Note from the Editor:
This article was kindly written for the SDC by member @Doctor Alan.

Accidents, by definition (an unintended event that causes damage, injury, or harm), occur ‘out of the blue’, and nobody is immune from them.

Road accidents are quite common, and since we can’t dictate who shares the road with us, you could say that a road accident sometime in our lives is inevitable. Statistics show that in Australia, there are around 1200 fatalities associated with road accidents every year, with 4.54 per 100,000 people being involved.

Accident #1:
My first car was a 1933 Austin 7, bought in 1962, when I was 18, and the brakes were never really very good.



Every year in the UK, it was a real battle to make the brakes work well enough to pass the ‘MOT’ (Ministry of Transport) test so that I could continue using the vehicle to take me from Dorking to Battersea College. The drum brakes were not hydraulic and were less efficient when the car was heavier. They were actuated by a cable linked to the brake pedal.

At the time of my first accident, I was working at Butlins Holiday Camp and would sometimes drive up to Horsham on my day off to see friends up there. There’s a very steep hill between the two towns, called ‘Bury Hill’. It’s on the A29, and I would often use this route because it was the shortest. I was travelling down the hill with two of my Butlins friends in the car and saw that several cars were queued behind a stationary vehicle at the bottom of the hill (next to a pub) while other cars were coming in the opposite direction. I put my right foot hard on the brake, then used my left hand and all my strength on the hand brake to try to slow the car, not all that successfully!

I hit the back of a car in the queue – probably only going about 30mph at the time, but enough to push my right front wheel back and render the car undrivable! Luckily, the driver of the Wolseley 16/60 that I hit was very understanding, and I don’t think I had to pay an awful lot for the repairs on both cars. The Austin 7 was quite flimsy compared with more modern cars.

So, what did I learn? Well, for one thing, to start braking a lot earlier and to try to make the stupid braking system more efficient! Presumably, vintage cars on the London to Brighton run in the UK would have to have an adequate braking system, otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed on the road.

Luckily, it was the only accident I had with that car. When the crankshaft snapped on the way home one day, I decided I really had to get a better car, and bought a Simca Montlhery. It was built like a tank, with a full chassis (not monocoque) and generally a lot heavier than other cars at the time.





Accident #2:
I had two accidents with the Simca.

The first was when I was turning right onto a main road, and the road was clear apart from a car approaching from the right, with its left indicator flashing. I was a fairly inexperienced driver, and assumed (Never ass-ume – it makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’!) that the bloke was turning down the road I was on. A quick look left again, and I pulled out…BANG.

Of course, it was my word against his – he swore blind his indicator was off. It didn’t matter, it was my fault! Thank goodness for comp insurance! From that accident, I never rely on a sighting of somebody’s indicator.

Accident #3:
A near-miss, anyway.

My wife had two ‘rear-end’ accidents that left her with whiplash injury and many visits for acupuncture to fix it.

In both cases, she had been stationary in the road with her right indicator on to turn down a minor road, and the man (in both cases) had rear-ended her.

In my case, I was in a similar position, but kept an eye on my rear-view mirror. When I saw a car coming up too fast behind me, I quickly accelerated away and managed to avoid what would have been a costly collision!



Accident #4:
Once again in the Simca. It was a wet day, and the traffic ahead suddenly stopped. My car skidded on the wet road and I ‘rear-ended’ the car in front. My heavily-made French car managed to ‘kink’ the roof of a Rover 2000! I had very little damage.

I quickly learned that wet roads are to be treated with respect. Aquaplaning at high speed or just taking a corner too fast may be fatal. The other lesson is to make absolutely sure your tyres are good – that’s what the wear indicators on the tyres are for.




Accident #5:
I was driving my Toyota Corona around a car park when a car on my left decided to pull out and hit the side of my car. (Cars had parked against the kerb on that side.) I think the insurance company came to the party for me, but it was one of those cases where a dash-cam would have been invaluable. I’m not sure how to avoid an accident like this. Perhaps drive slower? Perhaps be psychic? Maybe I can sound my horn (illegally!) all the way round? There are idiots out there, unfortunately.

One of my pet annoyances, I must admit, is drivers who are not able to ‘reverse park’. It’s a massive risk to back out of spaces like that – you’ve got a huge blind spot, and always risk an accident.



I’m sure I haven’t had my last accident – although I always hope I have. I’m older and (hopefully) wiser, but I don’t reckon I’ll still be driving in 15 years. The problem with older people is that some think they’re just as good as they ever were – they don’t recognise the signs early enough. I hope I do, and get myself off the road before I’m the idiot who causes an accident! One thing to always remember: You’re NOT necessarily a good driver if you’ve had few accidents. You’ve just been lucky – so far!

About the author: Having spent three years living in Australia in his youth, Alan returned to Australia in 1969 with his wife and young child. Holding a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Doctor of Science Education degree, Alan has experience in flight simulations, Einsteinian physics, and inventing an ‘eye blink’ device that allows cerebral palsy patients to communicate. He even took a turn at acting, starring in a TV advert and landing supporting and lead roles in his local dramatic society plays. His short stories have been published in WA’s The Gingin Buzz for ten years, and his novel The Magic Hourglass is a work in progress. Keep up to date on his latest stories and poems on his website here. He and his wife have a lovely life in Brisbane and regularly visit their two children in Sydney’s West. You can read Alan’s full-length bio here.

From the Editor:
Have you ever been in a car accident? What happened?

Love Alan’s writing and want to read more? You might also like to read:
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The Ice Cream Job: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
The Lucky Man: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
‘Ten Pound Pom’ Hostel Living: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
Many Happy Returns of the Day!
Reaching for the Stars!
Sportsmanship, Manners, and Respect
My great-grandfather’s journal of 1908: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
Christmases I’ve Had
Pocket Money
University Days
Nasty Words and Silly Gestures