SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - View Single Post - Central barrier, all three lanes, bank, fence post, airbag!

Sid Squid · 04-10-12, 09:41 PM

About twenty years ago I was driving east on the M4 around Chippenham at about 3:30am in the inside lane on a near empty motorway. A Peugeot 205 doing about 3-4 mph more than me slowly overtook, weaving gently and straddling the line between lanes 2 and 3, I could see the driver, his head nodding back and forth as he dozed off. I eased off the pedal as he started to weave wider and wider, grazed the centre barrier, then headed across all three lanes, the hard shoulder and up the bank. I suspect he woke up with a start, panicked and stamped on the brake, the car came down the bank sideways and when it got back to tarmac it gripped and flipped over, rolling twice. Obviously a lot of the speed had scrubbed off, but it was probably still doing 40 or so when it went over.
For me it was an undramatic view of a dramatic event as it took a while to happen and I had a great view, for him it was a very sudden and rude awakening.
I don't think I've ever seen someone quite so shocked, as far as I'm aware he was unhurt but suddenly very very wide awake.

04-10-12, 09:41 PM	#7
Sid Squid No, I don't lend tools. Mega Poster Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Skunk Works, Nth London Posts: 8,680	Re: Central barrier, all three lanes, bank, fence post, airbag! About twenty years ago I was driving east on the M4 around Chippenham at about 3:30am in the inside lane on a near empty motorway. A Peugeot 205 doing about 3-4 mph more than me slowly overtook, weaving gently and straddling the line between lanes 2 and 3, I could see the driver, his head nodding back and forth as he dozed off. I eased off the pedal as he started to weave wider and wider, grazed the centre barrier, then headed across all three lanes, the hard shoulder and up the bank. I suspect he woke up with a start, panicked and stamped on the brake, the car came down the bank sideways and when it got back to tarmac it gripped and flipped over, rolling twice. Obviously a lot of the speed had scrubbed off, but it was probably still doing 40 or so when it went over. For me it was an undramatic view of a dramatic event as it took a while to happen and I had a great view, for him it was a very sudden and rude awakening. I don't think I've ever seen someone quite so shocked, as far as I'm aware he was unhurt but suddenly very very wide awake. __________________ If an SV650 has a flat tyre in the forest and no-one is there to blow it up, how long will it be 'til someone posts that the reg/rec is duff and the world will end unless a CBR unit is fitted? A little bit of knowledge = a dangerous thing. "a deathless anthem of nuclear-strength romantic angst"