 |
|
Lessons from the road: Inaugural edition
Below is a sample of 40 near misses reported so far, including how they answered a question of what they learned from their participation. Stay tuned for the second edition as more and more near misses are reported.
By reading about the wide range of dangers that exist on the road, you can also be reminded of what to keep a watch out for while driving.
Each person gave their consent to have their words published in this "Lessons from the Road" feature (see the "consent" checkbox when submitting your near miss report).
#1
From California
I learned: I try not to drive in other vehicles blind spot for any length of time but this was not possible due to traffic.
What happened: On a surface street, I had another car try to change lanes into mine. I hit the brakes and honked the horn. The other driver obviously wasn't aware that I was next to them.
|
#2
From Georgia
I learned: I learned from this near miss to observe the speed limit and not be so self-absorbed with my inner thoughts while driving in construction areas.
What happened: While driving in the far right hand lane on the interstate, I narrowly missed hitting an orange construction barrel that was on its side blocking over half my lane. I missed hitting the barrel by swerving to the right of the barrel and applying my brakes. The barrels were in place because of the massive construction on the highways.
|
#3
From Florida
I learned: You have to keep an eye on other drivers and realize they aren't necessarily looking for you.
What happened: While going through an intersection someone in a van crossed into my lane. There wasn't enough space for her and I had to hit the brakes.
The person in question was hell-bent on getting just a little bit ahead of everyone else.
|
#4
From Rhode Island
I learned: It is common in Rhode Island for
the first driver turning left to turn on the green before the oncoming
traffic--approach intersections with caution, even if you have the right of
way.
What happened: Approaching an intersection at moderate speed just as the light
turned green, I nearly hit someone turning left, who thought she could make it
across the intersection before the oncoming traffic.
|
#5
From Massachusetts
I learned: To double and triple check the
lane I am about to change into.
What happened: I was off in my own
head and was about to change lanes when I realized at the last second there was
another car right alongside me.
|
#6
From Georgia
I learned: Be aware of potential hazards any time visibility is blocked by
traffic.
What happened: Travelling in the left lane of a 4-lane road, I was passing a
bus, which was stopping. A driver was entering from a side street in front of
the stopping bus, but could not see me. I had to almost lock up the brakes to
avoid hitting him.
|
#7
From California
I learned: Double check
before pulling away from a traffic light.
What happened: My wife and I just started pulling away from a stop light
and a car, traveling very fast, ran the red light and just missed the front of
our car.
|
#8
From Tennessee
I learned: Staying
alert can mean staying alive.
What happened: At 70 mph on interstate. Traffic started to bunch up. I was
in center lane braking hard when car in right lane swerved in front of me with
very little room to spare then slammed on his brakes. I veered slighly left
while standing on my ABS brakes and managed to steer around car and avoid
accident.
|
#9
From South Carolina
I learned: That the other person was
probably not paying attention. Wait. I already knew that. I learned...all the
things that could affect my driving.
What happened: Driving on a main road, 45 mph, and a car pulled out from a side
street without stopping. I swerved into the other lane, for a near
miss.
|
#10
From Conneticutt
I learned: While driving in unfamiliar cities, it is best to pay more attention to driving than to other devices, such as the radio, because drivers are not always alerted to the possibility of sudden traffic jams occurring during rush hour.
What happened: I looked at the radio to change stations and didn't notice the cars coming to a stop in front of me. I looked up and reacted by stopping. In doing so, I made the ABS system kick in and came to a stop a few feet from the rear bumper of the car in front of me. Contributing factors to the near miss were that I was unfamiliar with that stretch of interstate and didn't expect traffic to slow and stop due to congestion. Another factor was being unfamiliar with the radio stations in the area, which meant that more of my attention was focused on the car stereo.
|
#11
From Ohio
I learned: I learned that driving a different vehicle is a big deal - my regular car is an Escape (small SUV). This was a full size Explorer. There is nothing similar in handling, braking, steering or my field of vision, and I almost hit a pedestrian because he was not in my field of vision (i.e., he was "below" me due to the height of the new car). You must be very careful when you are forced to change vehicle.
