Car crashes- have you ever been in an accident/ had a near miss?

hairyprincess

Haven't been involved in any accidents thank God, but I was first on the scene at two minor accidents and when I was in secondary school a guy was killed in front of the school. We came walking along from the town after lunchbreak just after a sheet had been placed over the body. That was horrific.

Sir Arthur Daley

I rolled a car as a young lad and had alot of near misses in my 16 years of driving, i hate though people saying the word "accident" implying no one is at fault.

pablo128

WikiHow wrote: »

I rolled a car as a young lad and had alot of near misses in my 16 years of driving, i hate though people saying the word "accident" implying no one is at fault.

True, but no-one sets out in the morning in their car thinking "I'm going to belt into someone today for the crack".

WikiHow

WikiHow wrote: »

I rolled a car as a young lad and had alot of near misses in my 16 years of driving, i hate though people saying the word "accident" implying no one is at fault.

True, accidents are few and far between, most collisions are caused by bad driving or inattention by others.

An accident would be something like a tree falling down right in front of you or similar, causing you to crash.

truedoom

when i was a new driver, i was driving in town. Car in front of me stopped suddenly. swerved and hit the brakes. Was raining and car slid.

Hit his back bumper. Gave it a tiny crack.

Crumpled the driver side wing on my car (98 almera, essentially made of tinfoil).

Yer man was sound, said not to worry about it. Shook his hand and went our separate ways.

shuffles88

Samsgirl wrote: »

Almost exact same thing happened to me. Was on N7 driving into Dub one Friday evening. The car two cars in front of me stopped to look at a crash on the opposite side of the dual carriageway. I stopped without hiting into the back of the car in front of me. I remember looking over the bonnet thinking phew, that was lucky. Seconds later a car slammed into the back of my car, shunted my car forward into the back of the car in front.
I hurt my back pretty bad & 12 years later I'm still sore from it.

Reading this thread makes me think that the N7 must be the place to jam on the brakes for no good reason, as this also happened to me but thankfully the driver behind me, though he was speeding and probably not paying full attention, reacted quickly and went into the hard shoulder rather than into the back of my car. I'll never forget seeing him coming and thinking "this is going to hurt".

Reiketsu

I was in the car with my Ma once. We had just came off the Foyle Bridge in Derry and were watching at the roundabout at the bottom until it was safe to pull out.

Some plonker behind drove into the back of us and hit us with such force that we were pushed into two lanes on the roundabout. We were so bloody lucky that it had JUST cleared, could have been a bad one. For whatever reason, he thought we were driving on and just plowed on ahead. Cops came, took is details....his details turned out to be false and the car was neither taxed or insured. Both my Mum and I ended up with whiplash. That was 12 years ago and I'm still sore from time to time and have headaches so bad that I feel sick.

When on the bus home from school once, a car came flying out of a side road, flipped 3 times and landed on its roof. The driver climbed out without a scratch, albeit as white as a sheet.

TeddyTedson

Car crash, no. However I was knocked down by a motorcycle as a child and remember the pain it caused me. I was out of school for over a month because of it. I was dragged along the ground and most of the skin was taken off my back. The most painful thing to ever happen to me. I hit my head quite hard too but it was nothing compared to the pain of my skin being peeled of against the road.

131spanner

My most memorable close miss was back when I hadn't much experience driving around the town and I remember tearing about in the sisters Micra. One day I was approaching a red light with an Avensis stopped before me. Maybe 20 yards back I gave the brakes a touch and with a combination of wet road / bad tyres / light car, it started to skid. It was the scariest five seconds of my life before I came to a stop about six inches off his back bumper. Nerve racking stuff for a 17 year old :rolleyes:

take everything

Couple of years ago now, a gang of german tourists in a rental Transit van driving on the wrong side of the road hit me head on. Braked sufficiently to avoid serious impact (not a nice feeling at all- things do actually go in slow motion and it's a real unpleasant feeling of "ah fcuk this" helplessness). Anyway, fortunately nobody was hurt but my car was written off. I was completely blameless of course but it was still so much hassle dealing with insurance/assessors etc.

The german lads i'd say just fcuked off home to leave the rental company deal with it. Doubt their insurance premiums were even affected.
I wondered afterwards if tourists driving on the wrong side of the road is an issue or were this crowd just clowns.

minidazzler

Yep, 2. One in an MR2 that went over a speed bump at 50 MPH and span out, breaking the wishbone in the car and me and my buddy just walked away to my house....

