Your best "near miss" stories

"feather-throttle-not-hair" (feather-throttle-not-hair) 08/13/2013 at 16:39 • Filed to: None

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Car accidents are a fact of life. They are the big fear we all have, the counterpoint to our aspirations of driving pleasure. When we see one happening or about to happen, we will do anything to avoid it. Sometimes the accident happens anyway. Other times though, through skill, quick thinking or simply blind luck, we come out on the other side unscathed with nothing to show for it but a good story. Let's hear those stories.

-Summertime, rural Pacific Northwest, about 15 years ago-

Earlier that day I had just made the first automobile purchase of my young life. It was a 1988 Celica All-trac, 190 horses from a turbocharged 4-cylinder, all-wheel-drive, a five speed manual and a complete and utter moron in control of everything.

First things first, I had to show my friends. Things went relatively well for the first couple of hours. We were piled into the small interior of the car cruising around in moderate discomfort. Eventually though, it was time to drop people off at their houses.

I had never been to my friend Alex's house, so he had to give me directions. It was down a long, relatively well trafficked road with a 45 mph speed limit.

I took a left turn into what I thought was his driveway. It wasn't, I had turned way too early.

I now had a choice, proceed up the driveway until I found a place to turn around OR try and back out of the driveway, making the awkward "left turn" to continue the direction I was heading originally. The driveway was steeply sloped uphill and it being the pacific northwest, there were tons and tons of trees lining the road, totally killing visibility.

I decided to back out.

I was about halfway out of the driveway when I saw the semi truck barreling down on us from the first lane. The second lane (the one I was aiming for) also had a car in it.

"ohshit." I should mention here, that this was essentially my second time driving a car equipped with a manual. The first time was when I test drove the Celica. This perhaps explains my reluctance to do the normal, appropriate thing, which would be to simply go back up the driveway and try again when there wasn't any traffic. Going back up the driveway involved a.) finding first gear and b.) not stalling on a hill.

When in doubt, MORE POWER. I floored the gas, turned the wheel and found myself in front of the semi, accelerating in reverse down the road. This was exciting. People in my car were screaming.

No sooner had I completed the turn when the Celica reminded us that, reverse or not, it was still a highly turbocharged car from the late 80's. Half a second later it came alive and everyone was forced against their seatbelts as the car shot down the road in reverse, turbo at full boil. The screaming got louder.

At some point it became obvious that two things had happened, we'd passed the car going the opposite direction, and we'd begun to outpace the truck. I got into the correct lane, stopped, found first and continued as if nothing had happened.

My friends didn't forget though. They still tease me about it to this day. "Hey! remember when you almost killed all of us in front of that semi?"

It remains the one time I've ever felt turbo lag in reverse.

Mazarin > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 16:48

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A COLLISION is a "near miss!"

*CRASH!* - Look, they nearly missed.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 16:49

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Driving up in the mountains to get firewood, '78 GMC towing a log splitter, look up california route 193 for an example of the area, came around a blind corner where there was one of those small bridges with the concrete sides barely wide enough for the road. A bicyclist was going over it towards me, and another truck towing a gooseneck livestock trailer was coming from the other side and had moved over to give him room. Also towards me. The three of us managed to meet on that tiny bridge without touching somehow. I suspect the bicyclist had a brown pants moment.

NaturallyAspirated > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 17:00

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Mine isn't nearly as long as yours :).

I was in my Miata heading down the highway. I reached my exit, which was an unfamiliar one across town from me. I drove down the offramp faster than I should have, only to find that the radius of the offramp got much tighter at the bottom. In a bit of a panic, I hammered the brakes and downshifted, and the rear of the car got away from me. I dialled in some oppo, caught the rear, and held the drift down the rest of the offramp through sheer dumb luck.

When I got the bottom of the ramp, I realized that I had no idea to how to exit a drift, and my attempt to straighten out resulted in me overcorrecting, doing a 180 in the opposite direction of my original drift, and ending up with the car stalled in the center median pointed almost exactly opposite my direction of travel, with gawking commuters driving past me on both sides.

I restarted the Miata and cruised off, laughing like a loon as the adrenaline surge caught up with me.

Fortunately I was by myself in the car.

Hoccy > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 17:01

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3AM, in the middle of Winter. I was the designated driver if the night, and to everyones joy it was in the middle of a snowfall. I had my first car, a 1989 Mitsubishi Galant 4x4, which was completely bonkers fun in the snow. That evening was sideways fun from end to end, since I didn't have much studs left in my tires.