What happened: I almost hit a pedestrian on the way to work, and almost hit another vehicle/curb swerving to not hit the pedestrian. It was dark, he was black and in all black clothing, hard to see him.
|
#12
From Virginia
I learned: Be absolutely sure about oncoming traffic.
What happened: I was halfway across a divided highway attempting to turn left and sitting in the median at the intersection. A truck rolls up from my right also wanting to make a left turn. Instead of going beyond me and turning 90 degrees to the divided highway to look for traffic, he sits in the approach cutout, blocking my view of cars coming from my right. I started to complete the left, but sure enough, his presence had blocked my view of a car coming. I had to stop quickly.
|
#13
From Illinois
I learned: I was
driving too fast, and just "cruising" in the left lane. I was distracted by
being hungry and irritated at another person and feeling hurried. I might have
been distracted by changing a radio station so I didn't fully anticipate the
actions of the other driver who was trying to avoid a slower car in front of
them. Then, instead of just calmly moving to the shoulder, I jerked the car and
lost control.
What happened: I was driving in the left lane of a highway when a car
on my right began to move over into my lane to pass a car in front of him. He
didn't see me and I turned the wheel to get out of the way, I turned it too
far, and at the speed I was going (75-80mph) I lost control of the car, turned
the wheel the other way and proceed out of control across four lanes of traffic
before regaining control on the opposite shoulder, facing the wrong direction.
I didn't hit a thing, and nothing hit me, despite crossing four lanes on a
highway. It was a Saturday late-morning so traffic wasn't that bad, but it is a
road often packed with semis.
|
#14
From Virginia
I learned: Pay attention to the "other guy". Use the Smith system and "keep your eyes moving" and "leave yourself an out". Learn how to drive professionally on all types of surfaces. I was in a hurry, fearing I would be late for work. I wasn't speeding at all as I was going uphill on a washboard gravel road where there is usually no traffic. Apparently the other car thought the same.
What happened: On a rural gravel road, driver came out of her driveway without stopping and turned left into my path. I braked very hard and skidded to the left so that she only slightly grazed my rear bumper. Just before the near-miss I was thinking why am I taking the scenic route rather than the highway.
|
#15
From New York
I learned: Black ice can happen on sunny days! You can't control what other drivers do. In answering the questions about distractions, etc, I was thinking, "I wasn't doing ANY of those things--not even drinking coffee (which I often do in the car)--and I still had a near-miss."
What happened: I was slowing down on a country highway to go through a small town (speed about 35-40 mph). A vehicle coming from the other direction hit a patch of black ice and swerved into my lane. The other driver nearly hit me head on. I hit the brakes and ended up on the shoulder (there was no drainage ditch). The other driver went around me on my right, across several front lawns, rolled over, and came to a stop upside down.
|
#16
From Illinois
I learned: Do not drive down the highway with tunnel vision - frequently glance left, right, and behind you to know who is in your immediate vicinity. I happened to be glancing directly at the offending vehicle just as he started his swift double-lane change towards me. I veered into the lane to my right to avoid him, and frankly, it was sheer luck that no one was beside me. However, I make it a habit not to match speed and linger by other cars on the highway, especially in other drivers' blind spots.
What happened: Driving west on I-290 in Chicago, approaching the Harlem Av. exit (where the left lane of four lanes becomes an exit only lane, leaving only three through lanes). I was in the center lane of the three through lanes, and a 5-series BMW in the exit-only lane decided at the last minute not to exit, and he quickly veered across TWO lanes heading directly into my driver's side door.
|
#17
From Indiana
I learned: That I'm stupid.
