Not actually myself but a close call as I found out later.
Back in around 1988 coming home from seeing the Blackpool illuminations. Driving back to Stockport on the M6 just passed the Preston junction, time around 12:30am, my 2 sons, 4 and 7 my wife and mother in law. I thought no use rushing as it easy already late so doing about 65mph, weather was cold but dry. The motorway was deserted, then I there was a car behind me but in the outside lane, doing around 70 next second he did a 90 degree left turn about 50 to 70 yards in front of me, he slammed into a bridge parapet and the car did backward somersaults till it landed on its roof on the central reservation.
I stopped on the hard shoulder, my ran towards the car as she saw a girl wandering around in a daze. I ran towards the emergency phone (before mobiles). Within minutes the motorway from being empty was now solid, minutes later the emergency services arrived asked us what we had seen, after that they allowed us to go although all the other traffic was stuck there for a long time.
The police came to the house midweek to take statements from my wife and me. They told us what had happened, all 4 occupants had been thrown out of the car, none had had seat belts on, one girl had instantly the driver had to be resuscitated numerous times on the way to the hospital.
The frightening thing the police told us from further investigations they found the driver had collided with the central barrier a few times before coming passed us, if we had been going any faster or slower he might of collected us on one of his excursions. Frightening to think.
For the record the driver hadn’t been drinking or found to have taken any drugs. I think that they had all fallen asleep.
At the inquest we were told the driver had been to Blackpool the night before and had been driving all day in is job and then went again to Blackpool with his girlfriend and another couple. The car was only 2 weeks old and the police said that before the accident, as far as they could tell there was no faults with it.
Sorry for the long item but to think that if they had been wearing seat belts they all might have survived.