I'd just driven home the last person, and started the last 3km back home. No ploughtrucks or tractors had been out, so it must have been 15-20cm of snow on the road. I had not seen another car for hours, so I didn't really think I'd meet someone now. Left corner very sideways in 1st gear, then a right in 2nd and up to 3rd gear for a left. I'm getting up to about 60 km/h for the next, rather blind right turn, still sideways. In the middle of the turn, out of nowhere, I see some lights. In the next turn 50-100m in front of me. I'm at least at a 60 degree angle to the road, right in the middle.

Since I had my wheels at opposite lock, I straightened them up and a bit to the right. I also got off the power a bit, trying to regain grip. The tires found some grip and got me back into my lane and amazingly not into the ditch. At the same moment I meet the other car. I don't remember how close it was , but my heart was pumping hard afterwards.. I'm not sure if the other car even saw my drift..

Wave Motion Gun > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 17:01

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Potato video warning. This is from a long time ago at Hallett, but is my go-to close call.

I'm in the white Mustang on the right - good thing I had a shit exit from turn 1, or else I would have had a Fox body for a rear spoiler or drivers door cover.

Dusty Ventures > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 17:27

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New England, 1 AM, middle of a blizzard in February. I'm in a Subaru Outback on a narrow 2 lane, doing about 45 in a 55, driving slow due to the weather. The road's going downhill, which isn't a big deal, with a blind right curve, a "R5 Down" in rally speak. I round the corner no problem, but upon exit I find the hill becomes steeper and terminates in a T intersection in about 500 feet. I get on the brakes and the ABS immediately kicks in, it's sheet ice under the two inches of snow. As I'm sliding I realize I can see indentations in the snow from a car that came before me, slid through the intersection, and clouted the guardrail on the other side, now it looks like I'll do the same.
Now less than 200 feet from the intersection, still going way too fast, and searching for a solution I allow myself to drift left halfway into the oncoming lane. I crank the wheel hard right and yank the handbrake, spinning the car completely perpendicular to the road I'm on. The car buzzes over the center rumble strip divider (thank god it wasn't a raised median) and into the intersection. I go hard on the gas and the car starts paddlewheeling, digging for grip. Sideways momentum starts getting traded for forward momentum and by the time I'm fully in the opposing lane on the crossroad I've regained control enough to drive out of it and back into my lane.
That was my big near miss and my unintentional "Ken Block" moment.

feather-throttle-not-hair > NaturallyAspirated 08/13/2013 at 18:03

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Spins are crazy scary! I can only imagine how fast the rear end could get away from you in something as short as a miata.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Hoccy 08/13/2013 at 18:06

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Awd + snow = irresistible. Sounds like quite a moment. The worst part is that in snow you probably had plenty of time to think "oh shit oh shit oh shit, am i gonna make it..."

feather-throttle-not-hair > Wave Motion Gun 08/13/2013 at 18:09

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Holy smokes! was that a stuck throttle that guy had? Lucky you! Also mad skills on his part to avoid anything more serious.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Dusty Ventures 08/13/2013 at 18:11

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Like a boss! Scandinavian flick and all.

Wave Motion Gun > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 18:14

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Broken brake line. Pedal went to the floor, and he was probably setting up for heel-toe, so the gas went with it.

It was a fine piece of driving during an otherwise ugly weekend. Lots of bent metal and angry owners.

Hoccy > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 18:15

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Oh tell me about it, how I stayed on the road in that car is a mystery that remains unsolved..

The thing is: it all happened quite fast, only one "oh shi..!". Though I have had some situations while I've locked up the brakes (no ABS) and had some more time to think. Usually the handbrake and some power solved the problem!

feather-throttle-not-hair > Wave Motion Gun 08/13/2013 at 18:16

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ahhh that makes sense. Terrifying.

Hoccy > Dusty Ventures 08/13/2013 at 18:20

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Haha, that's always how I've solved winter understeer/sliding. Main rule is to have more grip on the front than on the rear, and point the tires where you want to go. Good job!

Dusty Ventures > Hoccy 08/13/2013 at 18:29

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Rally school graduate ;)

Though those classes came after the close call...

Dusty Ventures > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 18:30

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Sort of but not quite. A true Scandinavian flick would have required a hard turn to the left before turning right and no handbrake.

boxrocket > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 18:45

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Two come to mind, but I'll share the more-dramatic of the two.

My current car, a 1990 Volvo 765 Turbo, I bought from a local Volvo dealership. They did little to add appeal to it other than a quick detail before putting her on the used lot. As such, she came with a set if Michelin "shoes" in decent shape and wear, probably 75% life in them.

