Never sit at the back of a queue!
 

I've been reading the thread on filtering recently and wondering if it might be safer to wait in line.

I had this question answered tonight when a young lady chose to write my car off from behind whilst I was waiting at some road works. I'd always thought in this situation that I'd manage to get the car out the way. Even though I'd seen the car approach there was no way I had time once I'd realised it wasn't slowing. I did try but I was still in second.

I hate to think what would've happened had I been on my bike. As my car hit the car in front I'd certainly have ended up crushed between the two. The acceleration was enough to fold my seat back. As it happens everything crumpled as it should and everyone involved was fine.

AFAIK filtering is illegal in certain places in the world especially between two lines of traffic, I think this probably trades a highish number of minor accidents for a handful of fatal ones. I'm just speculating though. Anyone know any figures?

Unlucky about the car, sorry to hear that, but good news everyone was OK (ish).

Similar has almost happened to me on the M60 years ago. In my case it was a truck driver that hadn't seen stationary traffic & was coming up behind me fast! When he did realise, he locked the wheels braking so hard, and that's when I first noticed what was going on. Needless to say, very brown seat! Very fortunately, nothing happened, although I don't know how.

Hopefully you, nor anyone in any of the cars came away with any injuries.

Slightly different. I was stopped for a red light the guy behind me never saw. I remember stopping thinking it was not a good idea to have tried to run it as their was a police car at the front of the adjacent lane and suddenly I wake up thinking what did I do with some guy running across the road say I am so sorry.

Being taken out from behind on a bike is no fun. I remember nothing of it but carry a daily reminder. So don't be the first in the queue either.

I was in Nissan Micra and got run into by a 4x4 at a set of lights. He slammed into the nearside corner and pushed the back end of the car into the passenger seat. I dunno why but I took my foot of the brake and pushed the clutch in as it hit me. I also wrapped both arms around my head and might have uttered "oh ****!" Just before impact. From what they tell me the micra got spun into the intersection and hit the traffic light on the other side. I woke up next day in hospital all befuddled.

wow sounds like you had a lucky escape from injury there. hope you get the insurance, etc sorted ok.

tbh there isn't much you can do in a situation like that when you're in a car, on a bike you might stand a better chance of getting out of the way, but as you say the consequences are much worse if you don't...

I think this is a very useful thread, the more folks think about the "what if" the better, and plan ahead.

A mate of mine escaped exactly what some of you have described, queue on a motorway coming to a stop, he was on a bike (wife was pillion), slowing behind the stationary cars ahead he spotted in his mirrors a car approaching rapidly behind so he pulled ahead between the lines and the car smashed into the back of the queue. Very possibly would have been 2 dead if he hadn't "escaped".

In a car I always try to slow gradually to keep as much distance between me and the car ahead as I can, flash brake lights repeatedly (I'm sure it annoys some people), and try not to be the back of the queue if I can help it. If you have to come to a stop, leave plenty of space ahead so at least if you're rear-ended you don't end up crushed between vehicles. If there's no-one behind you then it's not causing any problems by slowing right down, if there is traffic behind you can build up your own buffer behind to protect you.

On a bike plan where you can escape to and leave space ahead to do it, and watch the mirrors. Back of the queue is a dangerous place to be.

Pete was it a Mini that you were driving? Just that i can see a classic in your pic

Glad to hear everyone is OK.

In my 20yrs of driving I have had this happen twice, the worst was in 1998 on Christmas Eve at red traffic lights, I was hit and shoved a couple of metres almost into the path of a lorry and then just as I opened the door to indicate where we should discuss the matter, he was hit by MPV and he hit me again with just as much force! I was off work for 3 weeks with neck and back pain followed by 6 weeks of physio.

Since then I now have become a more defensive or should that be offensive (no I dont swear more
:lol: ) - Whenever I am coming to a queue of traffic I now leave at least 1 car length in front to avoid the 'what if' and it also serves as an escape gap should the car in front find themselves in difficulty...
...doesnt always work in your favour because the gap seem quite big and others think they can dart in and take the space...dorks!

I hope the insurance are efficient for you.

Be lucky
Phil

Almost happened to me less than half an hour ago. Coming home from work, the railway crossing was closed. I was on the top of a bridge on a bend and stuck behind a queue of traffic. I saw a group of kids in a corsa coming up very fast behind, so shot off down the inside of the queue to avoid it. I got some strange looks but at least I got home :x

I agree totally with this, something I do in the car and on the bike. Ever since that dozy bird drove into the back of stationary bike without so much as slowing down, I've had an almost paranoid fixation to not be hit again.