What happened: Was pulling out of my driveway and nearly hit another car coming down the road. Had to hit the brakes hard on snowy road to avoid striking other car. Fault would have been mine. Was thinking of personal issues as I was pulling out onto the road. Did not see the other car until almost too late. No horn blowing, just a very "severe" look from the woman in the other car.
|
#18
From Montana
I learned: Although I drive this route daily for much of the
year, I don't often encounter pedestrians at this crosswalk. It's difficult
for a driver to recognize that a person is about to step off the far curb, into
the road, if one is driving towards him/her, because the crosswalk isn't
visible until one is pretty close to it. There are no signs or traffic signals
to warn drivers that they're approaching a crosswalk. And many drivers exceed
the speed limit here; they can be driving at 40 mph or even faster. As a
pedestrian, it feels like a dangerous crossing. And now I'm reminded how
dangerous it is for drivers, as well. In retrospect, I might have been smarter to keep going. The pedestrian had not actually stepped off the curb when I first saw her - she was waiting for an opening in traffic. While driving, I err on the side of yielding to pedestrians, but in this case, I almost got rear-ended by doing so.
What happened: I suddenly saw a pedestrian about to begin crossing the street in front of me. I'd been traveling slightly over the 30 mph speed limit, and I had to brake hard to stop in front of the crosswalk. The driver behind me had probably not been following at a safe distance, and didn't expect my abrupt stop - he probably almost rear-ended me.
|
#19
From Wisconsin
I learned: Because this is a very familiar street and no one is
ever pulling out of that driveway, I might not have been watching carefully for
another vehicle to be there. I thought the other driver should have seen me
because I was already right in front of the driveway, but it is also my
responsibility to keep an eye out for anything that might be happening. I try
to be more careful about checking that driveway (and any like it) now. I think
I was lucky on that day because there was a space in the traffic on my other
side, and I am not sure what I would have done if there had been another car
next to me.
What happened: I had just pulled out of a parking structure and started
driving on the street when a van pulled out of a nearby driveway and I had to
swerve around the front end of it.
|
#20
From Massachusetts
I learned: Never assume that someone is going to yield
the right of way. (the problem is, assuming that everyone is going to cut you
off at any time and acting on it will create a hazardous situation in
itself.)
What happened: I was traveling in the right lane of a 3-lane freeway. A
car merging onto the freeway from an entrance ramp began pulling into my lane
directly in front of me at about 50 mph (in a 65 mph zone), assuming that I
would pull over or slow down for him. There was a car in the lane directly to
my right preventing me from pulling over, and since I was assuming that this
person was going to yield the right of way, I just barely had enough time to
slam on my breaks to let them merge in front of me.
|
#21
From Missouri
I learned: Keep
doing what I was doing. If I hadn't been as observant as I was, I would have
creamed this guy. I had a great driving instructor back in high school who
taught me a couple of key concepts; always be aware of what you're doing behind
the wheel and watch people all around you to monitor their behaviour and
attentivness.
What happened: Swerved,braked and honked to avoid car changing lanes into my
lane while I was there. It was rush hour traffic and the other driver was in
the left lane. His lane was stopped and he was pulling up to the stoppage. At
the last minute he decided to change lanes. He didn't look and I was there
where he was trying to change lanes (no blinker that I could see, I was about
at his rear door and would have at least seen the front fender flasher). He
stopped half in my lane, while I swerved intoan (fortunately) empty parking
spot. We both came to a stop.
|
#22
From Texas
I learned: Could have slowed away from the big suv to allow more room for a
predictable hazard. Could have treated the crowded conditions with more
patience rather than attempting to keep up my speed
What happened: 50mph, right lane, following large suv in my midsize suv.
Came to congested area and saw small car waiting to pull out. Realized he might
not see me behinc the big vehicle and he didn't. As the big one slowed to turn
in to a restaurant parking lot, small car pulls out in front of me. Squeezed to
the left and missed him.
|
#23
From Tennessee
I learned: Even though it can be
hard, you should also try not to let your inner thoughts take over when you are
driving. It is very
bad to try and stop suddenly in bad weather conditions.
What happened: I was driving down a steep hill in heavy rain. At the
bottom of the hill was an intersection. When I was about 3 car lenths away from
the intersection the light turned yellow ( a very short yellow ) then red. For
some reason, I was shocked by the sudden change to red and I hit the brakes too
hard. I did not stop and found myself sliding through the red light. By the
time I was in the middle of the intersection, I almost hit the rear bumper of a
car crossing the intersection on their green. I swerved to the left and
missed the other car.
|
#24
From Michigan
I learned: Just to pay
attention to my gut instinct more often.
