Today was one of those days when you say "Thank God I have a MINI!" I was driving on a 3 lane road with light traffic today. There are periodic lights, mostly greens for through traffic, and generous left turn lanes. I was about to drive through the intersection with some cars ahead lining up into the left turn lane--no problems passing them. That is, until a car (lady driver?) from TWO lanes over decides to dart in front of me to the left turn lane! I had just enough space to dodge her on the right (and honk mightily), and then dodge the last person in line in the turn lane! Boy, was it close. Can't imagine how I would have done it in any less responsive car, or anything longer...

How 'bout YOUR "near misses?"

 

I had someone come into my lane (only a two lane street) to go around traffic. I had only a second to slam on my brakes and am happy to say the car stayed straight as an arrow all the way to stop.

BTW, the guy ended up in the ditch. Good riddance! :P

(he was okay)

 

I've had friends who have utilized MINIs famous "accident avoidance" handling, but I thankfully have not. Great story...glad you're in a MINI!!

 

I just had one today actually. Dude in a damn BMW cut me off right in the middle of an intersection, so I beep my horn at him. Like a total jerk-off, he reaches his hand out his sunroof and flips ME off. Right, you cut me off, I beep my horn, and you flip me off cuz it's MY fault.

So, whatever, I decide to go around him to get away from this A-hole, and what does he do? He freakin' SWERVES TO HIT ME!!!

I couldn't freakin' believe it. My sister FREAKS out, I slam on my breaks and swerve into the far left hand lane while LAYING on my horn, and the dill-weed looks over and starts laughing!

Some people huh? :impatient

 

Seriously speechless. I thought daffodildeb's post was bad, but that is just INSANE!!!

 

Yeah, I find people gun for me while driving... every day is an adventure

 

Thank god I haven't had any, I just got my new chili red R56 Mini Cooper S yesterday...... yipeeeee it's so much fun driving this to an 04 Mini Cooper S. Deb I was with HMMS during the car show at BMW North it was and my mini was getting a supercharger and momentum had given me a silver loaner mini cooper, well now I have an R56.....

 

A few days ago two deer leapt out of some trees and and darted across the road. One just in front of me and one just behind me. But I wasn't driving the Mini, I was riding my Triumph.

By the time I could react they were across the road and gone so I just kept my speed up and went home. It's been a long time since I thought ditch rats were cute.

 

geez those are crazy! It seems to me that most MINI drivers are pretty happy drivers, probably not going to be the one doing the flipping, just a thought

 

Took an inaugural road trip about 3 days after getting the car...

15 minutes from home, in afternoon traffic on I-10W (pat the I-95 interchange) traffic quickly backs up approaching the Roosevelt exit. (This is thanks an an inattentive SUV driver I'd noticed earlier, several cars up)

I'm finding myself balancing the brakes to keep from hitting the person in front of me (easy, I had enough room and enough brake), and still giving the minivan behind me room to not clobber me!

Something different about the MINI -- the view out the back let you SEE the look of panic on the persons face as they think they're going to hit you.

I thought for sure we were going to get hit from behind, but luckily we were find and the trip was uneventful.

 

Sounds like near hits versus misses.

 

I've asked a few girls out but none that I'd want to marry, so, no near Misses for me!

 

lol

 

Yea--one more convert to the R56!

 

I installed the brake flasher unit on Percy after we got rear-ended. It works very well for tailgaiters...and the like.
Coming home from a road trip we have to go through this 3 light town. I catch the 1st light and am 1st car in the right lane. A GMC SUV is sitting in the right lane of cross traffic. The light is green but he isn't going. He sits as it cycles thru yellow and when my light turns green he decides to turn in front of me, late enough I have to get on the brakes pretty heavy. I creep up the gears slowly until the left lane opens so I can pass him. I hit the blinker and swap lanes. We have the windows down and the sunroof open, I didn't say anything or even look over. No biggie.
I hear his 4 barrel and pipes ramping up so I check the rear view. Yep, Billy Don Jr has decided to up the ante. He has changed lanes, too, and is closing quickly, and he is already VERY CLOSE. I kept my right foot on the gas and ease the brake on just enough to actuate the lights. The response was more than I could hope for. I hear his engine go to flight idle followed by the sound of oversized tires in full lock up. The glare of his lights dimished as they went from shining in my hatchback to hunting a stick on the ground. Then he hit his horn and swerved into the center turn lane.
Did I mention I was still pushing the gas with my right foot? I just upshifted to 6th and went through the rest of the lights.
I highly recommend the brake light pulser unit. That thing works wonders.

