Close call....

[StanTheMan]

I had a near miss with an 18 wheeler today at the intersection of Hurontario 10 and Forks of the Credit Rd. (for those familiar with the area). I'm travelling north along Hurontario highway (two lanes in each direction with a centre lane for left turns). There is no traffic light at this particular intersection...(you see where this is going...)

As I'm approaching the intersection to make a left turn, I notice a small family car ahead of me waiting for traffic to clear before making a left turn. There is an 18 wheeler approaching in the opposite direction (travelling at about 60mph).

At this point I'm about 200 yards away in the centre turn lane and slowed down to about 30mph (I was in no hurry as there were no cars behind me and I would only have to stop and wait for the truck to pass anyways).

Suddenly, the small family car decides to make the turn before the oncoming 18 wheeler clears (pretty risky considering the approaching speed). Just as quickly as he begins to turn, he stops (he did not notice the pedestrian crossing the road he was turning on to). Now he's positioned in the middle of the oncoming 18 wheeler's lane approaching at 60mph and probably about 100 yards away.

I'm now approaching the intersection at about 100 yards away and understandably, becoming a little bit concerned. I'm very worried the family in the small car is going to be broadsided by the 18 wheeler! I'm also worried the impact will push the small car in to my path and/or have parts of metal flying towards me

It then gets worse, the truck driver hits the brakes, I hear tires screeching, I see white smoke billowing, the truck begins to "wobble" and I thought for sure it was going to tip. The truck driver, instinctively, tries to avoid hitting the car and manoeuvres left....towards me on the Spyder

Oddly enough, I wasn't freaking out My mind figured, "you probably want to move out of the way of the out of control" 18 wheeler barreling towards you. I applied an aggressive, but smooth acceleration and moved across lanes.

Thank goodness no one was hit or injured. I saw the small family car drive off undamaged, the pedestrian was okay, the truck driver managed to regain control of his vehicle and I managed to successfully manoeuvre out of harm's way.

I continued my ride, but drove very cautiously home. (reminds me of the scene in the Tom Cruise film, Risky Business, after he picks up his father's repaired Porsche from the dealer. He's drives the car home at 5 mph "with flashers" and was over passed by two kids on bicycles).

Anyways, I thought I'd share this incident as you would all appreciate the gravity of my predicament. I certainly hope no one has to experience such an event!

Ride safe!

[bikeguy]

A very scary sounding situation. Glad you kept your cool and everything turned out okay. Kudos to the truck driver for missing the family in the car. Glad the family was okay but I hope the driver had to spend some time cleaning up his underwear. That kind of poor judgement should at least have some consequences.

Cotton

[GloryRyders]

I would have had to stop to clean the #2 out of my pants Glad you made it thur the ordeal safe and sound.

[dltang]

God was watching over all of you, that is for sure. So glad it turned out the way it did and not as it could have.

[CyncySpyder]

Wow, I'm so glad you had such a cool head. As Deb stated, God was watching over you, but you made the right decisions and moves, so to you for keeping your cool We all can imagine how this could have turned out

[3Willie]

I taught defensive driving training for years before retiring, working with drivers and management people at UPS. It always pays to drive well ahead of yourself and 'leave yourself an out'. It helps to practice what you might do in dangerous situations so you can do those things instinctively when they arise. Most of the time, there is not time to think about what you need to do, only time to react. If you have already practiced, your training will normally help greatly when you need it the most. I really think that most people think they are great drivers even when they really are not. We all have times when we just are not at the top of our driving game, so need to be as prepared as possible for those times.

Congratulations on the making the right moves to avoid a very bad situation.

[SpyderSteve]

Good to hear that your ok Stanley That would have scared the out of me

[boborgera]

Glad everything turned out alright
I've learned that in 35+ years of riding bikes' You'll find something new will come up to get you almost any given day, So you have to stay alert at all times.
You snooze you lose, and when your out in the open you can lose a lot.

[spydee owner]

I had a near miss with an 18 wheeler today at the intersection of Hurontario 10 and Forks of the Credit Rd. (for those familiar with the area). I'm travelling north along Hurontario highway (two lanes in each direction with a centre lane for left turns). There is no traffic light at this particular intersection...(you see where this is going...)

