Driving home last night about 11ish and was on the dual carriageway section (national speed limit)... Was following another car which was overtaking a van... he went back to the inside lane when he passed him, as did i... then suddenly I was aware of headlights going past me at speed in the outside lane - the opposite way!! I have to be honest and say that I just never saw him... I always pull back after overtaking a car on a motorway or dual carriageway if there's nothing else to pass and thank goodness i do... This time it saved my life!
We go a little further up the road (at very reduced speed!) and found cars all over the place where they had been trying to avoid him... It was just lucky it was late at night...
Phew!
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The section of the A456 between the B4551 Hagley roundabout (Grange Road) and the Hayley Green roundabout... Its called Manor way:
tinyurl.com/3ymdtv3 link shortened to restore correct page width
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 21 Aug 10 at 15:08
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Bet the washing machines working hard this morning.............
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Yes, some of the others looked very shaken... It happenned so fast with me (I only had a fleeting glance of the headlights) that its not really sunk in... You know, when your mind registers somethings happenned but it was so quick and brief its not really made sense of it!
As my wife said, its something you read about, but don't expect to happen to you!
Last edited by: hobby on Sat 21 Aug 10 at 11:44
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Jeez, tell me about it. I was on the A456 last night and it wasn't just one car going the wrong way, EVERYONE was going in the wrong direction.
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Do you know any more about it, AF?
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>> Do you know any more about it, AF?
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Blimey, I was slow with your comment, Alfa...
Slides slowly away with a red face... :-)
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I've seen it both ways... drivers on the wrong side of the carriageway in the same direction as me AND having somebody coming head-on at me.
NEVER nice.
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There's been at least 2 here in the past past 2 years that have ended badly. Definitely something to keep the old eyes peeled for.
M8 Motorway -->
24th Nov 2009 - news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8375616.stm
2nd Jan 2008 - www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/01/02/cop-in-wrong-way-car-crash-horror-86908-20272304/
I was sure there was a non fatal one involving a old boy driving the wrong side of the M8 into an artic lorry at the McLellan cheese factory but i can't find any links in the news.
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I had one many years ago, taking SWMBO2B back home one night. Urban road, houses and parked cars. Gentle right hander, one crossed over and came straight at me.
I took a chance and passed him n/s to n/s. I saw him spin round in my mirror and stop across the carriageway. Miss Tappets was very upset. I went back and opened his door, he fell out onto the road.......I was in the Police then, sent her to the phone box and a black Morris J4 van turned up and removed him to the cells.
Gives you a bit of a shock , though.
Ted
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I went to an inquest for a guy who got drunk after falling out with his wife and drove down the wrong side of the A19 in County Durham.
It was the dual carriageway stretch near Easington services.
He clouted a VW Golf head-on which was being driven by a nurse.
I remember her limping into the hearing to give evidence.
We will never know what speed he was doing, but she was doing 70mph in the outside lane.
Combined impact speed must have been 130mph-140mph.
That she was left with 'only' a permanent limp is a testament to the crashworthiness of VW Golfs.
The man's wife had the good grace to apologise to the nurse at the hearing, who in turn appeared not to blame her, and seemed to sympathise.
Showed a great generosity of spirit, I thought.
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About 10 years ago, my mother, then in her late 70's had a pal who was already 85 or so. They were inseparable despite calling each other for everything behind each other's backs !
Her friend still drove although my mother had long since given up due to impaired sight. Her buddy had a little Citoen AX which despite its even then advancing years had something ludicrous like 2000 miles on it. It only ever came out to take the two old ladies to church or a very short outing.
Anyway, they lived next door to each other in Edinburgh and one day they decided to drive out to South Queensferry to view the bridges, take a stroll by the sea and have lunch somewhere.
My mum, as I mentioned, hadn't driven for years by then but in her younger days had driven an ambulance in WW2 often under enemy fire so she doesn't spook easily in moving vehicles !
However.......part of the journey to South Queensferry included a stretch of dual carriageway northbound from the Barnton roundabout for those who know the area. Somehow, goodness knows how, mum's pal managed to get the car on the wrong side of the dual carriageway and proceeded to drive the wrong way up it.
Now, my mother, despite her limited sight could tell immediately what had happened and belowed a warning. This fell on petulantly deaf ears as they were always arguing about the limited standard of her friend's driving among most other subjects frankly.
Mother grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger seat and forced the car to the hard shoulder much to the disgust of its driver who fought to steer it back on the road into the path of oncoming high speed traffic !
Fortunately nothing hit anything and the day was saved. A three point turn was effected and return progress made in something of a strained atmosphere.
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sat 21 Aug 10 at 17:24
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A lucky escape, they must have crossed over at the Cramond Brig, (a pub). I will be driving that road in about 30 minutes, to pick up SWMBO from her pal's house in Leith. The marauding craft group have been south for a few days. (Quilting show at the NEC), thankfully I didn't get an invitation. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 21 Aug 10 at 17:35
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Bet she's really been at the V Fest. Check for dilated pupils and muddy wellies !
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I hear that she has spent a fortune on crafting junk as a diversion. :-)
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Craig, where is the McLellan cheese factory???
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Must have been scary!
I saw a Saab going the wrong way on the M25 once, it was on the hard shoulder though doing 40 to 50.
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That reminds me of my commute last week. Can't remember which day, but the matrix signs on the Southbound M3 near the M25 suddenly flashed up 30 mph and "CAUTION - ONCOMING VEHICLE". First time in my life I've ever seen anything like it.
Saw absolutely nothing, and found no reports on local news etc immediately afterwards. I'm still not sure whether this was a maintenance vehicle, an idiot, or a simple malfunction of the matrix signs.
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someone split coke in the keyboard at Godstone control.
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>> someone split coke in the keyboard at Godstone control.
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Or somebody on coke at the Godstone control.
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>> someone split coke in the keyboard at Godstone control.
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>>>>>>> are you allowed to say that?
i suppose its better than spilling coca cola i spose? :-)
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Close call - Zero
