Just about bought the farm today...

[gammer]

I was leaving my doctors office this morning and heading to work through a residential area. I was traveling at approx 60 Km/h and I could feel a strap on my back-pack flapping against my torso. (My mistake) I looked down for a second to see what was going on with my strap (   ), when I looked up there was a car at a dead stop in front of me waiting to make a left hand turn into on coming traffic into a driveway.  I immediately started emergency braking practices and said aloud, "oh sh*t!...oh sh*t!...oh sh*t!...". I soon realized that I wasn't going to stop in time so my natural instinct took over. Since I was in the left hand side of my lane, I went around the stopped vehicle in front of me by driving up the center yellow line, going between the stopped car and on coming traffic.  

A couple of thoughts:
- Whatever the damn strap was doing could have waited for my attention the next time I stopped. Better to be shiny side up with an annoying flapping strap, then down and still not know why the strap was flapping.
- My natural reaction was to get around the stopped car the improper way. I should have gone around him on the shoulder. However, I believe my reaction to go the improper way had to do with the little amount of time I had before impact and to take the path that would get me through the easiest.
- I am damn lucky that there was on coming traffic, because had their not have been, the car would have turned left as I was trying to get by on the center yellow line and that would have ended poorly for me.

In the end, I got through that with no damage to me or anyone involved.
Lesson learned: always pay attention. What ever minor annoyance you experience can wait till you stop.

Happy to be alive and able to try again  

[meatface]

Could have been a quick trip back to the doctors office 

Sheesh, I'm glad your instincts kept you from harms way

[fortyhourdays]

Glad you're ok.

[mikefootusa]

Sometimes we are fortunate that the first natural instinct gets us through what could have been disastrous.  There is a good lesson here for all of us...thanks for sharing!

[hppants]

I'm glad to read that you are OK, Gammer.  Seems our group has had way too many close calls, and quite a few offs this year. 

[mattrowe19]

Glad to hear your ok Gammer. Scary stuff, and a good lesson for all of us.

[hockeyhawk]

Glad your OK Jeff. Little stories like this keep me on my toes, it is easy to get complacent.

[luckylindy]

Amazing how quickly things happen when we take our attention away from the road.  Glad you escaped injury.

[flynrider]

    The good thing about this is that you'll probably never make that mistake again.  Congratulations.  You've successfully taken a handful from your bag of luck and deposited it into your bag of experience.   The goal is to have a full bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty 

[JB1290]

I've made that mistake before...I had to immediately go home and change my drawers. 

Glad you're ok, Gammer.

[SirSeanSean]

Glad your ok. Rear ending a car isn't fun (trust me I've been there).

[Bumblebee]

What ever minor annoyance you experience can wait till you stop.

Gammer, that is one of the best pieces of advice I've seen in a long time.

I was an idget this summer and put myself over an old railroad tie offroad at about 30mph doing that type of nonsense - and the cause was completely mental, not some physical distraction. Then I did it again twice more within a month. Total idget behavior.


And yes, BTDT just like you did a couple times over the centuries: The pucker factor goes off scale when you look forward again and realize there is a stationary object about 10 feet closer to you than you think you can possibly stop.

Seems our group has had way too many close calls, and quite a few offs this year.

We really need to get over doing that crap. I want my name off that list first.

[ariwhiteboy]

Glad you're ok...distraction can kill. 

[gammer]

A few years back I rear-ended someone while I was driving a company van. And it happened because I got distracted by something falling inside the van and I turned to look and see what fell, when I turned back to look at the road a car was stopped in front of me and *wham*. Everyone was ok and I got charged...bit the bullet and took it to one of those 'ex-cop' places and they got the charge lowered and it didn't affect my insurance. You think I would have learned my lesson then to pay attention.
After this latest incident, I had my wife slap me and throw cold water in my face. Concentration is key. And if fate is dealing me the 3 strike rule on this one, then the next time it happens its not going to be pretty.

[tomb raider]

Dang lady, glad your OK...  Ya, I think these info blabs are good for all, are for me.....   Stuff can happy so fast, Angles do help 

[hppants]

Ya, I think these info blabs are good for all

Agreed.  It's easy for me to put my head in the sand.  But it's better for me to look the dragon in the eye and learn from it.

[roadrunner]

Wow Gammer!  Glad you came out OK on this and thanks for the post-analysis ... good advice for all!

[Tstang429]

Glad your ok