As I'm approaching the intersection to make a left turn, I notice a small family car ahead of me waiting for traffic to clear before making a left turn. There is an 18 wheeler approaching in the opposite direction (travelling at about 60mph).

At this point I'm about 200 yards away in the centre turn lane and slowed down to about 30mph (I was in no hurry as there were no cars behind me and I would only have to stop and wait for the truck to pass anyways).

Suddenly, the small family car decides to make the turn before the oncoming 18 wheeler clears (pretty risky considering the approaching speed). Just as quickly as he begins to turn, he stops (he did not notice the pedestrian crossing the road he was turning on to). Now he's positioned in the middle of the oncoming 18 wheeler's lane approaching at 60mph and probably about 100 yards away.

I'm now approaching the intersection at about 100 yards away and understandably, becoming a little bit concerned. I'm very worried the family in the small car is going to be broadsided by the 18 wheeler! I'm also worried the impact will push the small car in to my path and/or have parts of metal flying towards me

It then gets worse, the truck driver hits the brakes, I hear tires screeching, I see white smoke billowing, the truck begins to "wobble" and I thought for sure it was going to tip. The truck driver, instinctively, tries to avoid hitting the car and manoeuvres left....towards me on the Spyder

Oddly enough, I wasn't freaking out My mind figured, "you probably want to move out of the way of the out of control" 18 wheeler barreling towards you. I applied an aggressive, but smooth acceleration and moved across lanes.

Thank goodness no one was hit or injured. I saw the small family car drive off undamaged, the pedestrian was okay, the truck driver managed to regain control of his vehicle and I managed to successfully manoeuvre out of harm's way.

I continued my ride, but drove very cautiously home. (reminds me of the scene in the Tom Cruise film, Risky Business, after he picks up his father's repaired Porsche from the dealer. He's drives the car home at 5 mph "with flashers" and was over passed by two kids on bicycles).

Anyways, I thought I'd share this incident as you would all appreciate the gravity of my predicament. I certainly hope no one has to experience such an event!

Ride safe!

It's a sign of the times.... everyone is in a big hurry to get somewhere. People have a major meltdown if they are not served in less than 5 minutes at a fastfood restaurant. The driver in the small family car saved maybe a few seconds off of the travel to his/her destination, but could have altered many peoples lives forever with an obviously bad decision.
The late comedian George Carlin used to refer to these near misses as near hits.
I agree with all of the defensive driving training and always leaving yourself an out, but, I also believe that sometimes you can end up in a situation where it seems that your just along for the ride and sometimes no amount of pre-thought or preparation can affect the outcome.

[Dudley]

God and your ability to control the your part of the situation probably saved your life. Had you had your head in the clouds, as a lot of drivers and riders do, the result may have been different. Avoiding panic allows you to write about it.

[Bob Denman]

Keeping your head while those about you are losing theirs... PRICELESS! Real glad to hear that this was a non-incident and that you're okay...

[ARtraveler]

Scarry situation. Glad everything worked out and no one was injured.

We must be vigilant all the time when driving.

[StanTheMan]

Thank you for the replies. Luck was certainly on all our sides. I agree, kudos to the truck driver's skill in handling the situation.

[Chick]

Praise the Lord you are ok and no one was hurt. This is an excellent reminder to be aware of all surroundings at all times!

[DynamoBT]

Always expect that other people on the road will do the most stupid thing possible. Because half the time, they will. Good job "SEEing" ahead to a developing situation!! And then performing the right move to get yourself out of harm's way!! It pays to be careful. And one can never be too careful when out on the roadways.

Thanks for reminding us to pay attention out there. You saved your bacon!!

[fastfraser]

Glad you are alright Stan. Know the intersection well. We ride the Forks of the Credit often .

[Phil]

By the grace of God... there go I.

[Wheeler~]

Glad you are ok. Nothing quite like a story with a happy ending.

[M2Wild]

Glad every1 is okay. No shortage of idiots out there. ::shake my head::

[Marker]

Glad that you are OK and everything turned out OK