21 on the M1. He told me that I should be able to get a lift north from somebody at Leicester Forest East Services about a mile up the motorway, and that I could walk there by the fence at the top of the embankment up from the hard shoulder. I think he probably meant on the other side of the fence but I made the mistake of walking on the motorway side.

I was halfway to the Services when a couple of police officers in a patrol car spotted me. They pulled over on the hard shoulder and shouted at me to come down. They then stood next to their car in a similar position to the truck driver in the video above, WITH THEIR BACKS TO THE TRAFFIC THUNDERING PAST THEM (!!!!!) and lectured me on how dangerous it was to do what I had done. I was horribly aware of how dangerous it was to be standing there like that, but they insisted on giving me a good telling off and taking my details.

Having told me how dangerous it was to walk along the top of the embankment, they then drove off and left me on the hard shoulder so I had to walk back up the embankment and continue doing just that!

(I got fined for being a 'pedestrian on a motorway'. I think the cops should also have been fined for what they did, but I decided that complaining probably wouldn't have got me anywhere!)

 

[Tin Pot]

The insurers advised you to.stay.in the car on the hard shoulder?!!!

Yeah. There wasn't an embankment, just a muddy field. They said, stay in the car then. I thought about it, looked at the car, looked at the HGVs and decided muddy brogues weren't such a bad thing!

 

[Drago]

I guess they're hoping you won't be able to fill out the claim form if you're dead.

 

[NorthernDave]

That driver was very, very lucky and won't ever do that again.

I used to cover breakdown and recovery occasionally many years ago. I didn't do it often, but I did it enough to develop a hatred of any jobs on the motorway.
I'd rock up wearing full hi-viz, in a 7.5 tonne flatbed with reflective tape on pretty much every surface of the truck, lights on, hazard warning lights on and a top of the range light bar with 4 rotating amber beacons and 2 alternating 55w red lights at the rear.
And still muppets wouldn't see you on the hard shoulder until the last second. I was lucky that the worst that ever happened was the offside mirror on the truck got smashed by someone getting too close.

If I'm ever unfortunate enough to get stranded on the motorway in a car, there is no way I'd sit in the car waiting for help to turn up. Over the armco and up the embankment for me.

 

[jayonabike]

'Kin hell

 

[User33236]

When I sat my driving test I had an arguement with the examiner over what to do if you broke down on the motorway.

I answered that I would exit the vehicle via the near side and more over any railings or up the embankment. The examiner told me that I was incorrect but could see where I was coming from to which I answered that he may say it was wrong but there was no way in heck I'd stay in a vehicle on the hard shoulder of the motorway! Anyway I passed my test although the examiner, in discussion with my instructor, did debate my view on MW breakdowns.

A year or so later the highway code got reissued and guidance in the new version was to leave you vehicle via the near side..............

The guy in this video is lucky to still be breathing without meachanical assistance.... or worse!

 

[buggi]

I don't understand - he was wearing Hi Viz, surely that should have saved him?

:|

I am keeping this video for the next time someone tells me we should wear hi viz!

 

[buggi]

That's it. I'm never taking my bike on the hard shoulder of a motorway. Ever.

You'll be OK as long as you don't overtake a HGV parked on the hard shoulder

 

[raleighnut]

 

[Lonestar]

My rule is avoid motorways at all costs...Dislike them immensely and this video shows why.

 

[Tim Hall]

My rule is avoid motorways at all costs...Dislike them immensely and this video shows why.

Although statistically they're the safest type of road in this country. (I've not got any hard stats to hand, but hey, this is the Cafe).

 

[Stephenite]

!!! !!! !!!




HA!!! When I was 23 I was a bit skint so I tried hitching from the Midlands to Leeds. A truck driver dropped me off just before junction 21 on the M1. He told me that I should be able to get a lift north from somebody at Leicester Forest East Services about a mile up the motorway, and that I could walk there by the fence at the top of the embankment up from the hard shoulder. I think he probably meant on the other side of the fence but I made the mistake of walking on the motorway side.

I was halfway to the Services when a couple of police officers in a patrol car spotted me. They pulled over on the hard shoulder and shouted at me to come down. They then stood next to their car in a similar position to the truck driver in the video above, WITH THEIR BACKS TO THE TRAFFIC THUNDERING PAST THEM (!!!!!) and lectured me on how dangerous it was to do what I had done. I was horribly aware of how dangerous it was to be standing there like that, but they insisted on giving me a good telling off and taking my details.

Having told me how dangerous it was to walk along the top of the embankment, they then drove off and left me on the hard shoulder so I had to walk back up the embankment and continue doing just that!

(I got fined for being a 'pedestrian on a motorway'. I think the cops should also have been fined for what they did, but I decided that complaining probably wouldn't have got me anywhere!)

I have done the same. Hitchhiking in France with my brother, we were dropped some distance to the next 'peage' (on ramp/toll gate). We were walking along at the top of an embankment and about 30m away from the motorway, but on the wrong side of the fence. The local constabulary stopped and waved us over to them, explained something or other to us, and demanded our money and passports. At gunpoint! Well.. not quite, but wasn't far off. My brother and I were put in the back of the van and driven away to a village, whereby, one of the police went into a post office. He came out with our passports, some loose change and a blue slip to each of us. We were then, kindly, driven to the nearest 'peage'.

More seriously. Near here, after some heavy snow the other day, a 16 -year-old lad stopped and got out of his car to assist someone who had just skid off the motorway. The next car came along and went straight into him. There is speculation in the media the driver who ploughed into him was speeding and not paying attention. Very sad.

 

[Lonestar]

Although statistically they're the safest type of road in this country. (I've not got any hard stats to hand, but hey, this is the Cafe).

They are for me.I'm never there.