[supremeBaleno]

This thread is NOT about the accidents that you had. It is about the ones from which you escaped by the skin of your teeth due to luck/providence/hand-of-God or your own intelligence/skill/intuition etc.
You know, something like the near-miss reported in the case of airplanes that almost collided - the keyword being 'almost'.

I had this crazy just-miss scenario many years ago. At that time, I used to do the G.S.T. road in Chennai daily on my bike. Vehicles being much lesser then, the roads were not clogged as now and it was normal to be able to do good speeds on the roads.

One such day, I was riding along from Kathipara junction to Tambaram, doing 70-80kmph. A few kms down there is a signal (little after Gmmco IIRC) and the signal turned red suddenly. There was a city bus going in front of me and another a little behind me.

The bus in front brakes hard to stop for the red light. My bike being new and brakes in good shape, I know that I can brake and can come to an easy stop behind the bus. But something (intuition, if you may) tells me that it is not a good idea to stop behind the bus. So I brake and then move a little to the left and stop alongside the bus.

A few seconds later, I hear a loud noise and turn back to see that the bus that was coming behind me, could not brake (or brakes failed, don't know) and rammed into the one that had stopped at the signal.

And to think that if I had stopped behind the bus, which would have been the normal thing to do, me and my bike would have been crushed between the two monsters and become history (actually, we would have ended up as some kind of gooey paste on the rear and front of the two buses).
Really shook me up.

Let's hear your just-miss experiences.

[HappyWheels]

This is the 'closest' just-miss experience that I had.

Couple of years back (when I was in my home town doing my under graduation), it was a usual routine that I used to go and drop my aunt at her place of work. These are usually for the 8am shift of hers.

One fine day, just like any other day, I drop her and was on my way back. Driving a Bajaj Caliber. There is this junction that I have to cross which is a meeting place for traffic from 3 different road. There are no dividers. I had to take the left turn (a free left, one that I have taken N number of times).

With the wind in my hair (!) I just drive on and take the curve. Did not notice the just spilled water on the curve, too late, skid and fall, bike and me are seperated. The bike safely moves to the left and out of the traffic. I am doing a slid to the center of traffic. With the water, it was even easier to do this slid! Due to lack of divider (thank god) I end up going up the wrong side of the road.

Due to luck there are no smaller vehicle because they were all being held back by a Tamil Nadu governement bus. Due to bad luck he is coming straight down and was at full throttle!

Driver see me doing this exercise in the middle of the road and stands on the brake. Next you know is total confusion. A 60(~)kmph bulky vehicle trying to do a record distance stop, a guy trying to get under it and the traffic cop running up to toward us waving his hand like hell! Rest of the crowd watching the show.

Next scene - Bus stopped! I also stopped skidding. We both (my head vs bus bumper) was just few inches away. (I still had some safe distance from the tyres! Phew!)

I get up and notice the driver all shaken up! Police guy comes up to me and checks me if I am ok. By this time my brother, who happened to pass by for his work, and also two of my friends passing by and come down to me. No injuries except few bruises. All fine, no injuries.

Made to stand on the road side for few minutes and then start back home with my friend driving the bike. Before that said sorry and thanks to the driver. If allowed, I am sure he would have beaten the hell out of me! Wouldn't blame him, though!

[maddy42]

