Near Misses

XR6_661 · 08-03-2007, 11:35 AM

So here I was, driving along the Cook highway in Cairns.

I'll set the scene:

100kph limit.

On my right, storm water drain
On my left, B-Double
In front, Hyundai Grandour
Behind, Cement truck and various other cars.

Anyway, The hyundai in front of me was all over the road, and asian driver, I had followed them all the way through the city, they were shocking, all over the show. Anyway, as we were driving along, the hyundai started swerving into the left lane...moving closer and closer to the B-double, I started backing off thinking "**** this is going to be nasty." The hyundai gets closer to the truck still until the bloody things side mirror hits the trucks tyre, pretty much ripping the mirror off, the driver quickly jerked the wheel and kept on driving on.

I dread to think what would have happened if the car went under the trucks wheels, I would have had nowhere to go.

Leads me to the question. There are thousands of crashes and hundreds of fatalities every year, how many of those 'near misses' could have been fatal?

So what near misses have you had?

MrMattyMo · 08-03-2007, 12:13 PM

Last night im driving my BA (had it less than a week) and the misus decides to go to wollies. Get there go in come out all good right.

Then i walk out and there is that little thing that carries the trollies (looks like a lawnmower) and its seriously retarded driver going past the exit. I get to my car jump in and start reversing out. In my rear view mirror i can see the trolly lad off the the side of my car and he is just looking at me as i reverse.....

Next thing.. Crunch.

I put the car in drive and parked it again. jumped out and this Trolley ***** had parked his thing right behind my car and watched me back into it without even saying a word.

luckily it only gave me some minor paint scratches... and they just rubbed off.

This kid was so lucky that i was with the misses because i was seriously about to dint my rear bumper with his head.

Brent · 08-03-2007, 12:16 PM

I've personally lost count of the number of times I've had to sit at an intersection for several moments, facing a green light, because I've seen some clown coming from the side running a red light at an intersection. I used to live in a place near Nepean Highway in Melbourne (80kph zone for those who are not aware), and I left for work early each day. Became a damned habit just watching these people speed through red lights, day in, day out. If I'd just taken off on the green, I would have been t-boned right in the drivers side at 80-90kph and killed instantly. Some people deserve to be dragged from their cars and beaten with rubber hoses..............

Ah yes, many years ago, driving in outback NSW on those long, gunbarrel straight sealed roads out in the middle of nowhere. I was sitting on about 110kph just cruising. Late morning. Hadn't passed another vehicle for about an hour. I spot an old 3 series BMW (early 80s) coming up behind. I didn't take much notice, as my attention was on this tourist coach coming from the other direction which I'd been able to see for the last few kms given the straight road. Tourist bus approaches, only quarter of a mile ahead now, and what catches my attention?.........the friggin BMW sitting right alongside me!!!!

What posessed the BMW driver to try pick this spot in time to try to pass when a toursit coach appraoched from the opposite direction is beyond me. Well, the old Beemer had run out of puff, and sat alongside, neither overtaking nor dropping back. For a second he seemed to brake, and I thought he was going to slot back in behind. I accelerated to give room. NO....he then slots it down a cog and tried again!!!

I had to brake hard to let this imbecile slide in front. In the estimation of my old man who was in the car, the bus missed by 2 to 3 feet. If it had collected the other car, the wreckage could have been catapaulted straight into us.

He just kept on driving. Amazing.

Keepleft · 08-03-2007, 02:13 PM

"Speed-limit conditioning".

