In order to prevent the car exploding, and risk the fire spreading to a nearby building, he jumped back inside the burning car and drove it to a safe distance.
He made this decision when his arms and hair were already on fire.
His attitude to his recovery has been equally impressive.
His wife, Cushla, believes a guardian angel was looking after her husband that day.
She is still amazed her husband survived the fire and says his recovery has been nothing short of miraculous.
The only lasting scars from the event is slight pigmentation on his hands.
It took him a couple of months to not think about the experience but says he was not shaken by what happened to him.
His sense of humour is also still intact.
In an interview with the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend, Mr Bayliss, who suffered burns to his arms, face and neck, said people reckon he looks 20 years younger since the accident.
"If I've heard this once, I've heard it a million times. I say to them, for 20 litres of petrol I can fix you right up," he joked.
"It's better than a chemical peel."
It just goes to show, laughter really is the best medicine.