The second was in a van where a car had stopped in the middle of the south ring road in Cork, and we hit him lightly after the driver of the van breaked hard, but then up our ass came friends of ours who were in caravan with us to Oxegen. Still went to Oxegen and had a great time

poundapunnet

take everything wrote: »

Couple of years ago now, a gang of german tourists in a rental Transit van driving on the wrong side of the road hit me head on. Braked sufficiently to avoid serious impact (not a nice feeling at all- things do actually go in slow motion and it's a real unpleasant feeling of "ah fcuk this" helplessness). Anyway, fortunately nobody was hurt but my car was written off. I was completely blameless of course but it was still so much hassle dealing with insurance/assessors etc.

Yeah that feeling is terrible. Not a car accident but I was skiing once, took a fall and one of the skis got caught in the snow, and I can remember watching my foot twisting and having time to think 'well, sh1t, look at the way that's twisting. My ankle's going to break and it's really going to hurt. Jesus, I'd like to get this over with like.' in the second and a half or whatever it took to fall.

Galwayguy35

Had a couple of near misses with animals on the road, was coming home one night and there was a black cow standing in the middle of the road, would have gone straight into her only the lights from the car reflected on to her eyes.

Another time there were 2 horses on the road when I came around the turn, country roads can be deadly at times.

shuffles88

shuffles88 wrote: »

Reading this thread makes me think that the N7 must be the place to jam on the brakes for no good reason, as this also happened to me but thankfully the driver behind me, though he was speeding and probably not paying full attention, reacted quickly and went into the hard shoulder rather than into the back of my car. I'll never forget seeing him coming and thinking "this is going to hurt".

Similar happened to me on the m4. I think the idiots in front wanted to rubber neck at a previous accident. Went from 120 to 0 in a few seconds or so, and some plank was driving too close behind for me to jam on as well
thankfully am obsessive about safety distance and had enough time to tap brakes to warn guy behind me, give him a second to react, then jam on
inches to spare between me and the car in front
thank goodness!
No accidents thankfully touch wood

osarusan

take everything wrote: »

Braked sufficiently to avoid serious impact (not a nice feeling at all- things do actually go in slow motion and it's a real unpleasant feeling of "ah fcuk this" helplessness).

Was in the back of the car, with my brother in the front, and my father driving, along a country road. Car coming against us, no worries until a tractor sticks its bonnet well out onto the road from a concealed entrance.

My father pulled off a F1-style swerve, and it seemed like there were mere millimetres to spare. Felt like an eternity, and i can still remember it so vividly. My brother and were driving along that stretch of road about 3 weeks ago, and we brought it up, realising we both remembered it so well after about 20 years or more.

seamus

Nothing major, anything memorable comes really from being a younger driver, cockier and less forward-thinking. It's one thing to know the rules of the road and road theory, putting it into practice is another thing entirely and is why having an experienced driver with you is important.

I'd been driving about 4 months, coming down towards a junction one day, lights are out. Traffic is heavy, and there's a queue of cars on my right, waiting to turn right. Lights at the junction were out, but "I'm on the big road, I have right of way" was my thought. (Sidenote, that "road" is now the M50). Car comes from the right, through the line of traffic and into my path. I wasn't clipping along, probably 40-50kph, but I didn't hesitate to go through the junction either.
No injuries thankfully, except my ego, though the other driver did get an obscene payout from the insurance company for his written off 15 year old Micra. Although I "accepted" at the time that I was wrong because the Garda told me so, it was another couple of years before I actually understood why I was in the wrong.

Most serious one I was in was on the Embankment road in Tallaght as a passenger, coming back towards Dublin. When you're going away from Dublin on that road, there's a turnoff for Saggart which is a bit odd. It requires you to go up the road a bit before waiting to turn right onto the Saggart road. The correct road position is well marked now, but back then it wasn't marked at all and people would sit way too far back to wait for the traffic to clear. Anyway, the other driver did exactly that, rolled forward a bit to go, but then hesitated, and by doing so basically blocked the road for us. My Dad who was driving remembers that he had to make the decision to hit her head-on. He had a choice; drive his family into a wall or into another car, and he chose the latter. We were doing about 60mph+, but that no doubt dropped before the impact. Anyway, no serious injuries thankfully. Though in both cars there were six people total and only 2 of them were wearing seatbelts. It was only by sheer chance that neither my or my brother were sitting in the middle of the car and we both hit the back of the seats in front of us. Mostly soft tissue injuries all round.