This happened on the ring road in bangalore.
My friend and I were returning from Bangalore DRAG!! We were on his bullet. So after all the josh of the drag we were doing nice speeds and i started loving the thump. After a while we had this small conversation which went like this.
Me: Anand can i ride plzzzzzzz!
He: Hmm ok on the ring road.
At hebbal flyover we stopped and I took over.
He: Dude this is a bullet and not lambus pulsar so listen. Go slow and
remember one thing Brake left and Gears on the right. Got it.
Me: Hmmm Brake left gear right Brake left gear right Brake left gear right
So i started the bike and loved that it started on the first kick. Started riding(Well guys dont start thrashing me but those were college days and somehow my friend who was the pillion was wearing the helmet and i was with the wing in my hair kinda feel)
After a km i get the feel of biking in glory and start remembering the days watching American Chopper and Biker buildoff. Attained a speed of 80 kmh and started loving it. Suddenly i spot this huge BMTC bus taking a bloody U turn on the ring road. It was Blocking 2 lanes and on the third there was this Bloody Tata Sumo standing to pick up passengers.
Snapped my self from my dream as my friend shouted slowly
Chiria Brake.
No effect as i have forgotten the Brake Left Gear right rule and have held on to the clutch and my right leg is stamping the gear as it already in the fourth there is no use.
The bus is appearing closer
500 mts
300 mts
My bike is moving at 80 and as i am holding the clutch(God alone knows why) Its so in neutral
200 mts( I start thinking on what the F i got to do)
100 mts
I then spot that there is a gap between the Sumo WHich was on the left and the Footpath. I know the space is less but What the hell its better than a head on. So basically bent the bike over till i just managed to enter the space the sumo has left and the manage tilting the bike back so that The tires just hold on and its actually on the bend from the foot path to the road. Manage to whish past the Sumo and the Godammed bus.
Me(Thinking to myself) God i am safe phoof. My face is fine. Thanks no damage to me or my friend or his bike.
We then slowly make our way ahead and my friend is shocked. I then come to my senses and slow down. Change the gears and stopped on the footpath.
Look at Anand and he goes like
He: What the F you have done da....
ME: Macha sorry but god alone knows what happened.
He: Ok da S(@* happens. Good that you didnt crash.
Me: Sorry da but please you ride am done with bullet.

All this happened in a fraction and i still shiver remembering the stuff which happened that day. I have not ridden any bullet after that though i Love this bike. Maybe one day and that time with the bloody Helmet and if possible body armors like a knight.

[esteem_lover]

That was close SB. But this is something we do instinctively to save ourselves. Glad that your instinct worked fine that day.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

The bus in front brakes hard to stop for the red light.

In today's scenario, this is a golden statement. Bus braking hard for a stop light. Wow !!!! i love those innocent days when folks actually obeyed traffic rules.

[bblost]

about my close shaves.

heaven was full and hell did not want me.

[sammyboy]

This happened to some of my friends, I was supposed to be with them but at the last minute got some work and had to drop out.
6 guys in an esteem (an un insured brand new car belonged to a friends dad who is in the merchant navy and because he got it on the same day as he was supposed to go on his ship he didnt get it insured thinkiing no one is gonna use it anyways. My friend, also in the merchant navy, lands home to see a spanking new esteem and decides to party).

The gang drives down to mussoorie from dehradun(my home) and while coming back everyone is high on lots of beer. There are quite a few bottles in the car and the guys are having a ball. Then some one says something about how he has covered this distance in x minutes and the race to beat the time starts.

Car is at about a 100, there is a curve on the road which is too sharp to be navigated.
The car just zooms off the cliff falling, tumbling for about a 100-150 ft and stops bonnet down boot stuck on a thick tree branch.

All the guys come out, the first thing they do is to throw the bottles so that there is no problem. Till now everyone is busy. Then someone looks at the car and screams, the tree supporting the car is at the edge of the cliff before a sheer 300 ft drop.

Everyone is safe, 1 guy has a cut on his nose another has hurt his back. Thats it.

They climb back to the road and stop a bus. No one who has seen the car can ever believe that anyone could have survived this.
I still get goosebumps when I remember the sight of the car. Completely finished.But somehow, divine intervention I guess, everyone is fine.

You might have seen similar occurrences in laurel and hardy movies or charlie chaplin.

A guy walking by the roadside(left) with a ladder on his shoulder gets called by some one on the right side of the road.
He swivels his whole body, and the ladder with it.
I'm only a few metres away, too late to stop, the car is not low enough to go under the ladder.
I'm doing a cool 60 in an M800 with lousy brakes.there's a lorry coming down the opp lane, but I can see empty space on the hard shoulder of the right lane.

cut across the surprised lorry's lane,missed the ladder and the lorry by inches and onto the hard shoulder of the wrong side.
I'm sorry, I didnt want to take chances with the cosmetic results of a ladder(aluminum) sticking out of my face or that of a lorry in my lap.