MeLLy · 08-03-2007, 03:00 PM

I was driving home late one night and i was about 500 metres from a intersection, (It was a double intersection, like one set of lights for one way traffic and another for the traffic going the other way) they were red.Then maybe a few seconds before i reached the intersection they went green so i thought yeah ok, i excellorated and went through the first intersection then as i was approaching the middle of the next one this white VT commodore went passed in front of me i was like WTF and i rememeber seeing this guy looking at my head lights coming right for his driver side door, it happened so fast i didnt even see him coming, i looked up at the lights and made sure i hadnt gone through the red and i didnt. I had to pull over i was in such a state of shock...he had to be going 100 or so, i dont know how he didnt know it was red though, a car was sitting at the lights waiting for a green so i guess he thought stuff it i'll plow through anyways....now everytime i go through there im soo scared i check it a million times...

digitalpunk · 08-03-2007, 05:22 PM

One night going home from work I was approaching an intersection which had a set of lights. It was pretty wet and slippery and I was going straight. I had the green light but noticed an old heap of junk Camry wanting to turn right, which in doing so, he would turn in front of me or, he would have to wait for me to pass then turn after me, I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed no other cars behind me so the Camry wouldn't have to wait that long. As I approached I took caution just in case he would try to beat me and turn right in front of me, he stayed put until I was literally metres from him, he just turned right in front of me at the last possible second, I had no where to go so I hit the brakes, I remember seeing this Camry with multi colour panels flash past me and I was waiting for the bang, still don't know how I didn't hit him, but he got past and as soon as he did I let go of the brakes, pulled over to the side of the road and waited until I was calm before driving off.

XR06T · 08-03-2007, 05:42 PM

nearly drove up a vn with no tail lights *** on wednesday after some clown lost his load in the right lane and jumped out into the traffic to get it.. the ol abs saved me in that one, i could feel it was on its limit but i rekon i got from near on 80kph to stop in <35m.. this was in the old boys subaru

SirJuggsalot · 08-03-2007, 05:43 PM

Ive had my xr6t for a few weeks now.

Just last night I was on a 4 lane road where 2 turn left and 2 go ahead at a set of lights. I was in the right hand lane turning left, and some old grandpa was in the left lane turning left and decided to just move into my right hand lane mid turn when my bonnet was at his driver door.

Lets just say that im now changing the brakes on this car before I get the edit done

krt10 · 08-03-2007, 10:42 PM

i was driving my escort around a corner which had a t intersection on it. some old guy in a magna wagon didnt look and pulled out. if i went straight ahead i would of t-boned this guy right around the driver door. so i swerved and jumped on the brakes. went off the road and stopped around 30 cm away from a stobie pole. i seriously thought i was gonna hit it.
the guy just drove off. i would of chased the guy down if it wernt for my passenger who calmed me down.

Ford_Boy · 08-03-2007, 10:52 PM

I nearly lost my whole imediate family. My dad, mum and sister weren't home when I came home after being out during the day, it was afternoon and I just thought they were shopping. It wasn't until about 730 at night my father rang to tell me they were in hosipital just being checked up because when he took off on the green light some moron ran a red and side swiped them. The little pulsar cut through my dads el engine bay and slid another 60 metres down the road. The car was a right off and my family was nearly killed. Witnesses told police what happend, everyone wanted that guy to suffer. He tryed to convince the police he went through a yellow. He must have been doing 100+ in a 70 zone aswell.

Falcon_Phill · 08-03-2007, 10:57 PM

Some little red p plate ****ers ran up the back of my XF while i was in it, just a nudge, but enough to make me mad enough to chase them and scare them for a while. Another time i was in a mini and a red volvo almost ran us off the road because he didnt see us. Another time it was foggy and a semi trailer coming from the opposite direction crossed onto our side of the road while i was in a small honda. Too many to list.

krt10 · 08-03-2007, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford_Boy

I nearly lost my whole imediate family. My dad, mum and sister weren't home when I came home after being out during the day, it was afternoon and I just thought they were shopping. It wasn't until about 730 at night my father rang to tell me they were in hosipital just being checked up because when he took off on the green light some moron ran a red and side swiped them. The little pulsar cut through my dads el engine bay and slid another 60 metres down the road. The car was a right off and my family was nearly killed. Witnesses told police what happend, everyone wanted that guy to suffer. He tryed to convince the police he went through a yellow. He must have been doing 100+ in a 70 zone aswell.

geez. that would be scary. i could imagine losing my whole famaly in one accident