My Dad had always been a bit of a gung-ho driver. He would have been in the first waves of middle class people to drive at an early age. Did a test, but in a time when that was a formality to get your licence, and not seen as a test of your skills. So he would have always been a cocky driver; 80mph down backroads in West Cork with the kids standing up with their heads out the sunroof, that kind of thing. "Seat belts are for sissies", he always maintained that in a crash he could lock his arms against the steering wheel and he'd be grand.
That crash fair took the pith out of him though. I think he realised all of the things he'd done wrong that day, even though he wasn't *in* the wrong (he should have slowed down much sooner for example), and how it was only through pure chance that half his family weren't killed. Pretty much overnight he became a much more conscientious driver. And always wears a seatbelt now

Kirby

If at least one person reads this thread and decides to slow down, the OP has done a good thing.

I'm not at all surprised about stories about people "losing control coming round a bend" and the like. It's so common. You should never be going fast enough on a public road to "lose control". Slow the f*ck down. Accidents like these are self inflicted.

The Irish attitude towards driving is a poor one. Too many people think that going fast is okay because they are a "good driver". I have never been in an accident. Even a minor one. But I drive the speed limit.....which is code in this county for driving like a granny. It's frightfully "uncool" not to speed everywhere.

My father, sister and mother have all been in car accidents over the years. Some their fault, others not. But they all think they are Michael Schumacher behind the wheel. Ask them and you get the Dustin Hoffman response of "I'm an excellent driver!" It's no coincidence. People just drive too damned fast.

cournioni

On the roundabout entering onto the Cavan bypass in Cavan town just down from the Cavan Crystal hotel heading towards Virginia / Navan / Dublin i met two little old ladies driving on the inside lane of the round about going the wrong way (anti-clockwise). Luckily I was on the outside lane at the time, could have been a bad collision.

razorblunt

Live in Scotland, about 3 years ago, my gf (who now lives here) was over for a week's visit. Rented a car and was driving from Edinburgh to Loch Lomond. Driving through Glasgow on that motorway that can get as wide as 5 lanes in some parts. There were two lanes joining the usual 3 so this would have been one of those parts.
A car joining from the left was indicating to come in, no problems there, his backwheel clipped what I assumed was a wet piece of a cardboard box on the road, it was only as it was coming through the air that I thought hang on that has far too much speed, it was actually the corner of a pallet he had clipped.
Windscreen shattered to the extent I couldn't see out and glass everywhere.

Amazing how instincts kick in, I had throw a hand across the missus (not that it would have done any good, hazards on, head out the window to get myself across the 5 lanes to the shoulder (thankfully an exit was only 300m ahead).

Incredibly shook afterwards, was sitting behind the crash rail staring into space.
The Motorway rescue team were shocked to see the state of the windscreen, I genuinely couldn't remember how I safely got off the motorway, then the Ace Ventura head out the window came back in a flash!

Going Strong

None in a car thankfully but have been knock off my bicycle twice.

First one, I'd come out of a T junction, crossed the road and turned right. I'd seen a motorbike coming down the road but it seemed to be miles away. Next thing I knew was a bang and the bike sailed away beneath me. I remember thinking "I'm dead now." Luckily it was raining that day so I had a large anorak on which cushioned my landing. I was pretty shook up and could barely get my legs to hold me up. The motorcyclist was someone I vaguely knew from school and he just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. A friend of mine had been with me earlier - we'd parted company at the junction - he heard the crash and came back. He laid into the biker for speeding and, going by what I recall of the biker's attitude, I'd say he was right. I had a few cuts and scrapes to my hands and lower legs but was fine enough. The bike needed a new back wheel but was otherwise okay.

The second time was far scarier. I was cycling along the South Mall in Cork during the evening rush hour and moved to change lanes. I checked to my right and behind me to make sure I was in the clear but hadn't reckoned on the moron in front of me also changing lanes only without indicating. I went straight over the boot of his car and landed on my back spread eagled on the road. My right leg was underneath the front of a BMW in the next lane - just ahead of the front wheel. In horror, I saw the car try and move forward - luckily for me (not so much for him), my bike got levered up and over onto his car and the pedals gouged a big line out of his paintwork which made him stop. Other than being a bit winded, I hadn't a scratch on me. The bike was a complete mangled mess though. I chained what was left of it to a railing and got the bus home.

