Just stopped someone driving the wrong way onto a motorway.
Discussion
It wasn't a pleasant experience.
I was coming off the M4 going west at J33, saw a car at the top of the slip road and it just turned left and started driving towards me. Instinct took over and I put the hazards on and flashed the driver to warn them but even then it took what felt like an eternity for them to stop driving towards me, stop then try to reverse back up. I'd come to a complete stop by this point on the hatchings on the right of the left filter lane and the two cars that came up behind me also stopped once they had realised what was going on. The errant car then started coming back towards me as if they were going to go on the motorway anyway so I was fully prepared to use my car to stop them and had even started to move forward to position my car in front of them but they thankfully were just lining up to have another go at reversing. It seemed to take an age for them to finally reverse on to the roundabout (I was checking for any lights coming all the time as they obviously weren't!) and they managed to get back, turn right then drive down the A4232 towards Cardiff. I followed them for 20-30 seconds but they were only going 40 on a 70 dual carriageway so overtook them and it was an old man looking very scared and with a phone with google maps running on top of the instrument binnacle. I phoned it in to the police but they said there's not much more they can do than keep an eye out for the car in future as they're tied up with the football match in the city centre and that 10 minutes had passed before I got to speak to someone so had to leave it at that.
Got home and even an hour later I'm processing what I saw happening. You read about it in the papers and online every now and then, there was even one near here on Crash Investigators that ended in a head-on fatality a few years ago, but seeing it happen in front of you is totally different. What's shook me most though is that I shouldn't have been on that slip road, I'd gone a junction further on to take more time getting home so I finished the podcast I was listening to before I got home. If I hadn't done so he would have had enough time between me arriving and the next car to make it onto the motorway and get some speed up before the cars behind me arrived. Scary to think a choice like than meant I potentially stopped a nasty crash occurring.
If anyone has a male relative in the Cardiff area with a dark Toyota, possibly that maroon on black color the AygoX and small crossover thing comes in you might want to check it wasn't them.
Oh and if the driver of the white BMW that came up behind me is on here thanks for acting as a protector for me and using your hazards once you'd stopped wondering what I was up to and seen the Toyota going the wrong way.
I was coming off the M4 going west at J33, saw a car at the top of the slip road and it just turned left and started driving towards me. Instinct took over and I put the hazards on and flashed the driver to warn them but even then it took what felt like an eternity for them to stop driving towards me, stop then try to reverse back up. I'd come to a complete stop by this point on the hatchings on the right of the left filter lane and the two cars that came up behind me also stopped once they had realised what was going on. The errant car then started coming back towards me as if they were going to go on the motorway anyway so I was fully prepared to use my car to stop them and had even started to move forward to position my car in front of them but they thankfully were just lining up to have another go at reversing. It seemed to take an age for them to finally reverse on to the roundabout (I was checking for any lights coming all the time as they obviously weren't!) and they managed to get back, turn right then drive down the A4232 towards Cardiff. I followed them for 20-30 seconds but they were only going 40 on a 70 dual carriageway so overtook them and it was an old man looking very scared and with a phone with google maps running on top of the instrument binnacle. I phoned it in to the police but they said there's not much more they can do than keep an eye out for the car in future as they're tied up with the football match in the city centre and that 10 minutes had passed before I got to speak to someone so had to leave it at that.
Got home and even an hour later I'm processing what I saw happening. You read about it in the papers and online every now and then, there was even one near here on Crash Investigators that ended in a head-on fatality a few years ago, but seeing it happen in front of you is totally different. What's shook me most though is that I shouldn't have been on that slip road, I'd gone a junction further on to take more time getting home so I finished the podcast I was listening to before I got home. If I hadn't done so he would have had enough time between me arriving and the next car to make it onto the motorway and get some speed up before the cars behind me arrived. Scary to think a choice like than meant I potentially stopped a nasty crash occurring.
If anyone has a male relative in the Cardiff area with a dark Toyota, possibly that maroon on black color the AygoX and small crossover thing comes in you might want to check it wasn't them.