What happened: I was driving my Dad's Driver's Ed cars from one school to
another to be ready for the next morning. Needless to say as a Driver's Ed
teacher's daughter, who helped with class stuff at age three, and a teacher
myself we are both very defensive drivers. As I was heading West on a two lane,
normally slower road, a car pulled out of the McDonalds and went to turn left
into the our lane. They didn't check their blind spot, and my gut instinct
kicked in, and I "knew" they were going to try and merge without a blinker. I
pulled to the right just as we were passing them, and my dad had grabbed the
wheel, and while my brakes squeeked and we weren't hit, I still wonder if they
even saw us. We were in a large, 1994 Plymouth minivan, with our lights
on.
|
#25
From Michigan
I learned: Driving when tired is equal to or worse than driving under the
influence of alcohol. It is always safer to take a nap and drive home later or
to sleep at a friend's house for the night than to risk falling asleep behind
the wheel.
What happened: Well, I was a senior in high school in rural Manistique,
Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. It was approximately 11:30pm when the
inccident occured and I was driving home from a late night play rehearsal in
which I had the lead role. I was extremely tired and had the windows down in
the dead of winter with the radio blaring in order to keep my exhausted self
awake. Before I knew it, I awoke in the process of nearly crashing into a
telephone pole on the side of the icy rode. I've never been so scared by
myself before.
|
#26
From California
I learned: To not drive like a bloody idiot! Since then I have rigorously
applied the 4 second rule and not assume someone will run an amber light.
What happened: I was driving behind a car on a four lane road (two lanes in
each direction) with a 50 mph speed limit on my way to work. As we approached
an intersection, the light turned amber. Instead of moving through the
intersection, the driver of the car in front slammed on the brakes. I then had
to execute a high speed evasive maneuver to fish-tail around them and avoid a
serious impact.
|
#27
From Florida
I learned: Always pay close attention to vehicles driven by
elderly drivers that appear distracted.
What happened: I was driving in the left
most lane on a 3 lane highway in a brand new car, and an elderly driver in the
center lane decided he wanted to pass the person in front of me. He did not
check his blindspot, and maybe not even his mirrors. If I hadn't been eyeing
his vehicle cautiously he would have changed lanes into me.
|
#28
From Vermont
I learned: I believe trailer had too few running lights and too little DOT
tape to be effective and soon after doubled their number on each side. Have
not had similar problem since. Have doubled the number of running lights on
all my trailers, they come stock with far too few IMHO
Based on this, and other, I
investigated trailer regs more closely. Found that most trailers sold are
"illegal" off the lot, not enough DOT tape. Practically, they don't have
enough reflective tape nor enough running lights to be seen adaquately. I am
even more cautious realizing that others may not expect my trailer behind me.
What happened: I was interstate driving with my Ford F350 pulling a 5th wheel flatbed
trailer (recently purchased), just after dark. Car from on ramp attempted to
merge right into the side of my trailer - evidently he/she saw my truck but not
the trailer.
|
#29
From Pennsylvania
I learned: In
retrospect, there were other indications that this driver was not paying
attention. It was a winter day, in the NorthEast, wet (but not icy) road
surface, and a car with Georgia plates that tried to shift lanes into an SUV
just a minute before. That should have prompted me to take action before the
dangerous condition developed (possibly changing lanes or slowing down to
provide more time to react to the other driver's errors)
What happened: The driver in front of me
lost control of his vehicle, spun in circles numerous times across several
lanes of traffic, hit a guard rail, continued spinning back across the several
lanes of heavy traffic (not hitting a single car amazingly) and nearly clipped
me before coming to rest in the snow on the left side of the
highway.
|
#30
From Utah
I learned: Keep an eye on sidestreets
as well as the road I'm traveling
What happened: I was driving west on a major street, and a driver coming out of
a side street, headed north, would have t-bared me if I hadn't seen him or
hadn't been able to slow down. Fortunatly I saw him starting to move and there
was no one behind me so able to slow down so the moron only came close to my
front bumper.
|
#31
From Nebraska
I learned: I need to check my
blind spot better before changing lanes.
