Luck and biker instincts

**madbikeboy** · 19th April 2009, 21:59

I had a horrible experience this afternoon, or more accurately, this evening as I was coming home. I was heading home from Parnell, and I went straight through a roundabout instead of turning left to head up my street so I could turn into the gas station and check tire pressures.

There was a jogger, a woman, fit, slim, and she was heading across the road, obliquely, facing me. I had my lights on, but as I approached her, I suddenly got a bad feeling and hit the brakes, biker instinct and nothing else.

So, instead of looking back to her right to see the road was clear, she ran even harder, and looked down at her feet. So, she stepped out right in front of me, with about 6-8 feet to go. I was already braking, and she looked up, and – this is the truly awful bit, she tripped and fell directly in front of the Mini. I came to a stop, I didn’t feel an impact, and the car behind me ended up screeching to a stop, luckily he managed to avoid hitting me... I pulled off my belt, and did the mental preparation, and as I opened the door, she put her hand on the bonnet, and started to get up.

Turns out I didn’t hit her, but stopped about a foot from her.

She was cut up and grazed, and she was shaking like you wouldn’t believe, and she burst into tears, and started to apologise. I ended up sitting on the side of the road with her for a few minutes, and some other people who had witnessed it couldn’t believe her luck, or that I had managed to stop in time.

Such a close call – I think that was the best piece of driving I have ever done, and I’m sure that it was only the biker instinct that saved her from me running her over…

**Mikkel** · 19th April 2009, 22:03

The gut feeling is something that should never been ignored!

**Blatman** · 19th April 2009, 22:03

Well done! I like to pick up chicks too, but not in pieces

**gijoe1313** · 19th April 2009, 22:03

yep, biker instincts at play there ... well done MBB and at least you aren't going through the process if you did actually hit her!

**Taz** · 19th April 2009, 22:05

So was she hot?

**Ixion** · 19th April 2009, 22:06

Give y'r spidey an extra fly tonight.

**madbikeboy** · 19th April 2009, 22:10

Yeah, we were both really shaken. She was literally in hysterics and hyperventilating for a minute or two.

Sooooo close.

Ironically, on Scoot, I would have had enough room to ride around her easily, but the traffic islands that were supposed to be for pedestrian safety meant that I had no room to move...

**madbikeboy** · 19th April 2009, 22:13

One more thought hit me about 20 minutes ago, if I had been driving the other car, an Alfa with more frontal overhang by about a foot, instead of the mini with no overhang - I would have hit her...

**SixPackBack** · 19th April 2009, 22:13

What happened after you shagged her

.......you did shag her?

**fireliv** · 19th April 2009, 22:19

You really just get that feeling sometime, a classic case of listening to it paying off. Glad she wasnt hurt and you aint bearing the guilt of running someone over (not that it would have been your fault)

**gijoe1313** · 19th April 2009, 22:20

As was mentioned before, you got her phone number right? ... and this thread is useless without pics!

**jrandom** · 19th April 2009, 22:22

Bears out the wisdom of the words of an old colleague of mine: "Running is for emergencies".

So I hope you talked her into getting a bicycle.

And well done with the instincts and reflexes.

**madbikeboy** · 19th April 2009, 22:23

She was your sister, your girlfriend, your daughter - not someone who was getting rated. Too close a call to take the mickey for me tonight. Jesus, I hate driving.