Oh and if the driver of the white BMW that came up behind me is on here thanks for acting as a protector for me and using your hazards once you'd stopped wondering what I was up to and seen the Toyota going the wrong way.
You had a lucky escape. As a ( some how ) survivor of two head on bike RTAs, both caused by car drivers veering onto the wrong side of the road, i can confirm just how traumatic this is.
However, if they had been side on impacts, then i would not be here now. In both cases, i was fortunate, in being shoved backwards, with incredible force, and landing on the tarmac
However, if they had been side on impacts, then i would not be here now. In both cases, i was fortunate, in being shoved backwards, with incredible force, and landing on the tarmac
Wow, that's lottery winner levels of luck there. A bike head-on is usually a one-way street and to survive two is very fortunate. I've lost two friends on bikes to them both avoiding head-ons and choosing the scenery instead, exactly a year apart and within 100m of each other too, witnessed the second one. They're horrible to be close to regardless of the outcome.
I wasn't lucky to miss a head-on as I was past the point of that happening, it's the people on the motorway behind me that missed that bullet. Even after a decent sleep I'm still processing that I could have driven past, done nothing to stop them and been reading about a big accident in the news now while eating my breakfast that I could have stopped from happening.
I wasn't lucky to miss a head-on as I was past the point of that happening, it's the people on the motorway behind me that missed that bullet. Even after a decent sleep I'm still processing that I could have driven past, done nothing to stop them and been reading about a big accident in the news now while eating my breakfast that I could have stopped from happening.
Lived not far from here many moons ago and this was a favourite for people getting it very wrong exiting a fuel station, especially at night when there was little traffic on the road.
Along with no sign opposite the exit.
The whole stretch of road has been redone now but we had one near miss, luckily we were in the inside lane, but had to do a double take when it happened!
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wash'N+Drive/@50...
Along with no sign opposite the exit.
The whole stretch of road has been redone now but we had one near miss, luckily we were in the inside lane, but had to do a double take when it happened!
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wash'N+Drive/@50...
You possibly stopped a death or serious injury from happening, just yesterday this happened.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8lx172kero
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8lx172kero
A friend of mine swerved to avoid an oncoming driver going the wrong way. He got away with it but the driver hit another car head on and killed a young girl.
The common thing with most of these accidents is wondering how the hell they didn’t realise that the reason they have to do an unusual manoeuvre is that you’re not supposed to be doing it.
That J33 was on my commute. A roundabout above the M4. The angles to turn onto the westbound slip road back down to the motorway are very tight. It's hard to fathom how an alert driver would take that tight turn. There are timed traffic lights that trigger at busy periods, they started at 07.00 for increased commuter traffic. Not sure of the ending time though. One other issue was traffic exiting the services. Several times lorries were coming out and if they were intending to join the westbound carriageway they would cross the exit onto the A4232. That was my intended exit so the safest option was to hang back in case they crossed the exit blocking you off. I saw several near misses of this. Faster vehicles versus slow artics.
Coming back onto the M4 from the A4232 there is a filter lane for this to aid flow but a 40 limit ( it was back then). Trouble is traffic already on the roundabout sometimes had poor lane discipline so instead of maintaining their lane they came across into the filter lane. Another reason for high alertness!
Luckily my morning commute got me to that junction at 06.30 and traffic was light. Evening time it was busy.
Coming back onto the M4 from the A4232 there is a filter lane for this to aid flow but a 40 limit ( it was back then). Trouble is traffic already on the roundabout sometimes had poor lane discipline so instead of maintaining their lane they came across into the filter lane. Another reason for high alertness!
Luckily my morning commute got me to that junction at 06.30 and traffic was light. Evening time it was busy.
Drawweight said:
The common thing with most of these accidents is wondering how the hell they didn t realise that the reason they have to do an unusual manoeuvre is that you re not supposed to be doing it.