Blazer

Wasn't driving at the time but in the rear seats after getting a lift home from one of the mates who had been drinking.
Unknownst to us he did a chicken run across onto a main road and a micra ploughed into us.
Only for the fact he accelerated at the last second I would have been dead but instead the micra clipped the rear of the car and spun us around a few times.
Got out of the car saying I can't see I can't see.....
uncle goes to me "your glasses fell off"
Other car was a complete writeoff but luckily no one was hurt.
Very lucky as this was back in the 90's where cars didn't have airbags etc.

Mec-a-nic

FatherLen wrote: »

I was once in a car on the n7 and the woman in front of us slammed on the breaks for some unknown reason. we stopped just in time behind her but the car behind us didn't and smashed into the back of us. car was fairly squished ...

This must be a super regular occurrence, especially near Dublin, hopefully the Newlands Cross interchange will help. Here's the aftermath of one [SFW] https://flic.kr/p/QLVNQ

If this was your crash, we're still caring for your teddy: https://flic.kr/p/QMNTK

Irishcrx

Yeah I've been in one serious accident in the car when I was 18 and very naive , I was driving too fast and smoking , dropped the smoke and bend down to pick it up when I lifted my head I was curbing on a sharp bend , hit the curb , car was sent flying up in the air and actually flipped around , came crashing back down through a railingsI managed to pull the handbreak which turned and stopped the car just before I hit a tree about a metre in front of me, thought I was dead extremely lucky to get out with minor injuries , learned my lesson on safe driving after that.

Had a couple of near misses on the bike , riding a motorbike does make you a much more aware and better driver, you really see the dangers of the road a lot more and particularly the dangers of peoples decision making. I remember my bike instructed telling me in my first lesson 'always look at that road and think to yourself , what's the stupidist thing that car can do , and expect them to do it' words of a wise man.

The first time I came off my bike was coming out on an industrial estate , hit a huge pothole just before the traffic lights that sent me over the bike and the bike tumbling after me out on to the main road, bike landed on top of and kept going, broke my ribs but I was alright other than that and a bit dased , the amazing thing was that the traffic kept going , just dricing around me and the crashed bike until a fellow bike driver who was in a car stopped and blocked the road before coming to help me, he couldn't believe what he was seeing either.

Pinch Flat

Kirby wrote: »

If at least one person reads this thread and decides to slow down, the OP has done a good thing.

I'm not at all surprised about stories about people "losing control coming round a bend" and the like. It's so common. You should never be going fast enough on a public road to "lose control". Slow the f*ck down. Accidents like these are self inflicted.

The Irish attitude towards driving is a poor one. Too many people think that going fast is okay because they are a "good driver". I have never been in an accident. Even a minor one. But I drive the speed limit.....which is code in this county for driving like a granny. It's frightfully "uncool" not to speed everywhere.

My father, sister and mother have all been in car accidents over the years. Some their fault, others not. But they all think they are Michael Schumacher behind the wheel. Ask them and you get the Dustin Hoffman response of "I'm an excellent driver!" It's no coincidence. People just drive too damned fast.

Post this on the motoring forum and see how you get on. I posted about dangerous driving on St. Stephen's Day in that forum - the reaction was interesting. There's a sizeable minority on our roads who see other cars, pedestrians and cyclists as an unnecessary interruption to their journey.

Three particular incidences that could have easily been nasty accidents on a different day with different circumstances included aggressive tail gating in a 50km/hr housing estate, overtaking a vehicle waiting at a pedestrian crossing, travelling across it on the other side of the road and almost hitting someone already crossing and 'swan necking' (a particular favourite dangerous manoeuvre amongst Irish drivers, where you try to get around a guy turning left by travelling on the wrong side of the road - irrespective what's coming against you).

I was berated by a number of posters (who received a worrying amount of thanks) for people tail gating me (the attitude was I 'was 'holding up people' and should have pulled in). Also the attitude towards pedestrian crossings - people happily split hairs over pedantic issues. No, it's a woman with a pram crossing from one side to another. Just stop and let her cross, FFS.:mad:

the_syco

bee06 wrote: »

Since then I never trust that another driver will do what they are supposed to do or what they are indicating to do.

