Motorway Horror Stories

[PAH]

One summer in the early 1980s I was doing a lot of motorway driving and I saw the aftermath of lots of caravan crashes.
...
Don't underestimate the draught caused by a bus or an artic either passing or going in the opposite direction. I think this is the real reason for banning caravans and trailers in the outside lane, and the speed limit too.

Yeah, when I was a kid I saw a car and caravan overturn in front of us on the M6 due to a coach overtaking too fast/close.

It started off just snaking about a bit but the driver thought it best to try to slow down*, which only made it worse. Just as we were about to overtake it decided to go over and next thing we see is a car being swung around on its side right in front of us.

Fortunately there was just enough room for my dad to swerve onto the central reservation and squeeze through the ever closing gap.

* apparently the best action is to accelerate to pull the wiggle out, though hardly the first reaction most people will do.

[xoggoth]

Saw a speeding car in the outer lane touch the barrier once and, I kid you not, it flew into the air as if shot from a catapault, went clean over 3 lanes and landed in the hard shoulder facing backwards. I had a mechanic's view of the underside. The driver seemed to be ok.

[threaded]

What's the most dangerous thing you've ever seen on a Motorway ? Something out the norm, that made you go "WTF ?"

I've seen so many BLEVEs you'd think I wouldn't be surprised, but they still give me that WTF when they happen.

[Spacecadet]

M65 heading towards the M61/M6 near Blackburn
Awful stretch of raod, almost every morning I drove along there I would see the results of a shunt parked up on the hard shoulder.

One morning though, a BMW about 4-5 car lengths in front and doing about 50mph was in the fast lane, then in the middle lane pointing towards the hard shoulder, then straddling the middle and first lane pointing towards the oncoming traffic, then in lane 1 pointing towards the central reservation, then somehow on the hard shoulder, stationary and pointing in the right direction.

Somehow, he managed to miss everything

[Board Game Geek]

I've seen so many BLEVEs you'd think I wouldn't be surprised, but they still give me that WTF when they happen.

Blimming 'eck Threaded !

Do you drive on a film set ?

[The Wikir Man]

A19 between Sunderland and Middlesbrough, 75MPH.

Rear suspension collapsed (or something caused the back of the car to drop suddenly), causing both tyres to burst, car to spin 180 degrees ending up crashed into the central reservation facing the wrong way.

I was 10, my mum was driving. Thankfully, nothing hit us, we hit nothing, and we were all fine. We'd also just picked up two hitch-hikers because their car had broken down - don't think they quite realized what they were letting themselves in for

[The Wikir Man]

Last year, driving from home to Manchester airport along the A56 towards the M65, about 530am in the dark and fog.

Two f***ing great big shire horses, running up the middle of the dual carriageway towards me.

That woke me up.

[threaded]

Blimming 'eck Threaded !

Do you drive on a film set ?

Seem way common on German motorways.

[Bagpuss]

Last year, driving from home to Manchester airport along the A56 towards the M65, about 530am in the dark and fog.

Two f***ing great big shire horses, running up the middle of the dual carriageway towards me.

That woke me up.

Not on a motorway, but once saw a horse hit a car head on. Ripped the roof back like a sardine can.

Back to motorways, had a friend who was a fireman, at an RTA, and someone had been decapitated. Another fireman finds the head in a ditch near the hard shoulder. Holding it by the hair and swinging it around he declares "is this what you've been looking for?".

[Mr.Whippy]

At around 80mph I saw some rather stupid woman looking down whilst texting.........while driving over the Millau Viaduct. At about 900ft above the ground it's not the sort of road you want to veer off the carriageway while not paying attention.

Still, if she had of done at least she would've have time to finish the text