[tsk1979]

This one happened over 10 years ago.
At that time we had a gypsy king, and early morning I was driving my grandad to the farm.
The highway is Ldh chd, and I haven't slept a lot last night(barely 2-3 hours).
My grandfather falls asleep. After some time I also fall asleep.
I don't know what, but something wakes me, maybe sound of a distant horn. I open my eyes and see that I am on the right side of the road, with one tire off the shoulder, there is an ambassador coming towards me, and the poor guy has gone completely off the road and is almost in the bushes. He is flashing headlights and his hand is on the horn. I yank the steering wheel, but still clip the ambassador lightly, and to top it all there is lot of tire screaming sound as gypsy is not made for such lane changed. this wakes up my grandad who asks what happened. I tell him, nothing, just a stone on road, and floor the pedal. lest the Amby guy decides to come after me
After a few kms we stop for tea where I drink 3 cups.
It was one of the scariest moments of my life

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

....and floor the pedal, lest the Amby guy decides to come after me

Lucky you Tanveer. Now you have to pray that the amby driver is not a member here. Not all amby drivers are as friendly as Rudraji.

[Samurai]

Mine was this: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...e-highway.html

[tsk1979]

It was over 10 years ago, so I doubt he would remember
Come to think of it, in my college days I used to be a very rash driver!
Even during my early car ownership days, I used to drive much more spiritedly, which resulted in
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...s-shudder.html (The new highways..shudder)

[gopinathann]

This happened last sunday when I and 2 of my friends were returning from Satyam cinema at night 12.30, I was climbing the gemini flyover doing a speed of 40-50, suddenly the car in front of me have put sudden brake, I brake hard and turned left to avoid it wherein the ABS came into action, to my surprise an old man was walking slowly (may be drunk) on the left lane. Situation is insane and my reflex told me to again turn right. I turned right and didn't mind to see if there is any vehicle in the right or front, my aim was to avoid hitting the old man. Good that no vehicle came in the right and ABS has helped me to control the car, otherwise it would have been a mess. Even now I could not recollect the whole situation, just some of the scenes are in my mind.

[humyum]

On the way to mahabaleshwar around a year nd half back,heavy rains..upto the extent of highway being flooded till half and more of the 800s tyres many a times.
Overtake some trucks, and move back in my lane.See a truck overtakin another truck from the opposite side.
I slow down since the roads are slippery,visiblity is very low too.Since i have slowed down the trucks which i had overtaken are right behind my back.
The truck from the opposite side is just not moving over to his side.I have completely stopped now.
He is done with the overtake,but still he is on my side.He passes a point after which something tells me,he is not going to budge.I slam the 800 in reverse,turn the steering to the right,scrape my hatch against the truck behind but i m out of the oncomin trucks way.
He headon goes inside the truck which was behind my car.If my 800 was in between then it would been sandwiched and all of us would have been sure shot dead
This was like the closest death defying action i ve ever had.

[Chevy_lover]

This happened on my way to Kerala from Pune.

While negotiating a big right turn, in Kankavli, I neglected slowing down from 90. Suddenly my car's front left tyre burst and I lost control of my car. I slammed on the brakes and somehow my car skidded to a halt in a small trench, narrowly avoiding two milestones and some rocks!!! I was shocked to see that on the other side of the trench, there was a huge drop and a pond at the bottom. The front part of our car was completely immersed in the soft mud in the trench!

Had my car moved one more inch, we would have ended up in the pond!!!

Our seat belts saved us and we were lucky to survive without any injuries and no evident damage to the car!!!! But the engine guard plate got badly twisted.

This was the worst just-miss experience of my life!!!

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

I have been very unlucky - I have not had as many close shaves as I desire. Most of the time the would-be close shaves have ended in a significant accident.

Of the few , the most frightening was near Nanjangud. I was driving my car - late evening nearing the temple. I was wide awake but for some reason my mind just wandered a bit for a few crucial seconds - despite me looking straight ahead. Suddenly I came to my senses and see the bus ahead of me swerve hard to his right ..and instinctively I swerve - not very hard- just enough to avoid him - to my left.

I was doing 65plus and he was doing more than 50. A coming together would have been disastrous.

I am sure the bus driver thought I had a death wish - I was looking dead on yet my mind was somewhere else