 

Just yesterday I had to use this legendary prowess..

I was in the left turn lane and the light turns green, the person directly in front of me decides to skip the turn and go into the gas station right there. So I have to wait for her to turn..once she does I stomp on it to make it through the light (heavy traffic, light's turning yellow).

I'm tearing into the corner when some doofus woman in a HUGE honda oddessy decides she's going to make a right turn at that EXACT moment and pull right in front of me!

I was really moving at this point so i just stomped both the left pedals and experienced quite a bit of lift oversteer and was feeling major chassis dynamics coming into play. I marshalled the mini back to forward motion instead of spinning and the look on this broad's face was priceless.

It was: oh, I guess I AM a thoughtless oaf in a breeder wagon....

I blasted past her once I was in the straight road. All this in the span of 15 seconds... I guess I was at fault too for taking turns too fast, but, hey...

 

I'll bet it was a lot less than 15 seconds, Purple! These things go frame by frame at the time it happens. At least that's the way it's always played for me.

Glad you made it out, all of you. I regret that it was a member of my own gender that almost did you in, Purple. I'd bet a $10 bill that it was in my case, too. Dunno what gets in between the ears of some of these...ahem...ladies.

 

Just the other day as I was approaching the only roudabout in town. I start to slow down behind the Yukon in front of me, giving me space to take the first spoke turn...spiritedly

I always anticipate that the other drivers will not signal and nearly come to a stop before entering the circle. Sure enough she slows down to a crawl and begins to enter. Another vehicle is approaching the roudabout from the left... she slams on the brakes and throws it into reverse coming right at me! I immediately move into the empty left lane to avoid getting smashed and go around her. The approaching vehicle hadn't even entered the roudabout yet! He was still slowing down to enter the circle!

 

So, on my way to work I am going up 141- (metro stl) and there are several stop lights along the road. I am cruising with traffic at that point, but I see we are coming up on a stopped dumptruck. I brake hard and stop, at that moment I glance in the rear-view, to see a Jeep Grand Cherokee not stopping, or even braking yet, I pull along side the dump truck as the lady in the Jeep locks it up. She slams into the dump truck probably 45-50 mph. Rally bad accident and the MINI and I probably would not be here to tell about it if I had not moved.

 

WOW, good instinct. I always immediately look into my rearview mirror to make sure the person behind me is slowing down when I have to brake heavily. The MINI has an awesome set of brakes and I pay close attention to when the car in front of me is braking, but I can't say that either of those are true for a lot of drivers out there.
Just out of curiosity, what was your 2nd near miss?

 

I remember 141--our turn was Big Bend and 141! We lived in St. Louis back in the early 70's, and I wish we'd never left. Twisty roads are SO near, not like the Houston area.

We lived in Country Lane Woods. You?

 

Yeah, i posted that there were 2 but then only posted 1! Ha! I live out in Imperial Missouri 25 mins south of downtown. I was clipping along on Main Street, and a young girl pulled out infront of me. I only had maybe 350 feet to react, so I lay on the horn and lock the brakes up. Then the other driver just stops in the middle of the road, and the MINI was jetting towards the car, and suddenly I stopped, maybe 6 inches from the other car. I dunno but I feel like people are out to sabotage my MINI and I.

RT

 

please tell me there is a typo in that sentence!

 

I was driving in the left lane with about 250 miles on the ODO. A large Pickup/SUV of some sort passed me the right but before they completed the pass (their bumper was at my B-post) they vigorously turn into my lane.

Theres nothing I can do but hit the brakes (which thankfully bite hard), hit the horn, and swerve left without putting myself into the jersey barrier. With their car fully half moved over into my lane (and I no more than two-four inches from the barrier on one side and their car on the other), the driver notices my horn and returns to the center lane and takes off. Had I a wider car, I would have been in the jersey barrier at 65mph.

Then I smelled chocolate cake overpowering my new-car smell. I had some chocolate cake (double-wrapped in plastic *and* half-buried in laundry) which went airborne, shed its protection, and shared with my cloth seats!

Moral of the story: Get some Tuff Stuff. And perhaps a video recorder like some of those limos and cab companies have.

 

Shoulda fastened the seat belt for the cake!