Scariest Moment Driving?

[Vimeous]

A few years back this one.

The journey home from my first Uni work placement was half country lanes and I loved every minute.
On one particular stretch there was some lovely fresh tarmac that eventually runs straight for a half-mile or so to a t-junction Give Way onto a popular local route. Just before the junction is a pub on the left.
This day had seen plenty of rain and there was a fair amount of surface water but the roads were empty and the rain had stopped so vis was good.
I had just started braking for the junction when a car appeared out of the pub car park half-way between me and junction. My heart nearly stopped as I knew I'd never stop in time, pictured the crash in my head and stamped on the brakes. Of course an X-reg Polo doesn't have anti-lock, it doesn't even have a servo so I simply slid straight-on, steering wheel turned to the right but nothing doing.
How I managed to force myself off the brakes I'll never know but I did. We turned but it was going to be too much (I'd over reacted a touch!) so stamped on the brakes again (still sliding and still on course for a messy one), straightened up a touch, came off the brakes and steered around the offender after more on-off action.

Now I was very lucky noone had turned towards us off the junction as it's a fast corner and they would have been doing 30+. I was even luckier I managed to stop just inches before the Give Way lines as a van went charging past.

All I can remember about the car was it was brown. I didn't look back, shout, anything. I was just too shocked. Seconds later I was on my way again but I'll never forget it.

[staffsMike]

Mike - did your crash look something like the Pug in this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMt2jE-0vgc

and I bet this chap filled his race suit too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7lbC5rpVl8

Somewhat Like that i'd assume... i doubt i got that much air but i landed about 30 feet from the road so got some distance.

[BenW]

Mine was about 6 months back, spirited drive on a local country lane which has great visibility, few miles with no hedge rows so i was going about as fast as i could, knowing there was nothing coming. Probably averaging about 55mph then theres the odd corner which you can sort of see through the hedge in spring time, having a look and not seeing anything i went around at about 30mph i'd guess then to my horror there's a people carrier coming straight towards me, slammed on the brakes and they locked straight away, slid off to the gravel on the side so i wasn't really losing much speed, i saw the woman in the people carrier shaking her head then i saw loads of tiny children in the back of it

Luckily, this was just next to the first passing point on that lane in a while, i managed to slide right into the passing point and come off the brakes to carry on......slowly.

Absolutly crapped myself knowing i could have killed some of those tiny children. Rubbish old tyres were replaced a few days after for something remotely grippy

[this_is_gav]

The second time, just up the road, again doing about 50, a Mercedes E-Class estate pulled out of a side road without looking and just kept coming. All I could do was try and steer round him. In the end I missed him, don't know how- another few inches and my left leg would have been the first point of impact. Which I reckon would have been quite serious.

There's the difference between you and me. You had the space and mind to avoid it. Sounds like an identical situation to mine otherwise - my biking trousers were rather scuffed where they'd hit the car (and I imagine that's where the knee bruising came from), but somehow no broken bones.