Yes I had a lucky escape once.
I was travelling anti-clockwise round the northern part of the M25 before it was completed. At that time it finished either at South Mimms (Bignalls Corner) or possibly London Colney, can’t quite remember. All traffic had to use what was to become the slip road for the junction when the motorway was completed. You went over the brow of a hill to be confronted fairly immediately by a roundabout. I was in the outside of two lanes. I’d made the journey regularly and was aware of the hazard so I usually slowed down before the brow of the hill to slow the traffic down behind me. On this occasion there was no traffic but I slowed nonetheless and joined the queue waiting to negotiate the roundabout.
Fortuitously I glanced in may mirror and saw, just having topped the hill, a red MG Metro with all four wheels locked and tyres smoking. Guessing he had little chance of avoiding me (being so out of control) I swiftly moved to the gravel on the offside and passed a vehicle or two in the queue to my left. A second or two later the Metro collided with one awful crunch into the rear of the car that I, a second earlier, had been behind. That car was pushed into the one in front and both of them into the one I was now alongside.
The driver of the Metro suffered minor injuries and everyone else was unhurt. There was extensive damage to the Metro and the car it had collided with. I had planned to simply drive off but decided not to in case anybody was injured. Police were called (the road was almost blocked) and I gave a witness statement.
The Metro driver blamed me for moving out of his way. He suggested that he was going to steer to the offside (where I had moved to) to avoid the collision. The driver he collided with also blamed me (his argument being that I should have remained where I was and shielded him from the Metro!). The traffic officers had a good laugh at both these arguments.
The Metro driver was charged with careless driving to which, incredibly, he pleaded not guilty. I had to give evidence in court and he was convicted. Had I remained where I was and the collision had been with me (one car length earlier) I fear the outcome (especially for the driver of the Metro) may have been far more serious. So a lucky escape indeed.