Sunday, April 3, 2016

Close Call


Have you ever had a really close call while driving that almost resulted in a serious accident? I mean really close, like another vehicle coming literally within only a couple of inches of hitting your car? That's what happened to me yesterday.

I was in a really good mood, having just returned from the mall after finally finding a few pairs of jeans that fit me right. I had also run into one of my old high school friends with her husband and two kids as she was entering Macy's, and we discussed getting together with our other friends later this spring or summer.

I still had to run errands back in my town, and I was driving in the right-hand lane of my town's main street, which at this point of the stretch becomes two lanes. I just had gone through a green light next to a supermarket plaza when all of a sudden this silver Hyundai Sonata pulled out quickly from the right from an area of the plaza that's used for making right-hand turns onto that street. I don't think the driver had even stopped before speeding into oncoming traffic -- he/she zoomed right out in front of me.

The only thing that saved me from a collision was that the left-hand lane was empty, so I quickly swerved there to avoid them while hitting my brakes hard and feeling the anti-locking kicking in. Of course I laid down my horn as well. It turns out the crazy driver wanted to get into the left-hand lane. They actually stopped as my car was coming to a stop, and I know I was within inches of hitting it, then they zoomed off like a maniac -- probably terrified that I was going to catch up with them and inflict road rage.

And I'll be honest -- had this happened a few years ago, I would have been absolutely furious. I probably would have tried to catch up with them from the right-hand lane and give the finger and yell all kinds of obscenities at them.

But...I didn't.

I let him or her go (it happened so fast I have no idea what kind of person was driving the car.) I decided it was best not to know who was driving it, and I didn't want to confront them -- partly for my own safety, because who knows how crazy someone who could do something like that is. There's also the possibility they were high on something, or drunk. I was shaken up and my heart was pounding, and I took a few deeps breaths to calm down. But I didn't want to be near that car. I went back into the right-hand lane and then cut through some side streets that I knew about on my right to get to where I wanted to be.

My car, thank goodness, wasn't damaged...and no one was hurt. I shuddered to think how close the other car was as my brakes kicked in. I just got my Jetta not even two years ago and I love it, and still love driving it.

Sometimes it's best not to get involved in a confrontation, and just let things and people go. 

I did also wonder if I somehow attracted that scary situation -- as there have been a few times since getting my current car where I've worried about someone hitting it. I guess I shouldn't be entertaining that thought any more! I'm just grateful it was a close call, and nothing more. 

2 comments:

  1. Pam, I was honestly shocked when I visited your personal blog here & saw this piece--first of all, I'm very glad you're okay. Talk about a close call! But what made this especially surprising to read was that virtually THE SAME THING was going to be the subject of my next blog. On Easter Sunday while driving south to my sister's house, I was on the interstate and the ONLY REASON I wasn't going 15-20 miles over the speed limit was because I had a State Police cruiser behind me. But going around a bend, a deer jumped over the guard railing into my lane--I remember hitting the brakes and calmly thinking "I'm too close, I'm going to hit it--wish I'd gotten my air-bag replaced." The deer jumped too but I still managed to hit it's flank & my car did a spin right in the middle of 2 lanes. I've only been driving since 2002, it was my first ever 'accident' (but no damage--either to the deer or my car). Still, the police signaled me to pull over, asked if I was okay & then told me to sit tight (on the side of the road) for 10 minutes. It really knocked me for a loop, been kinda nervous about getting back in my car since. Anyway--very glad your close call was only that. :)

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    1. Hi Doug! Thanks for your comment, and I'm glad to hear that *you're* OK and that you weren't hurt in your accident. (I'm glad to hear the deer was OK, too, despite striking your car.) It's a good thing that you had a police officer behind you and that you didn't get hit by any other traffic. Yes, it's a really unnerving experience...in my case I thought the same thing (I'm never going to stop in time; he's too close) but fortunately stopped within inches...it had been raining that day, so he roads were a little slick. Well, here's to the universe protecting us and giving us safe driving experiences from now on!

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