It's something I'm aware of more in the car than I am on the bike (maybe because I'm lower down), and if anyone's dares to tailgate me, I just slow down more.

Jo

Sounds like you're very quick thinking. I've been told that the best thing to do in an accident is to cross your arms across your chest and move your feet away from the pedal area. The worst thing you can do is to try and brace yourself. I don't think I did either but I did make sure my head was back against the headrest.

I was driving an old 205 at the time. The Mini in the pic belongs to the guy the took the photo. I really don't fancy being in an accident in one. I've crashed a bmw MINI and I walked away unscathed, I think that was down to good design of the motorway barrier though (from a car drivers point of view, had I been on the bike I'd probably have ended up 15 feet below on the A20!).

I had left a gap but closed it up in order to try and give the girl space to stop. What annoys me is that had she been better educated she'd probably have been able to stop in that distance or at the very least driven round us as there was no-one coming the other way. As it happened she stood on the brake AND tried to steer round. She sailed into the me at about 30-40 mph est with the wheels locked.

Fortunately more modern cars are built for morons. I used to be in the trade and drove many Mazdas equipped with electronic brake force distribution. Those would stop quickly and in a straight line with two wheels on gravel and two on the road, without the driver holding the steering wheel!

To add to what embee wrote...

If I approach a slowing queue of traffic on the motorway I quite often see people put on their hazard indicators on while braking, and I do the same. Seems like a good idea to me - 3 lanes of cars with brake lights and hazards on is pretty noticeable!

Never been done from behind ( :!: ) but it`s something i`m always aware of, really don`t like sitting at lights/junctions without a stationary vehicle behind me, if there`s a car approaching me i try to judge it`s speed, see if the headlights dip i.e braking and make sure i`ve got an escape route. Saying all that i never realised i did it until i read this post and thought about it.
Sorry to thread steal but what are views on people that park up and open their car door without looking? only ask as i`ve just seen it happen in Uxbridge high street, guy opens door without looking, bang his door is compressed to half it`s size. If he didn`t see a car there`s no chance he`ll see us superior road uses

A few years ago when I worked on the bike. coming down the inside [parked cars and stopped] a truck opened his door, me >door> car> car>car> road. one mini got written off. ended up with no more than a broken clutch cable/lever.

Still filter but never against parked car/trucks

pete

I always have & always will do this, no matter what I'm driving. To me, just makes sense. A crap load of muppets driving killing machines at 70mph+ coming towards stationary metal boxes, and in the dark, it can be hard to tell the cars in front have stopped! :shock: To me, stationary vehicles ahead on the motorway IS a hazard.

Spider, door opening... educate them :D As you ride past gently tug on the door, light enough so you don't get off balanced. If it's an older car, there's a chance of damaging the hinge, if it's not, it'll scare the crap out of them anyway. They'll soon learn.

Lol my mate at work used to do just this and I had the pleasure of being shotgun once when he did it.
Someone got up his **** at 60 through tight country lanes so he slowed down to 50, they got even closer.
Down to 40 the guy starts weaving about and flashing his lights and honking...so he slows to 30...all the way down to 20 before the guy finally overtakes dangerously swearing his head off.

Repeat 2 more times and no-one got the point, the more up my **** you get, the slower I go, water off my back I'm not in a hurry...
Made me chuckle.

People just didn't want to back up 2 meters and go faster they just did not want to "surrender" that tiny bit of safe distance for the sake of faster progress.

I was driving through Shropshire and was tail gated by a guy in an Omega, he was being tail gated by a woman in a Fiesta. When we entered at village I slowed to 30 and they just got closer. They just wouldn't get the message. At a set of lights I indicated right and they still didn't back off. I braked and the Omega nose dived as the driver woke up, I let up on the brakes just a tad as he was right close.
The crunch of the Fiesta hitting the Omega actually made me laugh, probably not a nice thing to do or to think but I gave every warning. :lol: Omega guy had only missed me by inches.
I pulled into a carpark and went to buy some lunch, when I came out Omega guy and Fiesta witch had parked my Avensis in and started to rant that I had caused the accident. Fun confrontational stuff ensued. :lol:

Im very warey of this in a car. I always leave that bit of gap in front, so should anything come up, i've at least got a "chance" of either moving forward, or to the side so to avoid being rear ended.

Always just looking in the rear view mirror if im last in the queue.

I've got one of the windscreen washer jets misaligned (not by me) but it squirts right over the top, do that to a tailgater and they back off. :)