What happened: While driving on the interstate in a company vehicle, I
attempted to change from the right lane to the left to overtake slower vehicles
ahead of me. I narrowly avoided a car to my left that was driving in my blind
spot. The cause was my fault, in that I relied on looking in my side mirror and
not turning to look in my blind spot before changing lanes.
|
#32
From Minnesota
I learned: I was
reminded again that keeping a watch out for deer, especially at dusk and dawn,
is ALWAYS a good idea.
What happened: Bambi jumped out in front of me; I braked hard and Bambi
moved on.
|
#33
From New York
I learned: Double-check behind the B-pillar on the left side for oncoming
traffic.
What happened: Turning left out of my
development onto a main road. Chatting with my wife at the time. Rolled
through the stop while glancing up an down the hill, did not see cars in either
direction. As I was halfway onto the main road, I heard a horn blast and a car
sped by, narrowly missing me as I was about to turn into its path. Later
analysis revealed that my B pillar is perfectly positioned to block much of my
view up the road on the left side, and the other car was hidden from view just
at the moment I looked.
|
#34
From Indiana
I learned: I usually check the mirrors
frequently to know where cars are around me. I had not checked the shoulder
behind me because there was no reason to expect a vehicle to overtake me from
the shoulder. With such aggressive drivers around, I now watch all sides of the
vehicle regardless of the type of road.
What happened: A small car passed me on the right shoulder on the interstate
and then veered suddenly left to miss a tire on the shoulder. We may have
touched but there was no physical damage.
|
#35
From British Columbia
I learned: I learned that my reaction time was good
despite the fatigue, I also learned that when you're tired or troubled, it's
best to settle your mind and maybe have a coffee before driving, even if the
journey is very short.
What happened: I made a left turn into oncoming traffic and caught myself just in
time to avoid a collision. The main reason for the inattentiveness was fatigue,
which caused the lack of focus and concentration.^
|
#36
From Alabama
I learned: In this case, being alert to what is happening in all directions is important.
What happened: A car crossed 2 lanes to get to an exit at high speed during rush hour traffic. I very nearly had my front quarter taken off.
|
#37
From Maryland
I learned: I am reminded to concentrate on my driving and not to plan
future activities while the engine is running.
What happened: As I was exiting onto a main traffic lane in the shopping
center parking lot from a discrete parking area controlled by one-way traffic
and a stop sign, I failed to look right a second time before pulling out and
nearly struck a SUV.
|
#38
From New York
I learned: Always pay attention - even stopped traffic can
cause problems!
What happened: On a road with 2 lanes both ways, and 2 extra left-hand turn lanes in
the direction I was travelling, a car waiting to turn left suddenly decided to
no longer turn, and quickly entered the left-hand travel lane without seeing
me. I was travelling around 35 mph. I had to quickly swerve into the right-hand
lane to avoid read-ending this car.
|
#39
From Conneticutt
I learned: Don't
tailgate and avoid those who do.
What happened: I was driving about 60 mph, with two sleepimg passengers,
on I95 just beyond New Haven heading for Boston. The weather was clear but the
road was slightly damp. For no apparent reason the car in front of me, for no
apparent reason musst have hit his brake pedal and started a very slow 360
degree turn. There was barely room to avoid the impending crash, I cleared
his rear bumber by no more than three inches. I think I avoided disaster only because I followed the three second rule
between cars.
|
#40
From Pennsylvania
I learned: It showed me how you have to always pay attention. Sometimes I will change the radio station of climate control setting when I'm on the entrance or exit ramp instead of on the highway because there shouldn't be cars next to you. In this case it was important to be looking ahead.
What happened: I was going down a ramp to merge on a highway. There was a car parked in the grass about 20 feet off the road. I thought the car in front of me was slowing down for a curve in the ramp, but it came to a stop at the point where you want to start picking up speed to merge. I had to brake hard. After stopping I looked in my mirror and thought the next car would hit me, but it stopped in time.
|
|
|
|