This a thousand times! Turning right at a local junction, I've seen a few cars come towards me with their left indicator on, but unless they slow down I don't move. 1 out of 10 times, they keep driving forward :mad:

seamus

Irishcrx wrote: »

The first time I came off my bike was coming out on an industrial estate , hit a huge pothole just before the traffic lights that sent me over the bike and the bike tumbling after me out on to the main road, bike landed on top of and kept going, broke my ribs but I was alright other than that and a bit dased , the amazing thing was that the traffic kept going , just dricing around me and the crashed bike until a fellow bike driver who was in a car stopped and blocked the road before coming to help me, he couldn't believe what he was seeing either.

I would like to say that when people see you getting up they think, "Ah he's grand" and keep going because they don't want the hassle of helping you. But I was out cycling with the club one beautiful Sunday; The roads were very busy and we were on the homeward leg about halfway between Roundwood and Kilmac.
A biker overtook us and whatever he did as he moved back into the left, he fishtailed it and took a petty serious tumble. Ended up lying in the ditch with his bike bouncing down the road.
We were right there so we hopped off and ran over to him. And as we were now effectively blocking the road, no traffic could get past us. But oncoming traffic just kept coming. Despite some of them having actually seen the incident, they just kept on driving by.

Pinch Flat

seamus wrote: »

We were right there so we hopped off and ran over to him. And as we were now effectively blocking the road, no traffic could get past us. But oncoming traffic just kept coming. Despite some of them having actually seen the incident, they just kept on driving by.

Happened to me coming our from Dublin a few years ago, took a spill on the bike and ended up sprawled across the road (thankfully minor scratches and bruises). The reaction of the driver behind me was to firstly beep, I mean it was so inconsiderate of me to hold him up. He then drove around me as I lay on the ground .

Some people are just so pleasant.

Renegade Mechanic

First time talking about this since it happened with anyone outside of the mate I was helping who as since lost contact and the poor poor bastard who probably still hasnt gotten over his mistake so here goes.. Was on the M8 cork bound at stupid-o-clock in the morning changing a tyre for a mate who had no jack, a hell of a time to find out too :rolleyes: . It was actually the second time in about a year Id done so for someone, the first not going too well:o. We were in off the road alright and the hi-vises and two triangles were out behind. (initially, in the rush I went to put one up ahead of the car ) Anyway I was on my knees trying to persuade the wheel off when I heard the "rumble". Then a kind of rubbing screech sound with a"rumble" again and a screech followed by a split second of silence and another screech. Tbh it was a sound Ill never forget and it was absolutely deafening. I looked back and I just pushed my self into the car as best I could and waited. **** it what could you do? The whole thing was over in about a second Id say so there really wasnt time to bother even trying to run around the back of the car to the verge and it did look like it would miss us. Car went past sideways and I was dazzled with headlights. I actually thought Id been hit but it had missed me by about two or three feet. Scraped the side of the front bumper on my car and across the hard shoulder he went and up the embankment. Silence and smell after was unreal and I just kinda... Sat on my arse for a few seconds. I got up and my mate was just staring at the car on the bank till I spoke to him and he just about broke down, being full sure I had been wiped off. Tearing that person out of the car and laying into him never even remotely came to mind, I was actually having trouble walking my legs were like jelly! We went up to the window of his car and I swear Ive never seen a look like that on anyones face. First thing I asked was if he was ok, no response. My mate told him everything was fine that no one was hit. Eventually he got out and we put his car back on the shoulder. We must have been standing around for nearly half a hour but the man was in pure bits he threw up and all. We got to talking and he said he was drifting off and came back when he heard the rumble but panicked when he saw us ahead and over reacted. I said to be honest I was happy to forget this ever happened if he was and my own car was ok too. (Old astra with a black, unpainted bumper so the scrapes didnt look too bad..... with the others:o )
Found his number plate for him and let him off. Finished up and got going ourselves. Forgot all about the triangle of course. Just as well I was unemployed at the time because I was one distracted ****er for a week after. Even now I still often run it through my head. How many things must have come together to make that happen like it did? What if just one of those things had been changed, would I even be writing this? As a person who has taken situations with a possibility of serious injury or death with a very much "come what may" attitude, could that shot of luck have gone to a better, much more deserving person? Obviously none of this has any effect on my life whatsoever but it is a very interesting scenario to think about. Your man insisted I took his number so I did but never realy bothered with it, we only spoke once after, him checking on me and me promising him all was good. My friend felt guilty for ages after because he was standing and ran when he heard the noise. I promised to smack him one if he didn't change his tune. I told him "Sure, it was a very nice sentiment and I appreciated it but for Christ sake only a full fool would stay and take a belt of a car because someone else couldn't get out of the way. The same man with a GF and all, it was real life, not a movie!" to which he bust his hole laughing so he was ok too:D.