That's the bit that surprises me, to end up on a motorway or dual carriageway driving in the wrong direction, you often have to take a harsh angled turn. Clearly not an obvious one and yet people still do it. I can recall being a passenger in a car on the M25 and as we approached the junction at Reigate (can't recall the number) there was a car coming down the slip road towards the traffic. We were going passed that junction so no chance to do anything. But I watched as the guy got to the end of the slip road, took a hard left across the hatches and was waiting to pull onto the motorway like it was a normal junction. Utter utter cretin!
Fair play OP for helping stop a potential disaster!!
aterribleusername said:
Wow, that's lottery winner levels of luck there. A bike head-on is usually a one-way street and to survive two is very fortunate. I've lost two friends on bikes to them both avoiding head-ons and choosing the scenery instead, exactly a year apart and within 100m of each other too, witnessed the second one. They're horrible to be close to regardless of the outcome.
I wasn't lucky to miss a head-on as I was past the point of that happening, it's the people on the motorway behind me that missed that bullet. Even after a decent sleep I'm still processing that I could have driven past, done nothing to stop them and been reading about a big accident in the news now while eating my breakfast that I could have stopped from happening.
Thats dreadful re losing your 2 friends. I knew of someone years ago, who was driving behind his g/f, when another car ploughed head on into her car, with sadly fatal results.I wasn't lucky to miss a head-on as I was past the point of that happening, it's the people on the motorway behind me that missed that bullet. Even after a decent sleep I'm still processing that I could have driven past, done nothing to stop them and been reading about a big accident in the news now while eating my breakfast that I could have stopped from happening.
A couple of years ago, on our way to Le Mans, we were coming off the slip road into the channel tunnel complex, when we saw a car coming towards us in the same lane. Luckily there was no one else around us at the time, so we could safely move over as far left as possible. We were flashing and waving at the oncoming car, but they were completely oblivious. When we stopped at the barrier we told the attendant, who said it had been reported already and they had no idea how they had managed to get out and head the wrong way. It was a sobering experience, although we weren't in any danger really.
On my 17th birthday, many many years ago, my father took me out for my 'first drive'... Very memorable 
Particularly as exiting the A34, a Jaguar XJ6 Series 3 turned up the off ramp I was driving down attempting to join the A34 the wrong way.... luckily he stopped, but for my first time out in a car, it was pretty alarming!
Particularly as exiting the A34, a Jaguar XJ6 Series 3 turned up the off ramp I was driving down attempting to join the A34 the wrong way.... luckily he stopped, but for my first time out in a car, it was pretty alarming!
SmoothCriminal said:
Well done.
These morons also always barrel along in the outside lane in the direction of travel (fast lane) never on the hard shoulder.
If they are found to have done this they deserve an instant ban for life.
There is zero excuse.
I suppose it's the habit of driving on the left. Plus a preference for colliding head on with a mini rather than a Sainsbury's artic.These morons also always barrel along in the outside lane in the direction of travel (fast lane) never on the hard shoulder.
If they are found to have done this they deserve an instant ban for life.
There is zero excuse.
SS427 Camaro said:
Thats dreadful re losing your 2 friends. I knew of someone years ago, who was driving behind his g/f, when another car ploughed head on into her car, with sadly fatal results.
That's horrible, being there but helpless.The first was Chris just being over exuberant as a youth with a new, more powerful bike. We had been up around the Brecon Beacons and were heading back to Brecon from Garwnant to meet up with some other friends. He went round the righ-left by the burger van below Storey Arms and the extra acceleration caught him out, drifted wide and had to bail to avoid an oncoming car. He cartwheeled down the hill and ended up in a heap by the dry stone wall. I was in my car and came along a few minutes later so didn't see that one. He made it to hospital but passed away a few weeks later.
