I witnessed an accident on the M25 yesterday and the thing that really stuck by was that it all seemed to happen in slow motion. Really weird :confused:

What happened was that a truck in lane 1 decided to move into lane 2, but hadn't seen the car which was just halfway past it's cabin. So as it moved it clipped the car halfway and the car then consequently rotated towards the truck and was then dragged sideways until the truck came to a halt. Fortunately it happened when everyone was already slowing down for the roadworks so I estimate the speed to be around the 50-55mph and the speed between car and truck to be less than 5 mph in difference. I was stuck in lane 3 about 50 meters behind it when it happened but because it seemingly appeared to be happening in slow motion I didn't feel at any point in time scared and had plenty of time to stop/evade any debris... very bizar.

That type of accident is a common ocurrence, and seems to be getting even more common. The main reason and cause are LHD lorries from the continent who have a big blind spot at about the point you describe. They did a good demo on fifth gear a few years ago that showed it to good effect. Whenever I am passing a LHD lorry in the UK, I keep a good eye on the truck the road ahead and any potential escape route should it look like its about to change lane.

the thing that really stuck by was that it all seemed to happen in slow motion. Really weird :confused:

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Funny how the brain works.When my sister crashed and rolled her car (me a passenger) everything seemed to be in slow motion.

Same when I play cricket and a ball is hammered your way for a catch.Everything else is blanked out and you just concentrate on the ball...again,it all seems in slo mo.

thats the "good" type of slow motion \ time stretch, happens often on rallies where you seem to be able to carry out a massive amount of actions and reactions and plan stuff through in the time it takes ac ar to travel about 2 metres at 60mph.

Very weird when it happens and its kind of a weird feeling as you return to "normal time" as well, you can almost feel your brain "zoom out" as it goes back to normal speed.

Theres other types of slow motion as well, where the incident occurs in slow motion but the only thought going through your mind is "ooohhh " and you cant react. Thats a very bad sort of slow motion. Dont remember the last time I experienced it but it is kind of like being the bunny caught between the headlights

I guess its all to do with the human flight or fight response.

I remember seeing an accident when I was a kid where a Jag like the baddies used to drive on the Sweeney turned out of a gap in the central reservation in the A1 straight into the path of a Cavalier. That seemed to take ages to happen, and as we were approaching you could kind of see that the accident was getting closer and closer. Scary...

thats the "good" type of slow motion \ time stretch, happens often on rallies where you seem to be able to carry out a massive amount of actions and reactions and plan stuff through in the time it takes ac ar to travel about 2 metres at 60mph.

Very weird when it happens and its kind of a weird feeling as you return to "normal time" as well, you can almost feel your brain "zoom out" as it goes back to normal speed.

Theres other types of slow motion as well, where the incident occurs in slow motion but the only thought going through your mind is "ooohhh " and you cant react. Thats a very bad sort of slow motion. Dont remember the last time I experienced it but it is kind of like being the bunny caught between the headlights

I guess its all to do with the human flight or fight response.

thats the sort of slow-mo i experienced when i crashed my van, it seemed to take forever and all i could think was **** deer, **** turn, **** brake, **** sliding, **** hedge, double **** hit hedge, oh bo**ocks i'm in a hedge, double bo**ocks the worlds gone sideways. PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I rolled my Peugeot it went in slow mo, kinda like this -

Whats these 2 c*nts heading towards me?

swerve onto grass verge

back steps out as I come back onto tarmac and car in opposite direction (in my lane) clips my rear,

****enter slow mo****

turn into slide and catch it -

pendulum effect sends back end other way, catch it -

more pendulum, ****, past point of no return,

**** hedge!

Sky, Grass, Sky, Grass, Sky, Wheat, Sky, Wheat (upside down in field)

****exit slow motion****

****, why am I sat on the sunroof?

thats the sort of slow-mo i experienced when i crashed my van, it seemed to take forever and all i could think was **** deer, **** turn, **** brake, **** sliding, **** hedge, double **** hit hedge, oh bo**ocks i'm in a hedge, double bo**ocks the worlds gone sideways. PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats sorta the same way it happened when I crashed my Polo,

**** landrover, **** not enough room, **** he isnt slowing I better move over, **** tree. ****, that hurt.

When I rolled my car it seemed to happen bloody damn fast to me. It was back end out, screech, scraunch, [silence] WHACK [land first time - silence] WHACK, crunch, break, scrrreeeeeeech [sliding down road on roof]

Before I knew it, I was out and waving down cars heading my way.

Similar to Benjie, up to "...oh that bank's gonna hurt; the sky shouldn't be down there; we've stopped moving right side up, any pains anywhere? No. Good. Who turned the hazard lights on? I don't remember doing that. Gonna need a recovery wagon; where's my mobie? Undo seatbelt, heave door open and get out". Which ran through in about 3s!

I like the bit when you get out and look at the car (mine was still upside down in a ditchin the middle of a field) and you think-

'Oh, thats not too bad, stick the wing mirror back on and it'll be fine'

Of course it gets progressively worse as you look around, then the recovery guy comes along, smashes your windows, and puts a chain through, and pulls it back onto its wheels, then you get that sinking 'oh it's not so good after all' feeling!

In fact there was only one panel (the boot lid) that was not damaged!

The first time I was driving on a motorway to Oxford from Plymouth (in Vlad) I had been very scared having never done this sort of thing. I was at the end of the M5, the traffic had cleared and the weather had picked up. I was overtaking, in the middle lane when I saw that a large tyre had fallen off a vehicle on the other side of the carrage way. This tyre bounced over the central refuge and as it came towards me, and I could see that it was going to land on the left of my bonnet, exactly as you said, all in slow motion. I managed to brake just the tiniest amount and it missed me by inches and rolled away in the hard shoulder.

Then time started to catch up and I had a panic attack behind the wheel. I could not get out of the lane I was in, could not even change my speed. Tears streaming, I just thought I had been the closest ever to death.

After about 10 miles I called my dad, still sobbing. My knees knocked together, it was horrid.

So yeah, time stood still. Serious Matrix stuff.

Oh yeah, should add that I did a mild case of "delayed shock" when walking into the hospital casualty department (with the paramedic) about half an hour later.

Oh yeah, should add that I did a mild case of "delayed shock" when walking into the hospital casualty department (with the paramedic) about half an hour later.

Do you mean you had a poo? :confused:

Do you mean you had a poo? :confused:

NO!!! Just suddenly felt "a bit wobbly", and the delayed shock thing was his diagnosis, not mine!

NO!!! Just suddenly felt "a bit wobbly", and the delayed shock thing was his diagnosis, not mine!

oooohhh. I understand now.