Odd things you see when driving/riding

On the M25 this morning. The traffic slowed down and it seemed that
something had happened up ahead. When I reached the incident I could see
a car had come to rest touching the barrier on the central reservation.
Not completely stuffed into it, just the offside rear end sort of resting
against the Armco. No sign of any other vehicle involved. So far, nothing
particularly unusual. What made it odd was that the car was facing
completely the wrong way, with the front pointing towards the oncoming
traffic. I couldn't work out how he managed to get there. There was no
obvious damage to the car that might explain it and it was a straight
section of road so he didn't lose control on a bend. Rather strange.

Whilst on the topic, the van on fire in the middle of the northbound A12
on Saturday was quite spectacular. Completely gutted, flames still raging
and huge amounts of smoke when I passed on the other carriageway. Must
have spoiled somebody's day.

 

never underestimate the power of idiocy. I've put a car completely the
wrong way round on a straight piece of road myself. Though this was a
Mk1 Renault 5, so I can be excused a bit.

 

never underestimate the power of idiocy. I've put a car completely the
wrong way round on a straight piece of road myself. Though this was a
Mk1 Renault 5, so I can be excused a bit.

 

I saw a mk2 MR2 do that on the M3 near Winchester. I was in the centre lane
doing about 70 in moderate traffic. Very heavy rain. MR2 came past me in
lane 3 as we went over a crest and about 200m later it aquaplaned. Doing a
360 degree spin across all 3 lanes and making it to the hard shoulder.
Idiot driver tried to regain control and did another spin across all 3
lanes again, sliding sideways into the central armco and facing the wrong
way. Amazingly the car missed all other vehicles. I didn't try to stop just
lifted off the accelerator and carried on. I went through another bend so
couldn't see if there was carnage behind me.

It was -8C here this morning so I suspect your incident involved ice.

 

Odder than that - A13 yesterday.

They've *increased* the speed limit on the stretch from Canning Town
to the Beckton Triangle.

Only from 40 to 50, but it's a start.

 

On the M25 at 9.00am? I don't think so. It was well above freezing and
dry as a bone.

 

It's also head-on ave speed camera.

 

They had bags over the old gatsoes on Sunday.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Salad Dodger

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12325658

HTH.

 

So it was really a free-for-all yesterday, then. Bother.

If I'd been able to do 50mph two years ago, I'd have been in
Sainsbury's carpark when that twat in a Focus went past Prince Regent
Lane.

 

I'm still trying to work out how the offside rear end was resting
against the armco *and* the car was facing the wrong way. Was it upside
down?

 

I'm still trying to work out how the offside rear end was resting
against the armco and the car was facing the wrong way. Was it upside
down?

 

Oops, quite right, I was forgetting the 180 rotation when describing that
bit.

 

Easily done if one rear tyre hits a patch of black ice. Happened to me
on a dual carriageway last winter with the exact same results. A rear
blowout could cause it too.

 

in my yoof I spun in my first Company Car (Escort Mk2) simply by clipping
the verge
came to rest on a hedge. That was an interesting phone call to my then boss.

 

Yup, I guessed as much. I just couldn't miss the opportunity for a
sarky comment.

 

How about writing off a brand new 2 door Cosworth Sierra before it's
been delivered to the customer by spinning it into a brick wall, then
writing off the replacement when someone hits you in the side as you
enter a roundabout - happened to one of the guys I once employed at a
car alarm fitting workshop.

He got sacked 10 minutes after he got back from the second incident.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

I was mystified by the crash I saw on the M25 last year.

5 mile tailback, filtered down to a straight section of road where
there was a car on its roof. No other car seemed involved, nothing on
the hard shoulder etc.

How do you roll a car on a straight bit of motorway ?

Paul.

 

*waves*

 

In communiqué

Panic braking (cause no longer extant, the errant wheel having finished
rolling across the carriageway or a suddenly swerving HGV continued on
its way the driver blissfully ignorant of the mayhem behind), fubar
caliper on one front wheel, soggy tyre on the other, knackered
suspension damping. Add incompetent car control when 'beyond the
envelope'.



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