I gues moral of the story here is head on a swivel, ears open and for the love of god have your high vis jackets on, people! actually **** it, just call the AA:D
And dont be driving tired either!

Paddy Cow

My brother, mother and I were driving home one night on country roads. There was a huge dip in the road and as we were coming down the hill, my brother could see a cow at the bottom of the dip on the opposite side of the road. A car was coming the other way and but couldn't break fast enough and hit the cow.

We stopped to see if anyone was hurt. Luckily there was only one guy in the car and apart from being shook up, he was unhurt. The passenger side took the force of the crash and was totally caved in. If anyone had been sitting there they would have been seriously hurt. The poor cow ended up in a ditch and we could hear it moaning in pain.

The owner of the cow heard the crash and came out to investigate. He started having a go at the driver but we told him to calm down. What the hell was a cow doing in the middle of a road at night time? We gave the driver our contact details in case he needed a witness but we never heard from him so I presume he sorted it out with the farmer.

Irishcrx

seamus wrote: »

I would like to say that when people see you getting up they think, "Ah he's grand" and keep going because they don't want the hassle of helping you. But I was out cycling with the club one beautiful Sunday; The roads were very busy and we were on the homeward leg about halfway between Roundwood and Kilmac.
A biker overtook us and whatever he did as he moved back into the left, he fishtailed it and took a petty serious tumble. Ended up lying in the ditch with his bike bouncing down the road.
We were right there so we hopped off and ran over to him. And as we were now effectively blocking the road, no traffic could get past us. But oncoming traffic just kept coming. Despite some of them having actually seen the incident, they just kept on driving by.

It just seems to be the way these days , not many people give a ****e if youe dead or alive, too busy to care etc. I just found it shocking , personally I could never do that to someone.

I never mentioned , I wasn't on my feet when the cars were driving around me. I was on the ground for a good few minutes in shock and pain , and my bike was a couple of feet away. Thank god that lad stopped and helped me (Took me to hospital as well , and lifted the bike up off the road for me) broken ribs I couldn't do much.

take everything

Kirby wrote: »

If at least one person reads this thread and decides to slow down, the OP has done a good thing.

I'm not at all surprised about stories about people "losing control coming round a bend" and the like. It's so common. You should never be going fast enough on a public road to "lose control". Slow the f*ck down. Accidents like these are self inflicted.

The Irish attitude towards driving is a poor one. Too many people think that going fast is okay because they are a "good driver". I have never been in an accident. Even a minor one. But I drive the speed limit.....which is code in this county for driving like a granny. It's frightfully "uncool" not to speed everywhere.

My father, sister and mother have all been in car accidents over the years. Some their fault, others not. But they all think they are Michael Schumacher behind the wheel. Ask them and you get the Dustin Hoffman response of "I'm an excellent driver!" It's no coincidence. People just drive too damned fast.

I often think back about some of the less than safe driving I did as an invincible twenty something and I'm so glad I picked up points for speeding (nothing unusual, just the standard stuff). Because it slowed me right the **** down and now I'm far happier with my driving. I sometimes look back in embarrassment at that.

Now no tailgating, no risky overtaking, none of that hotheaded ****e, just being more observant. But still make journeys in practically the same time. It's easier on yourself mentally as well. As mentioned, even though you may be in the right, you can never be too cautious-expect the unexpected.
I always try to keep that in mind now.

take everything

osarusan wrote: »

Was in the back of the car, with my brother in the front, and my father driving, along a country road. Car coming against us, no worries until a tractor sticks its bonnet well out onto the road from a concealed entrance.

