Friday 8th October 2010 approx’ 9.45pm. I was driving along the A15 south of Lincoln heading towards Sleaford. It was dark and my 9-year-old daughter was in the front passenger seat. A warning sign drew my attention to a crossroads ahead. The crossroads is where the B1202 crosses the A15 via a “give way.” The speed limit of the majorroad (A15) through the crossroads is 60mph whilst traffic joining or crossing from the minor road (B1202) should give way. As I approached I checked my mirror, luckily no following traffic, and came off the accelerator placing my right foot over the foot brake. This allowed the car to lose speed (to approximately 50mph) and momentum. As I came within fifty or so metres of the crossroads I looked into the mouth of the junction, first to the right then to the left, all clear as I put my foot back over the accelerator ready to build speed back to 60mph. This is a procedure I use, and teach my learners & advanced drivers.
The idea is to be prepared to act should something appear from either side of the crossroads and pass in front of you. As you have lost speed the exponential loss in momentum is greater than travelling at 60mph. This gives you more opportunity to avoid a collision. But also, should a collision occur, the severity is considerably reduced.
Now, I have been driving for over 27 years and can think of three previous occasions when another vehicle has passed in front of me as described. On each occasion, due to this technique, I was able to brake and allow it to pass in font of me, thus avoiding a collision. October the 8th was to prove different.
I was still looking to the left and in roughly the position of the dark blue car in the picture above, when another car appeared as per the green car and travelling at some speed. The driver evidently assumed priority (wrongly) through the crossroads. I braked.
As the airbags deployed and we bounced off them, my brain was still processing the thought “brake and it will pass in front of you”!!
The collision was a classic “T” bone or “Broad side”. The front of my car colliding square on with the other driver’s door pillar. Due to my defensive approach to the crossroads and initial loss of speed, and then my heavy braking on seeing the other vehicle emerging, I probably hit the other car at less than 30 mph.
It is hard to say what might have happened had I not been alert and using a defensive technique. Travelling at 60mph may have killed the other driver and possibly me and my daughter too. More likely, the positional change created had I been travelling at 60mph would have meant it was my vehicle that was “T” boned, on the passenger’s door. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
How will you come off if it happens to you? Are you the sort of driver that slows on the approach to a crossroads and takes effective observation ready to brake? Or do you continue at the max speed limit because, “well I’m not braking the law and the other driver shouldn’t come out, so it won’t be my fault”
My daughter was ok, little bit of whiplash, a bruise on her forehead from the airbag and ringing in her ears from the bang. I broke my hand.
The other driver and his passenger walked away too, well the driver limped. They haven’t thanked me for saving their lives. C’est la vie
If you are an ADI please teach the crossroads PST.
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