The second was on a ride out in memory of Chris on the day he crashed, same route and meant to be at a sombre pace. I was on my bike but with L plates so was at the front with other newbies to keep the pace down and stick together. One of the other lads, Andrew, had a bigger bike and was a few years older than most of us so his idea of slow eas somewhat faster than we were going. For some obscure reason he overtook us all going into the corners and got a bit of a lean on. Nothing bad but definitely faster than we planned. He came round the right hander to find diesel on the surface, stood the bike up to avoid it but tis put him on the wrong side of the road by a metre. He was heading straight for an oncoming van so had no choice but to bail out onto the verge. He went tumbling down the same bank that Chris had but was going slower so didn't get all the way to the dry stone wall. He was dead immediately though as he landed head first and snapped his neck. I gave up any ideas of riding that afternoon and sold my bike. Up until a few years ago (the accidents were 1999/2000) there were two small white stones visible from the layby if you looked down the valley marking where they had landed. One of our group would repaint them and put them back if the farmer had done anything to damage or move them. I'm guessing they no longer do so now, haven't seen the rocks for a long time and have no idea of who was doing it.
SmoothCriminal said:
Well done.
These morons also always barrel along in the outside lane in the direction of travel (fast lane) never on the hard shoulder.
If they are found to have done this they deserve an instant ban for life.
There is zero excuse.
It wasn't a moron, it was an old man who was confused, lost and scared and didn't realise what he was doing. As for 'barrel along in the outside lane', if you pause to think for a moment, for him, he was simply driving on the left and wondering why all the oncoming traffic was going so fast.These morons also always barrel along in the outside lane in the direction of travel (fast lane) never on the hard shoulder.
If they are found to have done this they deserve an instant ban for life.
There is zero excuse.
Bear in mind that one day that old man might be you.
Simpo Two said:
It wasn't a moron, it was an old man who was confused, lost and scared and didn't realise what he was doing. As for 'barrel along in the outside lane', if you pause to think for a moment, for him, he was simply driving on the left and wondering why all the oncoming traffic was going so fast.
Bear in mind that one day that old man might be you.
It's still a stupid thing to do. I'm not saying I don't have a smidge of sympathy for elderly drivers who end up in this situation due to confusion but at the same time, when it comes to age vs driving we should (should being the word) opt out gracefully. My grandad continued driving for too long and although he stuck to local driving only we all said she needed to stop due to his eyesight and eventually did when he had to admit defeat. It's a really tough decision but it is undeniably stupid to continue driving if you're not capable or safe. My grandad wasn't a moron but to keep driving against all logic and advice, was bloody stupid. Prior to that he'd been a genuinely excellent driver. Bear in mind that one day that old man might be you.
Simpo Two said:
SmoothCriminal said:
Well done.
These morons also always barrel along in the outside lane in the direction of travel (fast lane) never on the hard shoulder.
If they are found to have done this they deserve an instant ban for life.
There is zero excuse.
It wasn't a moron, it was an old man who was confused, lost and scared and didn't realise what he was doing. As for 'barrel along in the outside lane', if you pause to think for a moment, for him, he was simply driving on the left and wondering why all the oncoming traffic was going so fast.These morons also always barrel along in the outside lane in the direction of travel (fast lane) never on the hard shoulder.
If they are found to have done this they deserve an instant ban for life.
There is zero excuse.
Bear in mind that one day that old man might be you.
Also no it wouldn't be me because long before it got to the point of not working out that I am driving head long into oncoming traffic I would be making use of my buss pass and leaving the driving upto someone else.
Let's hope and pray the next time the moron does it he doesn't go head on into a car of innocents with children.
Simpo Two said:
It wasn't a moron, it was an old man who was confused, lost and scared and didn't realise what he was doing. As for 'barrel along in the outside lane', if you pause to think for a moment, for him, he was simply driving on the left and wondering why all the oncoming traffic was going so fast.
Bear in mind that one day that old man might be you.
Yes, but to get to that outside lane, he would have had to join the motorway on completely the wrong side - surely this would have set alarm bells off that he's joining on the "outside" of all the traffic!Bear in mind that one day that old man might be you.
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