My father pulled off a F1-style swerve, and it seemed like there were mere millimetres to spare. Felt like an eternity, and i can still remember it so vividly. My brother and were driving along that stretch of road about 3 weeks ago, and we brought it up, realising we both remembered it so well after about 20 years or more.

Jaysus, that's a better ad than any I've seen to drive carefully.

Paddy Cow

seamus wrote: »

My Dad had always been a bit of a gung-ho driver. He would have been in the first waves of middle class people to drive at an early age. Did a test, but in a time when that was a formality to get your licence, and not seen as a test of your skills. So he would have always been a cocky driver; 80mph down backroads in West Cork with the kids standing up with their heads out the sunroof, that kind of thing. "Seat belts are for sissies", he always maintained that in a crash he could lock his arms against the steering wheel and he'd be grand.

Your father wouldn't be the only one guilty of having had that attitude. I remember the 80's and when we were going to town there would be six or seven kids piled into the car. Two in the front and the rest squashed in the back and the seat belt was just something that dug into you uncomfortably :eek: Thankfully times have changed and each child must have a car/booster seat and I would never get into a car now without putting on my seatbelt. It would feel weird without it!

bear1

About 3 years ago myself and my then fiancee in Italy in our Irish car.
We were staying in my parents summer house which is located typically on a mountain with a terrible winding road to get to it.
We had gone out to a restaurant which was about 30km away and we're on our way back when I took the turn to start the 5km climb to the town.
As I had just turned off the main road I was going at about 40kph when this small Lancia comes flying around the bend. I had barely 2 seconds to react and all I could do was start swerving the car towards the right.
With the speed of the other driver and me not be able to get out of the way the outcome was inevitable and he slammed smack bang on my wifes side of the car between her door and the rear door.
The crash and fear of that moment I will not forget.
I looked at my wife straight away and thankfully she as ok.
I turn to look back when I see the Lancia driver is trying to get away, I get out of the car and start chasing down the road.
I guess the guy was either shocked and the car kept on rolling or he was genuinely trying to get away but his car stalls.
I get to his door and immediately see 5 young guys in the car looking completely baked.
I was astounded.
I called the police which for some reason or another would not be coming as no injuries where reported.
The driver called his family, a jeep pulls up with 3/4 guys. At this point I'm getting worried as it's 5 lads from the car and 3/4 men from the jeep.
Hadn't much of a choice but to retreat from the situation which they strongly suggested I did.
Never felt so useless in my life.
Next day went to the local police station as I had taken down the number plate/make of car but the guy there just said that the family is known and would take too long to sort out as I was a foreigner and would be leaving soon.
Needless to say, the car was soon scrapped after that.

MS.ing

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Car crash, no. However I was knocked down by a motorcycle as a child and remember the pain it caused me. I was out of school for over a month because of it. I was dragged along the ground and most of the skin was taken off my back. The most painful thing to ever happen to me. I hit my head quite hard too but it was nothing compared to the pain of my skin being peeled of against the road.

in fairness I did wonder if you were dropped on your head as a child, seems I was half right

MS.ing

fyi if you ever run into the back of someone during your crash you are the one at fault, you didnt leave enough room infront of you to stop. no if ands or buts

MS.ing

osarusan wrote: »

wow that actually made me feel sick watching it, thats the sort of ad that works, not preaching but giving you the realities involved. much better than anything irish Ive noticed. extremely powerfull message and no gore in sight, I hope it won an award or something

rainbow kirby

Nothing compared to some others - but I came within millimetres of being doored off my bike into the path of a bus in Dublin just over a year ago because some idiot decided that letting their child open a door out into Westmoreland Street was a good idea.

Toots

When I was 15 I had a part time job and I used to cycle to it. I was cycling along on the way out of my estate and all of a sudden I see a car reversing out of his driveway really fast. The house had a high hedge around the front garden so the guy reversing out was doing it blind and IMO should have crept out until he could see if the road was clear.