Ford_Boy · 08-03-2007, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krt10

geez. that would be scary. i could imagine losing my whole famaly in one accident

Yeah it was scary knowing that I could have lost my family. I have a big family but I couldn't live without my folkes and sis. My dad loved his old el. Had low kz and was in perfect condition. He just buffed it and it hurt when the car was smashed. I'm just thankful they were alive not only that un injured. If it was a smaller car they would have been killed instantly I reckon.

holmsy · 08-03-2007, 11:46 PM

my mate recently was riving along a road in his mini. and about 100 meters or so from turning off into a driveway. driving along at 60kmh

a car parked on the side of the road. sat there and just as my mate got up to the other car. they pulled straight out in front of him to do a you turn.

luckily he managed to swerve so he hit the front corner of their car instead of the drivers door. it was only a small mini but at 60kmh it would have gone through to door into the person.
and his poor pride and joy was mangled :(

dave351cid · 09-03-2007, 12:05 AM

today as we were driving for work , heading up the Bruce highway towards Gladstone .

there was a road patch truck (tar patches) with "L" plates doing about 80kmh, next a toyota camper van, then me and a mate in the work landcruiser. we had been following the truck and van for a couple of km when we got to a straight stretch , the van started to pull out to pass the truck and at the same time a commodore came flying past us and nearly collected the van. must have only missed by a few inchs as the commodore headed out onto the shoulder of the road and the van hit the brakes.

i doubt that the van would have been able to see the commodore behind us in the cruiser with all our ladders and tool boxs as he come up pretty quick and the commodore would not have been able to see the blinker on the van past us as well.

the commodore was passing truck+van+cruiser in one go without waiting to see what anyone else was doing.

we had just passed a speed camera car about a half a km back as well,

samftr · 09-03-2007, 12:16 AM

When I had just got my licence, I had drummed into my head "Scanning scanning scanning" - for intersections lights etc..
Well I went for a drive out at Deeragun in Townsville/Thuringowa and the traffic lights are in a 100km/hr zone that drops back to 80 in the intersection then back to 100 again..
so I get a green light to go across and turn right, and just before I was about to accelerate, I Scanned the intersection as told to me, and Voilla B double FLIES through the red light doing AT LEAST 100km/hr with no intention of slowing down.. SH@T me pants just about, as you can Imagine I was sitting in a GH Sigma wagon, and the truck would have got me right in the front right hand side where the drivers door is - Bye bye Sambo, thats for sure!

phew...

I FluXx I · 09-03-2007, 03:02 AM

I was traveling south on the tonkin hwy at about 9pm in the AU wagon work car. I was coming up to the horri miller exit and there seemed to be quite a bit of traffic on the other side of the road and in the turning lane that I was driving past. I saw that there was an accident and it was holding traffic up. As I was going past, some guy decided he didnt want to wait and pulled out of the turning lane right in front of me. I had to slam on the brakes and I was about 30cm away from hiting him. He was driving a AU sedan. Then he just drove off like nothing happened. I sped up to him and saw he had country plates and he was old. Yep. Those two just dont mix.

Another time I was driving on wanaroo rd heading south in one of those new hiaces. We had just come from working up north for the day. We where at a part of the road where the road is crap and theres lots of trees close to the road. This part is reduced from 110kmh to 90kmh. I headed into a corner and all of a sudden this VS commodore comes flying around the corner at about 140kmh. he wasnt in his lane and we almost had a head on collision. If we where driving a smaller car, he would have taken out mirror off. It was so scary I had to pull over for a few mins till my heart calmed down.

