Central barrier, all three lanes, bank, fence post, airbag!

[Sir Trev]

Not me thankfully but I was a gnats tadger away from being collected on the way through.

I hate the M4. It is a mad, angry place in the rush hours, full of a-holes all trying to assert some form of supremacy over other motorists. For a change this morning it was fairly quiet at 7:15 when a young lady overtakes me between Maidenhead and Bracknell. Good job really. I was in the car in lane 2 overtaking a slower car when she passes me. Drifting a little to the right she crossed the line, offside wheels in the drainage gravel, skims the barrier, over-corrects, shoots across all three lanes (my ABS was chiming in by now as I fumbled for the hazards button), cross the shoulder, up a small bank and was lost from view as I headed over to stop. The other car stopped too and once we found we were all untouched and unhurt I hurried back to find a broken fence post, mangled front end, deployed airbags but a thankfully just bruised teenager with a bad case of shock.

Take care out there and keep an eye on the vehicles around you. I saw her start to drift and came off the gas just in case - it probably gave me just enough room to avoid her. Took me quite a while to stop shaking and concentrating on anything today is proving difficult. Driving along such "angry" roads day in day out it's innevitable I would get involved in something sooner or later. I was lucky today but I hope that luck holds.

Trevor's Tip of the Day is to carry a hi vis in the boot of your car - the hard shoulder is a scary place to be and I'm glad I had one. I also learned to have a thermal blancket or two. The Highways Womble produced one for the shocked driver who had no coat with her.

Might just go home early today to miss the worst of the afternoon rush...

[Wideboy]

Hopefully she will be banned (doubt it). Another reason why the motorway limit shouldn't be put up.

I too commute via the m27 most days and the level of some peoples driving makes me want to ignore the fact they are human beings and strangle them to death.

[Dave-the-rave]

Take the day off. Drink tea. Eat chocolate.
Today's one of those ''Life is fragile'' days but
it's also a ''Good to be alive'' day.

[daveyrach]

There was another accident after Junction 12 going toward Newbury, my sister said the traffic was 'solid' as they had closed 2 lanes.

All seems a bit Hollywood when it happens in front of your eyes doesnt it Trev. Glad you made it through untouched and hope the girl heals up.
Twice this week I've spent 30mins looking at the side of a fireengine after making my way to the front of a traffic que. It was actually twice in the same day, first was on the way to work where a Ford Galaxy had crossed the central reserve on the A58 and hit a SLK head on... not pretty. Second was a PT Crusier decided to burst into flames on the M621, driver out unhurt and a lovely spectacle to watch. NB: Firemen dont feck about!

[Haircut]

Originally Posted by Owenski

All seems a bit Hollywood when it happens in front of your eyes doesnt it Trev. Glad you made it through untouched and hope the girl heals up.
Twice this week I've spent 30mins looking at the side of a fireengine after making my way to the front of a traffic que. It was actually twice in the same day, first was on the way to work where a Ford Galaxy had crossed the central reserve on the A58 and hit a SLK head on... not pretty. Second was a PT Crusier decided to burst into flames on the M621, driver out unhurt and a lovely spectacle to watch. NB: Firemen dont feck about!

She was lucky it was'nt Hollywood, in the movies that car would have burst into a ball flames 100 metres high!

[Sid Squid]

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.

[Sir Trev]

Originally Posted by daveyrach

There was another accident after Junction 12 going toward Newbury, my sister said the traffic was 'solid' as they had closed 2 lanes.

And there was one by J9 fifteen minutes after the one I was almost part of. Several people stopped in lane 1 (yes - IN the live traffic lane!) to tell the attending officers at our scene, who rightly shouted at them for stopping in such a ridiculous place!

I know what you mean about the undramatic view Squidly, have seen an XR3i cartwheeling across a wide central verge in Milton Keynes once a few years ago when I had plenty of space to avoid it. Yesterday's was a bit too close for my liking and didn't feel as undramatic as I'd have liked.

Working from home today and Monday so no motorways for a few days, which suits me just fine.