I nearly had an accident last night

[SL300-24]

I nearly had an accident last night. I was driving along the A127 towards Basildon from Southend direction when in front of me I could see very slow or stationary traffic in both lanes.
I was in the outside lane overtaking at the time.

I slowed down and turned on my hazard warning lights as I was now stationary behind traffic.

Cars were slowing down and stopping in the nearside lane, which was now queuing about 4 or 5 cars behind me. My lane was clear behind me.
The traffic in front of me started to move and I was about to pull away, when I checked my rear mirror and I could see a silver Peugeot approaching far too fast in the nearside lane to stop.
The next second it had swerved into my lane and would not have been able to stop before running into the back of the W211 estate, which I have only had for a few weeks!

Luckily I saw what was happening and just planted my foot to the floor on the go pedal and shot forward very rapid, and she clipped the kerb on the central reservation whilst braking just behind us. With the missus and 2 kids in the back it was a lucky escape.

At the next junction she came past me and the guy in the passenger seat waved thanking me for my actions.
I think she may have been on the phone or just not concentrating.
My wife said that if she had been driving our car she would not have acted so quickly and we would have been hit……makes you think how quickly these situations develop.

 

[bennesspipers]

Lucky escape, its amazing how some people drive along with their brains in neutral !

 

[grober]

Good bit of defensive driving mate! Well done.

 

[verysideways]

Quick thinking - good work.

 

[219]

I hope you reciprocated with a suitable gesture to thank the other driver for their actions !

Glad you are OK , my W124 estate was hit from behind under very similar circumstances at the bottom of a motorway slip road , but with traffic stopped in front , nothing I could do to avoid it , even though I saw it coming too .

 

[st4]

Good example of how awareness and judgement saves the day. Nice one.

 

[Mactech]

Good example of how awareness and judgement saves the day. Nice one.

....and how a faster car can be a safer car

 

[Stratman]

It may be the motorcyclist in me but whenever there's a sea of brakelights on a motorway it's almost insticntive that I look in the rear view mirror and plan for the 'what if?' moment.

A useful tactic, if there's no escape lane, is to initially brake harder and earlier than necessary if conditions allow. This gives the driver behind more warning of you stopping, and gives you some escape space to drive into which at worst will reduce the relative speed of impact.

 

[jonnyboy]

well done Ray, good avoidance !

 

[bigyin1]

Very lucky escape and good on the spot thinking.

I had a moment last week on ice round a corner that I would normally be doing 60mph but fortunately I wasn't as it was icey: I was the 3rd car behind a Mini and a Puma out in front travelling in convey as usual, the Puma lost the back end on black ice, corrected to the left then ploughed into a ditch about 2ft from the road, hit the very solid bushes that run along the road pivoted 180degrees and went backwards into the bush again, then another 180 degrees and ended up on the other side of the road at 45degrees to the way he was going.
Meanwhile the Mini saw this, hit is brakes and did a 360 onto the other side of the road, up the 1/2 foot high grass verge and came to a halt still on the verge facing the way he was going.
Which left me: At this point all I could do was pray and hope that they all keep left as I can't steer and I can't brake - fortunately they do and I squeeze through coming to a stop just after the accident. The Puma was written off and the Mini was just a bit dirty - 1 hour later the police arrive and say we can head off as it was just the Puma involved, could have been much worse if other cars/lorry had been coming the other way!

BUT between the Puma crashing and the Police arriving, another 3 cars skidded part and one completely into the said same ditch. Some even drove straight past without slowing down!!! Crazy.

 

[st4]

It may be the motorcyclist in me but whenever there's a sea of brakelights on a motorway it's almost insticntive that I look in the rear view mirror and plan for the 'what if?' moment.

A useful tactic, if there's no escape lane, is to initially brake harder and earlier than necessary if conditions allow. This gives the driver behind more warning of you stopping, and gives you some escape space to drive into which at worst will reduce the relative speed of impact.

I do the same,just to add it also means if there is the situation ray has you have left "extra" room in which to drive into once stopped (or in the process of stopping) incase of what happened to the OP. When in a queue you should leave a minimum gap so you can manouver out of the gap should the scenario that happenned to Ray happens. Tryes and tarmac was what my instructor used to say.

 

[trapperjohn]

Classic demonstration of defensive driiving. Well done, glad no one was hurt. We always used to leave an "operational out" (the gap between you and any other vehicle) So we could do exactly what you did in this instance. "Lane Weavers" tend to use my "out" I just rage a little inside and leave the gap again.

 

[Gridlock]

A useful tactic, if there's no escape lane, is to initially brake harder and earlier than necessary if conditions allow. This gives the driver behind more warning of you stopping, and gives you some escape space to drive into which at worst will reduce the relative speed of impact.

Also, slowing early gives much better fuel economy overall as you generally have a faster speed to accelerate back up from when you get to the obstruction ahead, and can also help eliminate the 'standing wave' effect of having one lane where there's a random traffic jam bunching up.

Nice dodge - did you feel a bit

afterwards?

 

[st13phil]

It may be the motorcyclist in me but whenever there's a sea of brakelights on a motorway it's almost insticntive that I look in the rear view mirror and plan for the 'what if?' moment.

I do exactly the same. Having had some idiotic woman ram me from behind (ooh, err ) when I was minding my own business sitting on my ride-to-work bike(*) a few years ago, I have absolutely no desire to be the meat in a metal sandwich - ever! If I'm on two wheels in those circumstances I also look to stop where I'm protected by other vehicles.

* Fortunately it was in slow moving traffic, queuing to enter a roundabout. I stopped, she didn't. Moron.

 

[Beetnik]

I worked in the motor trade (we're talking 1973 here) and was taught to drive by a guy who knew all about defensive driving. Sat in a queue one day when he suddenly popped it into 1st and drove up onto the grass verge at the side of the road and I watched as the car (previously) behind us ploughed into the car in front!

I drive constantly changing my view - mirrors, distance, foreground... repeat...

 

[Charles Morgan]

Congratulations on your driving skills and reactions. Far too many people would be using the vanity mirror when queuing, rather than the important one. I am sure your nerves are fine, but I would use the opportunity to broach a good brandy or malt, as a toast to the health of your loved ones!

 

[Oily Rag]

Nice one. If more people were as aware as you, we would have far less accidents and related deaths. Bravo. regards Lee.