Near miss!!

[Onion Bag]

Never expect a lorry going up a hill to be doing 70

All lorries are restricted to 56 mph,

[Abble]

I think i've felt exactly how you were feeling today.
we were heading home 'countrybound' on m1 one day and heading towards one of the slip-ON's to the motorway but i was in fast lane and just thought i'd look down to change radio station, suddenly my female passenger shouts WATCH and within a second all traffic was slowed from 70 til about 20MPH and i knew i couldnt get stopped or i was going to hit the car in front with an almighty force.
So in that split second, without even looking in any mirrors, i knew there was only one place i could go and that was left.
Now, til this day i will always be thankful, but our lives were saved only by the alertness of a lorry driver in the slow lane just slightly behind us, who either predicted a build up of traffic ahead as we approached or he could see the road ahead better than us but he slowed down giving me the space to get into, i didnt even have time to signal , i just had to go for it.
i was in big shock for a bit and pulled over a mile down the road and signalled my appreciation to the lorry driver, he knew i think that he had saved a potential motorway disaster situation !
i said some prayers that night !

[michaelg]

I think i've felt exactly how you were feeling today.
we were heading home 'countrybound' on m1 one day and heading towards one of the slip-ON's to the motorway but i was in fast lane and just thought i'd look down to change radio station, suddenly my female passenger shouts WATCH and within a second all traffic was slowed from 70 til about 20MPH and i knew i couldnt get stopped or i was going to hit the car in front with an almighty force.
So in that split second, without even looking in any mirrors, i knew there was only one place i could go and that was left.
Now, til this day i will always be thankful, but our lives were saved only by the alertness of a lorry driver in the slow lane just slightly behind us, who either predicted a build up of traffic ahead as we approached or he could see the road ahead better than us but he slowed down giving me the space to get into, i didnt even have time to signal , i just had to go for it.
i was in big shock for a bit and pulled over a mile down the road and signalled my appreciation to the lorry driver, he knew i think that he had saved a potential motorway disaster situation !
i said some prayers that night !

Is the use of 'countrybound' in relation to motorways a Norn Iron thing?  Always sounds a bit odd to me.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I think i've felt exactly how you were feeling today.
we were heading home 'countrybound' on m1 one day and heading towards one of the slip-ON's to the motorway but i was in fast lane and just thought i'd look down to change radio station, suddenly my female passenger shouts WATCH and within a second all traffic was slowed from 70 til about 20MPH and i knew i couldnt get stopped or i was going to hit the car in front with an almighty force.
So in that split second, without even looking in any mirrors, i knew there was only one place i could go and that was left.
Now, til this day i will always be thankful, but our lives were saved only by the alertness of a lorry driver in the slow lane just slightly behind us, who either predicted a build up of traffic ahead as we approached or he could see the road ahead better than us but he slowed down giving me the space to get into, i didnt even have time to signal , i just had to go for it.
i was in big shock for a bit and pulled over a mile down the road and signalled my appreciation to the lorry driver, he knew i think that he had saved a potential motorway disaster situation !
i said some prayers that night !

Is the use of 'countrybound' in relation to motorways a Norn Iron thing?  Always sounds a bit odd to me.

Never heard it said before, the Dubs however say "heading down the country".

I think country folk would say, "heading West", "heading North", "heading East", "heading South" or use "up to", "across to", "down to", "back to" every city and town seems to have it's own one and it seems to pay no attention to direction.

In Castlebar I used remember it to be "up to Dublin", "up to Galway", "up to Donegal", "down to Cork", "across to/back to Westport", "up to Ballina", "over to Kiltimagh", "up to Belfast", "out to Bohola", "out to Manulla", "out to Islandeady", "across to Roscommon", "back to Achill", "back to Louisburgh", "across to Athlone", "out to Pontoon, "out to Balla", "in to town".

[Tony Baloney]

I think i've felt exactly how you were feeling today.
we were heading home 'countrybound' on m1 one day and heading towards one of the slip-ON's to the motorway but i was in fast lane and just thought i'd look down to change radio station, suddenly my female passenger shouts WATCH and within a second all traffic was slowed from 70 til about 20MPH and i knew i couldnt get stopped or i was going to hit the car in front with an almighty force.
So in that split second, without even looking in any mirrors, i knew there was only one place i could go and that was left.
Now, til this day i will always be thankful, but our lives were saved only by the alertness of a lorry driver in the slow lane just slightly behind us, who either predicted a build up of traffic ahead as we approached or he could see the road ahead better than us but he slowed down giving me the space to get into, i didnt even have time to signal , i just had to go for it.
i was in big shock for a bit and pulled over a mile down the road and signalled my appreciation to the lorry driver, he knew i think that he had saved a potential motorway disaster situation !
i said some prayers that night !

Is the use of 'countrybound' in relation to motorways a Norn Iron thing?  Always sounds a bit odd to me.

Never heard it said before, the Dubs however say "heading down the country".

I think country folk would say, "heading West", "heading North", "heading East", "heading South" or use "up to", "across to", "down to", "back to" every city and town seems to have it's own one and it seems to pay no attention to direction.

In Castlebar I used remember it to be "up to Dublin", "up to Galway", "up to Donegal", "down to Cork", "across to Westport", "up to Ballina", "over to Kiltimagh", "up to Belfast", "out to Bohola", "out to Manulla", "out to Islandeady", "across to Roscommon".