One misty day weeks later I was driving to some errand, and I took a left turn into a large uphill four-way intersection on some significantly busy crossroads when it happened. I wasn't going fast or hard, but about 3/4-5/6 through the turn the car started to slide inward. I eased off the throttle, applied correct steering input, but the car continued the slide, and, alarmingly, being an inward slide, it went over the curb on the median island. I was mentally convincing myself that the curb would have stopped or slowed the slide, but all it did was bounce the car around. Realizing I was headed for oncoming traffic, I railed on the horn and brights, and swung the wheel inward as hard as I could so I'd be facing the same way as the traffic headed my way. Thankfully I was able to keep the car in the left-most of the lanes I was now in (although still not properly oriented), and my efforts of being conspicuous meant the blue Ranger that I would have hit head-on was able to stop inches off my front bumper. I ungracefully turned the car around inside the lane (this Volvo has the best turning radius of any car I've driven, and arguably tighter than some non-cars I've been in), and sheepishly and cautiously take the left-turn of the lane I was in and eventually took another and two rights to return to my previous route, but with a detour to buy new tires. Disappointing to replace such new shoes, but I wouldn't tolerate such an event reoccurring. The tires shouldn't have gotten loose so easily, so they were replaced with some nice Yokohamas.

wordhipster > feather-throttle-not-hair 08/13/2013 at 23:01

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The car - a 1989 Geo Metro hatchback. Cracked block - 180,000 miles - working handbreak.

The participants - two 17 year old males.

My friend had a habit of sliding sideways into my gravel driveway whenever he dropped me off. After 30 seconds of hard acceleration, a graceful 20mph slide was the usual end to our days. On this particularly cutting January day, he was doing just that. Unfortunately, the ice from the last couple of days worth of sleet/snow had not fully melted off yet and the entrance to my driveway was still mostly ice.

At the time we had a driveway surrounded by large oak trees on the corner of a larger 4 lane street in my town. We were heading towards this street, but we normally just slid into the large mouth of the driveway and I hopped out in a cloud of satisfaction.

So, he pulls the handbrake and we get good rotation on the mostly dry pavement of the better insulated street that was still warm enough to melt ice. Once the tires hit the driveway, we just start sliding backwards.

We both immediately braced for hitting a tree but the tiny Metro just scraped its way between a couple of them. I'd never have guessed the car would have fit through the gap. If there were still door mirrors on the car, they probably would have been knocked off, but the nearly mint* paint wasn't even scuffed. We were so very pleased by this we totally forgot about the steep slope and 4 lanes of afternoon traffic we were still veritably** hurtling towards. Once we realized we were gonna die again my friend tried to do something with the newfound traction on dry pavement.

I don't know why he didn't hit the brakes. I really don't. Instead he stalled the car. Trying to start the car in gear and rolling backwards didn't work at all with all the pedal mashing of the moment. We rolled completely across the road. Coasted, would be a better term. A flatbed missed us by about a quark in the first set of oncoming lanes. I remember getting mad at his horn. Not like I could do anything about it. The opposite lanes were empty for a moment and that allowed us to, again, with NO input from the driver, lightly wash ashore in a snow filled gravel lot across the street.

(*Not that you could tell. The car was like a cast for a broken limb. My friend let people carve their names in the paint and eventually total strangers had taken to carving whatever they wanted on it. It was a community art project with the graduating class of 2008 and dicks on it. )

(** Probably about 10 mph. Simply terrifying in a Geo)

Just imagine rolling momentum in a Geo. Then add backwards and traffic. The whole thing probably lasted 20 seconds or so but it felt like an eternity after the fact. I wasn't even mad. Just glad I lived. I kinda loved that car for just a minute or two.

My friend eventually confessed to wanting to try to do it again without traffic.

Yeah.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Dusty Ventures 08/14/2013 at 00:32

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Well I imagined it with a Scandinavian flick. Trust me. It was rad looking.

feather-throttle-not-hair > wordhipster 08/14/2013 at 00:42

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Great story!

Reminds me of one of my friends who had an early 90's Ford Escort. He was very into the e-brake turns.

One of my favorite car moments ever involved going to my neighbors house after he invited me over. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. Confused, i pulled out my phone and called him.

Me: Where are you?

Him: Close.

Me (annoyed): well you just invited me to your house. How long will it be until you get here?

Him: three.....two.....

Suddenly I heard screeching tires. I looked up the short driveway towards the street.

"One"

A brown Escort, sliding completely backwards came into view, stopping gracefully just past the driveway before pulling in. It was perfection.

Why are handbrakes more fun than they have any right to be?