blackers10 · 09-03-2007, 03:19 AM

i was cruising into brisvegas along old gympie road out near windsor etc near the big ford dealer there in my fairlane with my girlfriend deb and my mate rick(green limozine on here)

and i was in the right lane of 3 doing 60kmh and the lights were red with both left lanes full of cars and 2 or 3 cars in the right turn lane

i started slowing then the light went green so i accelerated back to the limit and suddenly the MORON in the right turn lane turns left into my lane in his little charade type car

i hit the brakes hard and swerved left as i was only a few meters from him (he was stopped me doing 60kmh)

i swear i was inches from a VX commodore on the left and this little cars front end aye!
Deb closed her eyes and my mate rick was like HOLY *******

after calming for a few moments i just said... "****** IM GOOD" ...
Deb and rick just cracked up laughing and Deb was a bit teary due to the shock of such a near miss
____________

Another time i had just got my Ps and it was raining.. and was out with some mates (they were in their cars) and i was at a set of lights in redcliffe in my white 2 door laser

the light went green and i was turning right 2nd in line so my mate went then i went.
i didnt realise it was a green LIGHT not green ARROW and had i believe was an XF falcon screech its way around me mid intersection which i didnt realise till it was too late..(fogged up rain soaked windows)
____

on the bribie cruise a moron in a VN wagon decided to pull out infront of me at a T intersection (me going straight thru) i braked hard and avoided thank goodness

on the same cruise a 4x4 decided to go around a round about without indicating nearly cleaning me up in the process

coupdy do · 09-03-2007, 12:28 PM

I live in melbourne so this kind of **** happens every day..
The road rules are just a suggestion in Victoria I.e "STOP" if you feel like it
There is an intersection near work where almost 100% run it if they can.
Had a set of lights that every mourning i would get the green arrow and have to wait for the five cars running the red... ******* retards down here

rigs · 09-03-2007, 12:41 PM

I particularly love the good old "car parked in a parking spot on the same side of the road as you decides to perform a U-turn without pulling out first - directly in front of you - without checking their mirrors - when they cannot make it all the way round and have to stop in the middle of the next lane t-boned in traffic" trick.

[Tonko] · 09-03-2007, 02:49 PM

I was driving behind my poor old XR8 the other day, and i was looking at all of the damage (smashed quarters, smashed headlights, and 1 mirror, ) and the guy i sold it to was driving next to a B-double...
Im thinking, he's gettin a bit close there, and he gets closer and closer to the rear wheels, then i just see heaps of smoke and the trailer bouncing.
Yep he sideswiped a B- double while lighting a smoke...
My Poor old car now has 2 huge black rings on one side to match the rest of the crap...
R.I.P XR8

Yellow_Festiva · 09-03-2007, 05:11 PM

The most scary near miss I had:

2 weeks into having my 'P's I take my mum for a cruise in the Datto 180B. We are at a T intersection, first in the line. So of you look at the capital T as the road we were facing forward and waiting to turn right.

Anyway, light goes green, but I was chatting to my mum and didnt notice, after 2 seconds the car behind beeps and I take my foot off the brake to press the go pedal. A flash of silver passes infront of us.

A car had raced the red light, and passed through it at well over 100km/h in a 60 zone some 3-4 seconds after it went red.

If I took off right on the green we would have been dead or close to it.

Dezza · 09-03-2007, 06:00 PM

I had a Volvo opposite me turn right around a roundabout without indicating. I was going to take off, till I realised it wasn't going straight ahead. Honestly, how hard is it to use indicators? It doesn't take much just to flick the stalk so people know what you're doing

Also, a couple of years ago, I was going 100kmh on the highway, then had a Nissan Patrol pull straight out in front of me. I hit the brakes hard, and miraculously didn't slam into the back of him. What was even more amazing was that the BA Falcon behind me didn't slam into me!

