42 replies to this topic

[jmmini]

Can hardly type, still shaking. Goin 40ish on the lane home (just gone for a night drive) after going for a spin on the empty roads, when a complete **** in some sort of chavy hatch back came round a blind bend at ridiculous speed and nearly hit me head on. Earlier in the night I was looking through this forum where someone gave a new driver the tip to stay alert and presume these things will happen which luckily I did and slowed slightly before I locked up and ended up sideways in the entrance to the mysteriously named shaggers lane which is just before the tight bend. Don't think ill have much sleep tonight because I know it could have been a terrible crash, I can't understand why people risk their own and other peoples lifes like this, he didn't even stop nor slow down to see if I was ok...
The cars fine apart from a branch sticking through the tyre, and apart from a neck burn off the seat belt ill be fine (stings like a ***** though)

Thanks to whoever reminded me to presume the worst, if not maybe I would have took the risk as noone hardly ever uses the road and things might have been different.

Had to share my thoughts, Joel.

[The Otter]

I understand how you're feeling right now, I had a very close call on the way to MITP a couple of weeks ago. I was driving along a country lane, 60mph speed limit so I'm doing 55ish, and coming up on the other side of the road is a broken down car and an AA van, effectively blocking the other side of the road. So I see a couple of cars coming the other way and think to myself that they'll surely be sensible and stop to let me go, as it was my right of way obviously. The first car was an old Yaris with L plates on, so I thought the driver would be a bit nervous if they're still learning, but they just decided to carry on regardless and swing round the van and broken down car. A bit close I thought, I wouldn't be impressed if I was teaching them to drive and they did that. Then, the black Fiesta behind them decided to follow them, swinging round the van at 60mph. Remembering the Yaris went through a gap they really shouldn't have, there was no gap for the Fiesta. So on seeing the front of a Fiesta coming straight at me and my girlfriend at 60mph, I slammed the brakes on and swerved as far left as I could, then began shouting some expletives and thinking how close I just was to probably being killed! I was shaking pretty bad after that but I couldn't find anywhere to pull over, so I just drove slowly and calmly for the next 10 minutes until I'd calmed down a bit. My friend following me said that the Fiesta damn nearly went straight in to the AA van when he swerved away from me, and that my front left wheel locked up under braking, giving him a nice big puff of smoke to drive through. My girlfriend had a sore neck from the hard braking, but that went away after a very short time.

Key thing to remember is - EVERYONE else on the road is an idiot as far as you're concerned, and you should treat them as such.

[jmmini]

It's fine for the people who throw their modern cars about witch have several airbags as I'm sure the fiesta did but they don't realise we dont have anything like that I'm glad to hear you also reacted well. Just wondering, what are the best, if any saftey devices for a carb mini. I don't care how pricey they are.

Also, before I EVER go back out at night I'm upgrading my headlights and possibly fitting spot lamps. I couldn't realy see much because the few streetlights that are on the road had been turned off to save the baby seals and I was lucky to see the high vis bollard before the lane I ended up down.

Edited by jmmini, 25 August 2012 - 01:49 AM.

[Brams96]

I live 2 miles down a lane off the A2 which is used by people going to & from Ashford, I quite regularly have to brake & move over for *insert own expletive* inconsiderate drivers. I'm at the stage where if I'm cut up again I'm going to pull into the middle of the road to stop them & get out to give them a piece of my mind. Baring in mind my daily driver is a Smart Fortwo so not a big car either (nearly same wheelsbase & weight as a mini).

Glad you are ok & remember your not paranoid everyone IS out to get you when you're driving.

[jmmini]

I live 2 miles down a lane off the A2 which is used by people going to & from Ashford, I quite regularly have to brake & move over for *insert own expletive* inconsiderate drivers. I'm at the stage where if I'm cut up again I'm going to pull into the middle of the road to stop them & get out to give them a piece of my mind. Baring in mind my daily driver is a Smart Fortwo so not a big car either (nearly same wheelsbase & weight as a mini).

Glad you are ok & remember your not paranoid everyone IS out to get you when you're driving.

Now I'm mega-paranoid, ill have to fit riot shields all over the car (play Call of duty too much?)

Every road should have a mini lane, where minis can live happily...

[Carlos W]

A good tip is you should always be able to stop on a country road in half the distance you can see!

I genuinely think the standard of driving on the roads is getting worse!

I was following a car for 2 miles down a dual carriageway the other day and she wouldn't move into the inside lane to let me past!

She overtook one car in that 2 miles

[minimarco]

Sign up as an organ donor, you'll feel better.

[jmmini]

Sign up as an organ donor, you'll feel better.

You might know the roads, it was one of the smaller between greasbrough and wath, on the road back from swinton roundabout. I Belive your from south Yorkshire.

[leroy26]

make sure you always have tyres with at least 3mm tread maybe upgrade your brakes to some green stuff pads, you could also retro fit a steering wheel with an airbag as used in later minis

[jmmini]

How would the airbag wheel be wired up, surely it needs some sort of sensors? Had anyone fitted one of these to a carb model mini I can have a look at?

[leroy26]

not sure m8 just throwing it out there, im sure it can be done tho

[tiger99]

Sadly, you can't legally retrofit an airbag. Obviously, with all the correct parts from a later Mini, it would be safe, but you would fail the MOT, and risk prosecution under the Construction and Use Regulations.

[Noah]

A harness is and a role cage is your only real safety options. An MPi airbag is near enoguh impossible to wire in and to be honest at the angle of the steering wheel probably wont do much good.

As said before up-rate your brakes, make sure you have enough tread and by the best tyres possible.

[Cooperman]

A harness is and a role cage is your only real safety options. An MPi airbag is near enoguh impossible to wire in and to be honest at the angle of the steering wheel probably wont do much good.

As said before up-rate your brakes, make sure you have enough tread and by the best tyres possible.

You mean an FIA Approved roll cage, padded, FIA approved and fitted seats, a full harness, wear a crash helmet in case you hit your head on the cage, and fit full-on rally suspension, brake pads and tyres.
However, if you are that paranoid, buy a modern car instead of a Mini.
A bit of over-reaction here methinks. A Mini is a very safe car. I've been a passenger in 2 different Minis which have rolled but not had a cage and in each case I just climbed out unhurt. There are a number of people who say they were almost killed when what they really mean is that their car almost suffered a bit of panel damage.

[jmmini]

A harness is and a role cage is your only real safety options. An MPi airbag is near enoguh impossible to wire in and to be honest at the angle of the steering wheel probably wont do much good.

As said before up-rate your brakes, make sure you have enough tread and by the best tyres possible.

You mean an FIA Approved roll cage, padded, FIA approved and fitted seats, a full harness, wear a crash helmet in case you hit your head on the cage, and fit full-on rally suspension, brake pads and tyres.
However, if you are that paranoid, buy a modern car instead of a Mini.
A bit of over-reaction here methinks. A Mini is a very safe car. I've been a passenger in 2 different Minis which have rolled but not had a cage and in each case I just climbed out unhurt. There are a number of people who say they were almost killed when what they really mean is that their car almost suffered a bit of panel damage.

Although cooperman I respect your opinion, head on at 40ish isn't panel damage, I'm sure if I was changing song or otherwise distracted he would have hit me and it wouldn't have 'rolled' but crushed. Right I didn't crash but was very close. I'm looking into roll cages and harnesses and its a shame about the steering wheel.

Edited by jmmini, 25 August 2012 - 02:00 PM.