Bit of a close call. "Eek" factor 10

[Kris]

Last night Mrs Kris and I were heading back home on the clockwise section of the M25 towards the Dartford Crossing after 8pm.

Anyone who uses this route at this time knows that the traffic is pretty free-flowing at a steady 80 - 90mph, and although the surface was damp, it wasn't very cold and it wasn't raining.

So anyway, we were cruising along, the Bandit running beautifully and I was keeping a smooth rhythm of lane changes and overtakes as you do when in the 'groove' of a medium pace motorway ride. So there we were seemingly wafting along, just going home when as I come round a long unlit M-way curve I see some dark shapes on the hard shoulder about 400m up ahead.

"Interesting, wonder what's happened up ahead?" I say to myself as the dark shapes form the sillouhettes of two cars and several people moving around on the hard shoulder.

So we continue to waft along, albeit a bit slower due to my right hand automatically easing off the throttle a tad. A lorry in the slow lane (yes, I know but it's what I call it ) is partially blocking my view now so I fully concentrate on the empty lane ahead of me.

....

Which, turns out, isn't empty at all.

The shape of a smashed-to-fuckery black Peugeot 206, partially in the fast lane , partially embedded in the barrier rapidly appears in my forward view. Maximum 100m ahead. My headlights have a hard time picking it up as the rear end is so farked all the reflective stuff is gone, vanished. Just a dark shell remains.

By this point I've instinctively shifted to the centre lane to avoid it, just as a man runs across the carriageway to the car. My attention is now completely split between missing a Pug and possible opening passenger door, missing a bloody pedestrian on an un-lit motorway section and the debris...

Oh yea. The debris. Feck.

As we came up very close to the position of the aformentioned Pug it became blindingly obvious that there was a scene of mass carnage with somebody's belongings strewn abso-fecking-lutely everywhere! Clothes, shoes, bags all over the place but not visible until you were on top of the bloody things. A bouncing white trainer clattered my foot as I weaved through several blankets and a suitcase shell.

Obviously, at 70-80 mph all of the above happened in seconds.

And then, as quickly as it was there; it was gone. What could have been huh?

Just thought I'd share with the BCF massiv. Take it easy out there.


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[Wil]

Sketchy. As. Fuck.

I bet you were a bit shaken after that! I know I would be.
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'07 Triumph Speed Four

Aw look, a baby driving a car. And look, there's a dog driving a bus!

[stinkwheel]

The quantity of debris when a car hits something at motorway speed is quite impressive.

I remember having a simiilar experience a while back but luckily it was daylight. A Fiesta had self-destructed over about half a mile of motorway leaving a trail of random bits. It was when I saw the second wheel and the ding in the barrier that I realised it wasn't just someones boot having come open.

On the M74 the other weekend, I had to dodge the rear axle of a car that had hit the barrier in the opposite carriageway and was now lying in the right hand lane on my side.

EDIT: A tip. You can easily pick up punctures passing an accident like that.

Modern radial motorcycle tyres have a tendancy to stay up as long as you keep moving at a reasonable speed in a straight line then abruptly go flat as you slow down (I think the centrepetal force throwing the tread away from the rim is what keeps it up).

Upshot is, first thing you know is you slow down and get a MASSIVE tank slapper or the back wheel tries to "walk" out from under you at the next corner.

I'd suggest after passing such an accident that you carefully weave a little by pressing on the bars, if it feels a bit odd (it would usually shake its head a bit if you had a flat) get into the left hand lane and gradually ease off in a straight line. Be prepared for the back end to shimmy once the speed drops, if it does, get onto the shoulder and check your tyres.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Kris]

[the grim reaper]

I've had similar on the A31 in Hampshire, pitch black and I notice a car up ahead weave slightly. Only discernable from his rear lights moving about, this put me on edge and about fifty yards later, I spot a small-ish object on the edge of my light spread, turned out to be a camping stool, upright in the outside lane. Fortunately I missed it but it was black and nigh on invisible.

Another time, riding down a 60 limit near southampton, I notice something break my view to the brake lights to the car in front. I realised that someone was in the road but I couldn't see how far away. Cue me braking very heavily, which didn't help as my headlight is now pointing at the floor and eventually spotting some old git, dressed all in black walking his black labrador to the other side of the road. Stupid idiot was invisible. A reflective belt or dog collar would have saved me the panic.

Glad you missed the contents of their boot though, could have been nasty.

Cheers

Grim
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[neil.]

Yeah I guess it was the damp road conditions yesterday but I also saw what was left of what looked like a nasty accident on the A406 between Beckton and Ilford. Basically a car smashed to bits with the roof cut off to free whoever was inside. That explained the miles of traffic jams that led up to it. Ride safe folks - it seems a lot of drivers ignore the conditions of the road and drive stupidly. I remember on the rest of my journey home how close together everyone was driving. When the roads are just damp they can be a million times more slippery than when it's pouring down with rain.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[robbieguy2003]

I know that bit and ride it a lot - was it the bit after the A2 junction - once you're over the bridge?

I absolutely hate that bit of road in the dark - especially when wet. You're very lucky dude, reckon thats one of your 9 bike lives gone on that one!
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[ColdInsomnia]

Glad you made it through without any complications. Those few seconds of "Oh shi-" can be real scary.
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[mattjs895]

i remember the other week, between jn 6 - 5 anti clockwise, and i'm ridding along nicely in the "slow lane" (was on reserve so trying to take it easy ) and out of no where in hte middle of the road was a tyre, mental it was

cheers
matt

[LustyLew]

I'd be really interested to see the statistics for how many cars are written off on the M25 every day/week.

I sometimes work from an ambulance station in Guildford and on the drive home I usually stop for at least one RTC. Last one was an over-turned caravan!
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Like a Yorkie - I'm not for the girls

[MattHirst]

Ahhh a typical rubber-necker

Only kidding, glad you weren't injured by any flying foots or anything, or better you didn't hit the car, that would of been very nasty at 80mph.

But this is how most traffic jams start, people slow down to have a ganders and everyone else brakes, but the thing is...the car behind brakes harder than you, the car behind brakes even harder etc etc...its just like dominoes

Did you find out what it was in the local paper or whatnot?
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It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, then it's bloody hilarious!!!

[Pie-Roe]

There was similar on the unlit motorway somewhere between bexleyheath and gillingham (I'm useless at directions) the other night when I was coming back from the ladyfriends. There was mud and a fvcktonne of bits of wood on the carriageway.

Being that it was 1:30 in the morning I must have been doing around 110 or so, and it was scary shit. It was about a mile in length, I opted for the ease off the throttle option, no brakes in case I locked up, and carried on through it. Nasty

I hate riding to london, I don't envy you commuting, it's missions. What happened to the sv?

Pyro
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[c_dug]

Ive noticed alot of crap on roundabouts recently aswel as it goes, normaly sandbags where some dimwit builder has overloaded his flatbed and the bags have fallen off, had a few close calls so im extra visulant for rubbish on the floor now.

c_dug
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[loply]

Very similar thing happened to me on my R6, I nailed it off a roundabout along a dual carriageway, probably got up to about 110mph as I was observing (funnily) a Peugeot infront of me.

Took a while to realise it was totally stationary!

The road was covered in mud and torn up grass and the car was just sitting there. I hammered my brakes to slow down and changes lanes but a car on the inside lane braked at the same rate (though his lane was clear?).

Bit dodgy, got quite close.
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