Anyway I could see him reversing so I slowed right down, almost to a stop. It was one of those really slow motion moments where I was just thinking "oh shìt, he doesn't see me, he's going to hit me! oh god if I'm going to die let it be quick." And then he did hit me. Hard. My bike kinda bounced across the road and he was so close to reversing over me as I was lying in the road I nearly pissed in my pants. I don't know who was more shocked, me or him (although I'm going with me cos I did just get hit by a car) he looked like death, white as a sheet, shaking etc. I was so shaken I just got on my bike and tried to cycle on to work but my handlebars were all bent and the front wheel was bent too. I ended up walking the bike to work. My boss took one look at me and said "what the fcuk happened you?!" The adrenaline rush that had obviously enabled me to get to work abruptly stopped and my knees just buckled. Luckily there weren't any broken bones but I had lots of cuts and I was black and blue. Lovely hunk of skin was hanging off where my arm had scraped along the road. I'd say had I not been wearing a helmet it would have been much, much worse.

I suppose the only good thing is that it was me (a fairly robust adolescent) who got hit. There were lots of little kids in the estate and if he'd hit one of them it would have probably killed them.

snaphook

Kirby wrote: »

If at least one person reads this thread and decides to slow down, the OP has done a good thing.

I'm not at all surprised about stories about people "losing control coming round a bend" and the like. It's so common. You should never be going fast enough on a public road to "lose control". Slow the f*ck down. Accidents like these are self inflicted.

The Irish attitude towards driving is a poor one. Too many people think that going fast is okay because they are a "good driver". I have never been in an accident. Even a minor one. But I drive the speed limit.....which is code in this county for driving like a granny. It's frightfully "uncool" not to speed everywhere.

My father, sister and mother have all been in car accidents over the years. Some their fault, others not. But they all think they are Michael Schumacher behind the wheel. Ask them and you get the Dustin Hoffman response of "I'm an excellent driver!" It's no coincidence. People just drive too damned fast.

The amount of people who think the outer lane on a dual carriageway is the Fast Lane is frightening.

Maximus Alexander

When I was about 20 / 21 I had a Mitsubishi FTO that I was madly in love with. I was driving through a shopping center car park at about 10 mph when a girl in a Hyundai Coupe who was stopped at a t-junction and looking the other way just pulled straight out and hit the wheel and passenger side door.

Did €4,000 worth of damage and I stupidly went with the garage her insurance company suggested - it took nearly 3 months for them to fix the car and it was never quite right again afterwards.

Thankfully nobody was hurt, but I've hated Hyundai Coupes with a fiery passion ever since.

Pinch Flat

snaphook wrote: »

The amount of people who think the outer lane on a dual carriageway is the Fast Lane is frightening.

It's only when you drive abroad you see how bad motorway driving here is. Undertaking, tailgating, hogging the outer lane.

I had a guy pull out if front of me on the M4 the last weekend - I'm in the inner lane travelling at 120 km/hr. He just indicated a pulled out from the hard shoulder, as if he as pulling out of his driveway.

fricatus

Pinch Flat wrote: »

I had a guy pull out if front of me on the M4 the last weekend - I'm in the inner lane travelling at 120 km/hr. He just indicated a pulled out from the hard shoulder, as if he as pulling out of his driveway.

I'll bet his stop on the hard shoulder was illegal too. The number of people who think they can just pull over to get something from the boot, take a phone call or allow a child to p155 is just incredible. None of these things is an emergency! I see it daily on the M9. Crazy...

the_syco

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Thankfully nobody was hurt, but I've hated Hyundai Coupes with a fiery passion ever since.

Read that as "Hyundai Corpse" the first time round

the_syco

fricatus wrote: »

I'll bet his stop on the hard shoulder was illegal too. The number of people who think they can just pull over to get something from the boot, take a phone call or allow a child to p155 is just incredible. None of these things is an emergency! I see it daily on the M9. Crazy...

I always wonder which is more dangerous to you and other drivers on the M4

a) stopping in the hard shoulder to answer the phone

b) keep driving and answer the phone

As not answering the phone is not dangerous, I didn't include the option :P

Plazaman

Samsgirl wrote: »

Almost exact same thing happened to me. Was on N7 driving into Dub one Friday evening. The car two cars in front of me stopped to look at a crash on the opposite side of the dual carriageway. I stopped without hiting into the back of the car in front of me. I remember looking over the bonnet thinking phew, that was lucky. Seconds later a car slammed into the back of my car, shunted my car forward into the back of the car in front.
I hurt my back pretty bad & 12 years later I'm still sore from it.

Hopefully there is a special place in Hell reserved for rubberneckers.

cazzer22

Thanks so much to everyone for posting. It's really interesting reading all of your stories.