Your worst incident on the road

maurice28

A bit of a dramatic end to the bank holiday weekend! Yesterday, I was driving and stopped on the road signalling to turn right into a car park for a garden centre. My wife was with me and said that there would probably be more spaces in a car park on the left (the garden centre has stores on both sides of the road).

So I changed my indicator to signal left, checked the mirror and saw nothing, started to pull over and suddenly a cyclist was next to the car. I can only assume he was in a blindspot when I looked in the mirror. We clipped his bike, he wobbled a bit and then fell off into a parked car.

We rushed out to check he was OK, and he seemed more concerned about our car! He had a bit of a graze on his knee but was otherwise unhurt thank God. His bike also seemed undamaged. He apologised and said he didn't see the indicator, I apologised that I hadn't seen him in the mirror. We parted on good terms and a handshake, both apologising, but I obviously felt terrible about it. Lucky it wasn't worse - he said it was the second time this week it had happened to him! For me, it was a reminder to always double check the blind spot!

But anyway, it got me thinking that in 13 years of driving that's the luckily the worst incident I've had. Help put this into perspective, what's the worst incident you've had on the road as a driver? Cheery subject I know!

GwylimT

I had a head on crash at 40mph when a car on the other side of the road just seemed to swerve into me, amazingly my car was still driveable!

I have had a lot on my bicycle, mainly people not checking their blind spot, although one had a passenger lean out of the window of a van who pushed me off my bike!

My wife had quite a bad accident, she was driving on an A road and someone literally drove straight out from a link road (didn't even attempt to turn right or left) which left her severely injured and eventually paralysed. He was using his phone, but even then I'm not sure how he managed it. It was just very lucky no one was in the passenger seat as I doubt they would have survived.

neilmcl

I don't know about worst but certainly a scary moment was a number of years back I was driving down a road with a very narrow pavement to my left with a large, thick hedge on a slope running alongside. Completely out of the blue a child came flying out of the hedge, onto the road and clipped the side of my car. I initially feared the worst but turned out he just caught my wing mirror with his arm and he wasn't injured, apart from his pride, apparently his "accomplice" had pushed him down the slope and through the hedge. Luckily I was in traffic so wasn't going to fast and managed to break enough as I saw him from the corner of my eye.

The first thing I did afterwards was to report it to the local police station, just in case.

20aday

My worst incident was back in January 2011.

Was heading to Leicester (visiting the Apple Store to get my phone looked at) and drove towards the M1 via the A52.

Didn't make it to Leicester... Don't ask me what possessed me but thought I was in the correct lane to join the M1 at Sandiacre and somehow collided with a lorry.

Luckily I didn't injure anyone in the process but the threat of being charged with Driving Without Due Care and Attention (and attending a Road Awareness Course) has made sure I won't be so reckless again!

EdGasket

Was about to overtake a large van/lorry on a two-lane stretch of motorway. I was in a 1959 Hillman Minx so no seat belts or safety features. Checked the mirror, indicated and started to pull out to overtake the van when a car shot past me in the outside lane going in the wrong direction! If I had been a couple of seconds earlier in moving I wouldn't be here now!

I was gobsmacked and wondered what was going on, cancelled the indicator and stayed behind the van; then I saw everyone behind flashing the car and realised it had got onto the wrong side of the motorway. That was a close one! My view to the front had been blocked by the large square back of the van so I just had no idea it was coming from the front.

consumers_revenge

Not me but my dad following a lorry that had a piece of plastic hard sheet fly off the back whilst driving on the motorway. It flew off and basically sliced off the wing mirror, if it had flown off horizontally instead it could have gone straight through the windscreen and decapitated him.....

thescouselander

I was in a taxi on the way back from a night out in the early hours of the morning when the taxi driver fell asleep at the wheel and we smashed through the front of a greasy spoon at around 50 mph completely totalling it and the car. Luckily we had all thought to put on our seatbelts so we all walked away with minor injuries.

Unfortunately for the owner of the greasy spoon some vandals smashed up his shop just after the crash damage had been repaired and this put him out of business. The taxi driver was found guilty of driving without due care and attention and got 6 points and a fine.

arcon5

Really lucky that op!
Had the cyclist realised you was at fault for hitting him or the police got called you'd be in trouble

Crabman

GwylimT wrote: »

My wife had quite a bad accident, she was driving on an A road and someone literally drove straight out from a link road (didn't even attempt to turn right or left) which left her severely injured and eventually paralysed. He was using his phone, but even then I'm not sure how he managed it. It was just very lucky no one was in the passenger seat as I doubt they would have survived.

Sorry to hear this did the other driver have any action taken against him?

The number of drivers who appear to be looking at their crotch while driving along is shocking.

I genuinely don't believe they care about anyone except themselves and any remorse shown in a court is simply an act.

Andrew_Ryan_89

Some of these stories are really scary. Once I reversed into a parked car. Checked my mirror before I turned the car on. Only thing, it was pitch black and so was the car so didn't even see it through my rear mirror.

Whilst still new to driving on the motorway, I was entering one from a slip road. There was a lorry to my right and I didn't think to slow down. I hesitated coming outand the driver simply couldn't ease of the accelerator. Went to pull out but had to pull back in and was essentially forced of the road hitting the curb. I was at a full stop on the side of the slip road will traffic at full speed.

With some of these stories, it makes me realise why some people get particularly mad at incidents involving cars, ie Road rage. One stupid person and one stupid moment can wreck an expensive vehicle you've paid for, paralyse or seriously injure you or even worst, get someone killed.

reeac

I very rarely experience scarey incidents on the road but had one only yesterday. I was approaching a minor crossroads on a country road at about 45-50 mph with dipped headlights as it was a dull late afternoon. White van was waiting for waiting for me to pass before entering my road from the right but then, when I was only about 20 yards away entered the crossroads blocking about half of my lane. Too late to stop so I braked and swerved partway into the road going off to the left but thought that the car wouldn't make the full turn so swerved to the right back onto my original course. Must have missed the front of the van by a few inches. Didn't bother to stop but the van flashed it's lights ...I assume indicating apology. Playing it back in my mind I was amazed that I had time to take avoiding action and also that that action worked.