Also, one time I was approaching my parent's place (a farm in Gippsland) and so I put my right indicator on, and slowed to a stop, since there were cars coming the other way. As I was waiting, a truck came tearing up from behind. I thought he was going to hit me. At what seemed like the last second, he went to the left over the shoulder of the road, and went speeding past, his trailer swaying all over the place, and spraying my car with dust and stones. He didn't slow down at all

MeLLy · 09-03-2007, 06:44 PM

Oh i just rememebered another near miss.....I've had way too many to count but this is my second scariest one...
I was driving down anzac hwy which is a 3 laned road and its a 60km limit zone, when i got to the lights of anzac and south road i was in the left lane and this chick in a ford laser hatchback was in the left turning lane (because when you get to that intersection theres 5 lanes, a left,middle and right, and a left turn and a right turn lane).When the light went green i took off, and the STUPID CHICK in the left hand lane goes straight and keeps coming, i was like WHAT are you doing, my friends were yelling at her to stop or slow down because the road was coming into one lane very soon but she kept going, i slammed on my breaks and let her through but i was ****ed, chased her for a little while my friends and i were yelling at her but she had her window up and kept driving like nothing had happened. Ijust couldnt believe her stupidity or ignorance...its times that i wish i had a spare pair of red and blue lights sitting around...

I FluXx I · 09-03-2007, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeLLy

Oh i just rememebered another near miss.....I've had way too many to count but this is my second scariest one...
I was driving down anzac hwy which is a 3 laned road and its a 60km limit zone, when i got to the lights of anzac and south road i was in the left lane and this chick in a ford laser hatchback was in the left turning lane (because when you get to that intersection theres 5 lanes, a left,middle and right, and a left turn and a right turn lane).When the light went green i took off, and the STUPID CHICK in the left hand lane goes straight and keeps coming, i was like WHAT are you doing, my friends were yelling at her to stop or slow down because the road was coming into one lane very soon but she kept going, i slammed on my breaks and let her through but i was ****ed, chased her for a little while my friends and i were yelling at her but she had her window up and kept driving like nothing had happened. Ijust couldnt believe her stupidity or ignorance...its times that i wish i had a spare pair of red and blue lights sitting around...

Or a shotgun :hihi:

Skooter · 09-03-2007, 10:46 PM

Me and dad were on a fishing trip down at Augusta (About 4 and a bit hours south of Perth) it was ****ing down with rain and we were on our way back from this somewhat famous bridge, I cant remember what it was called, and this road was realy lumpy so there was heaps of puddles all over it and i remeber thinking to myself this is hydroplane country!, then we saw this tractor it looked like it had lost control and slid onto the right hand side of the road with still the *** end hanging out onto the road. There was already a few cars parked in a driveway close by there so we didn't stop, we were doing about 90km/h and this old nissan patrol was heading towards us with the tractor in his lane and this retard decides he wont wait until we pass to go around so he goes around then realises that its getting a bit tight for space so he gives it some and the old patrol is now going sideways, so here we are 90km/h on a wet road with nothing but big trees right on the side of the road in the first rain of the season and there is a nissan patrol heading towards us sideways! luckily he managed to bring it undercontrol and get back in his lane.

Miller · 10-03-2007, 12:06 AM

Was out with my mate, I was in the EF and he was in his excel. Anyway, we were going straight ahead at a two lane round about, from the left lane. Left lane can turn left or go straight, right lane can go right or straight. As we are going straight ahead, some 70 year old indian fella tried to turn left from the right light, barely missing me whilst Sean nearly tboned him. The fella then followed us into the car park while he started abusing Sean saying he was in the wrong and ****.

Here's a crude depiction I made. I'm the light blue, mate is the maroon and the fella that tried to run into us is the blue.

samftr · 10-03-2007, 02:01 AM

where did the indimigan enter the roundabout from. realistically you can only enter the roundabout say in the left lane and either take a left or go straight ahead. you cant go any further around then that.
I often get people in the left lane say where you two are trying to turn across in front of me when I am in the middle lane going straight through, on the aptly named "Roundabout From Hell" on Pickering Street in Enoggera... Brisbanites would certainly be able to relate to what I am saying here ;)

XR Lita · 10-03-2007, 09:17 AM

That's the majority of Cairns drivers though...

Too many bloody tourists, and none of them know the road rules. Hell, even most of the locals are hard pressed to do the right thing

XR6_661 · 10-03-2007, 11:19 AM

All too true!!

I never cease to be amazed everytime I go out on the roads. All these idiots with cereal box licenses.