Even the newsreaders up here refer to the countrybound and citybound lanes of the motorway.

[laoislad]

I think i've felt exactly how you were feeling today.
we were heading home 'countrybound' on m1 one day and heading towards one of the slip-ON's to the motorway but i was in fast lane and just thought i'd look down to change radio station, suddenly my female passenger shouts WATCH and within a second all traffic was slowed from 70 til about 20MPH and i knew i couldnt get stopped or i was going to hit the car in front with an almighty force.
So in that split second, without even looking in any mirrors, i knew there was only one place i could go and that was left.
Now, til this day i will always be thankful, but our lives were saved only by the alertness of a lorry driver in the slow lane just slightly behind us, who either predicted a build up of traffic ahead as we approached or he could see the road ahead better than us but he slowed down giving me the space to get into, i didnt even have time to signal , i just had to go for it.
i was in big shock for a bit and pulled over a mile down the road and signalled my appreciation to the lorry driver, he knew i think that he had saved a potential motorway disaster situation !
i said some prayers that night !

Is the use of 'countrybound' in relation to motorways a Norn Iron thing?  Always sounds a bit odd to me.

Never heard it said before, the Dubs however say "heading down the country".

I find Dubs don't really know where anywhere is once they pass the Red Cow.
Had a friend of the wife tell me one day Clonmel was just outside Naas.
I was also asked once if Laois was anywhere near Portlaoise.

[BennyCake]

Just one thing... Doesn't a near miss imply a hit? So shouldn't this thread be named 'near hit'?

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I think i've felt exactly how you were feeling today.
we were heading home 'countrybound' on m1 one day and heading towards one of the slip-ON's to the motorway but i was in fast lane and just thought i'd look down to change radio station, suddenly my female passenger shouts WATCH and within a second all traffic was slowed from 70 til about 20MPH and i knew i couldnt get stopped or i was going to hit the car in front with an almighty force.
So in that split second, without even looking in any mirrors, i knew there was only one place i could go and that was left.
Now, til this day i will always be thankful, but our lives were saved only by the alertness of a lorry driver in the slow lane just slightly behind us, who either predicted a build up of traffic ahead as we approached or he could see the road ahead better than us but he slowed down giving me the space to get into, i didnt even have time to signal , i just had to go for it.
i was in big shock for a bit and pulled over a mile down the road and signalled my appreciation to the lorry driver, he knew i think that he had saved a potential motorway disaster situation !
i said some prayers that night !

Is the use of 'countrybound' in relation to motorways a Norn Iron thing?  Always sounds a bit odd to me.

Never heard it said before, the Dubs however say "heading down the country".

I find Dubs don't really know where anywhere is once they pass the Red Cow.
Had a friend of the wife tell me one day Clonmel was just outside Naas.
I was also asked once if Laois was anywhere near Portlaoise.

I remember working with a girl who used say to me, "was out near your part of the country at the weekend, I was down West?" to which I would enquire where abouts. Her response was "Mullingar". 

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Just one thing... Doesn't a near miss imply a hit? So shouldn't this thread be named 'near hit'?

A miss but in close proximity to another object (other than the road of course).

[Tony Baloney]

Don't see the problem with that. One of the lanes is heading towards the country and the other is heading towards the city.

The westbound traffic on the M1 could be going to the cities of Lisburn or Armagh 

[Eamonnca1]

The westbound traffic on the M1 could be going to the cities of Lisburn or Armagh 

Cities are in the eye of the beholder. People in San Jose (population 984,000) talk about going up to "the city" meaning San Francisco (population 825,863).

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

The westbound traffic on the M1 could be going to the cities of Lisburn or Armagh 

Cities are in the eye of the beholder. People in San Jose (population 984,000) talk about going up to "the city" meaning San Francisco (population 825,863).

Exactly, in Ireland we refer to the likes of Castlebar and Ballina as towns, American tourists call them "cities" and an English girl at work recently told me her father visited the "fishing village of Ballina".

[Never beat the deeler]

The westbound traffic on the M1 could be going to the cities of Lisburn or Armagh 

Cities are in the eye of the beholder. People in San Jose (population 984,000) talk about going up to "the city" meaning San Francisco (population 825,863).

Exactly, in Ireland we refer to the likes of Castlebar and Ballina as towns, American tourists call them "cities" and an English girl at work recently told me her father visited the "fishing village of Ballina".

and in Australia, 'city' means what most people would call 'suburb'. If you are in greater Perth and they are looking for your city on an address form, they want you to put down 'Subiaco', or 'Mount Hawthorne' etc

Now, what were we talking about??!

[johnneycool]

Cars are dangerous, of that there is no doubt but drivers are a lot more dangerous.  I have been a competitive rally driver for over 10 years with a bit of experience. I have my fair share of crystal but have also been through my fair share of hedges. The one thing I can say is that the steering wheel will get you out of a lot more trouble than the brake peddle. The average drivers instinct is to slam on the brakes, this is often where it goes wrong.

The one thing you need is awareness of what is ahead, use your eyes. Driving along thinking about a match or some bit of fluff will get you in trouble. If everyone concentrated on what they were doing there would be very few accidents.

Guilty on both counts

Was it a camogie match you were refereeing?

[NAG1]

Yeah its can also be that feeling you get when you arrive somewhere after a decent journey and you can remember nothing about the drive there just in a total different world.

Concentration is definitely key