Near Misses that still make me shudder - Part 4

This story will be the last I share in this series - unless of course somebody says they want more. For there is more, but I hadn't really intended on including them since they didn't stand out in my mind. They should have stood out in my mind because of their significance, but oh well, here we go.

This last memory is really the memory that "started it all", in terms of posting these silly stories. This is the memory - which is hard to call a 'memory' since it only happened a couple months ago - that made me think about all the Near Misses in my life. Then I obviously thought about how much fun it would be to post them on here.

In this last memory, I can't believe how close I came to causing an accident. That's right: an accident - an auto accident, to be exact. And it would have been completely and entirely my fault - absolutely my fault. There would have been no one else to blame at all. It would have all been because of my foolishness - because I was, once again, late to work.

It was 7:15am. I needed to be at work at 7:15am! Needless to say, I was already late. And I still had another five minutes before I would get there. So do I need to tell you that I was speeding? I was in a small town with a speed limit of 30 MPH (or perhaps 50km/h for you Canadians). I was fast approaching the intersection with the town's only traffic light - the center of town.

Now you must understand, that upon moving to NH last summer, I have noticed how much people around here completely ignore yellow lights. Heck, they barely give the red lights any attention if the traffic's flowing smoothly. So I didn't think I would have to stop for the changing light in front of me. In fact, I was banking on speeding up so I could make it through the red light!

There was one car ahead of me. He was facing the green light changing yellow. I knew I would be facing the yellow light changing red. I could deal with that. I could do that. Everybody does it. So I started to speed up from my already illegal speed. If the car ahead of me would just keep going through the yellow light, I knew I would be all set. I would be home free. I would have saved myself a precious minute or two.

It was wet this morning. It had rained earlier. The roads were slick. Not good conditions for slamming on the breaks if need be. And let me tell you, 'need be' was exactly me! The car ahead of me decided to stop at his yellow light! He stopped! of all things! Why? Why are you stopping, I thought, in the nano-second I had to think it. What in the world are you doing? What in the world are you doing to me? I'm gonna be late, and you're stopping at a yellow light? Wait a minute, that means I need to stop too!!! Eeeerrrr!! Scrrreeeeech!

I was going too fast. I wasn't going to be able to stop in time. I was going to have to hit him. But instinctively I swerved. I moved into the opposing lane of traffic. But cars were still coming that way. So I turned my wheel left again, and found myself travelling on the right side of the intersecting road. Thank God there were no cars immediately within the intersection at that time or I would have had to hit them. I pulled into a Dunkin Donuts parking lot immediately after the intersection, stopped my car, and caught my breath. Wow, that was a close call!

And yes, I have learned my lesson. No, I am still late to work most days, but I don't try to squeeze out every maneouvre or minute on the roads anymore. I learned my lesson. I take what's handed me in traffic now. I go with the flow, and drive defensively. For I know that on my bumper could be another character pulling stunts just like I tried to pull.

Near Misses that still make me shudder - Part 3

This next memory is really quite boring. It should be much shorter than Part 2, as well. However, it still stands out in my mind. I think it's boring because it's an experience a lot of people have also had. So it's not new or unique with me. And saying that, I must also say that it has happened to me more times than I want to admit. I swear I shouldn't be so lucky - or protected.

So, have you ever fallen asleep at the wheel? I don't need to go any further, do I? We've all done it; we've all been there. And yet, every time is just as scary as the last, even moreso in my estimation. But this one time stands out. It was during the same summer as Part 2. I had stayed up late the night before, as I usually do. And I was taking an eight hour trip the following day. I would be travelling with a family from the church I was working at, but what I didn't know is that I would be asked to drive.

Given my previous night's lack of sleep, I was immediately gripped with anxiety. Oh no! I can't drive! I'm too tired. I knew I might doze off. Add the stress of driving another person's vehicle while she and her family were passengers to the pressure of staying awake, I was freaked out. I should have said no, but in my inability to say no to anybody, I obliged.

As we started our journey, I remained as the front seat passenger for a while. But eventually it was my turn. I had already been trying to keep myself from dozing even as the passenger. I took to the driver's seat, desperately working to fight off my drowsiness, but to no avail. I was very nervous. I did not want her to see me driving drowsy. We had her daughter and her daughter's friend in the back seat. There was a lot "riding" on this driving responsibility of mine.

Needless to say, I eventually dozed off. I dozed off, though, to such a point, and one I've never come close to committing like this again, that I woke up to find myself fully in the opposite lane of traffic. With deep penetrating perspiration, I swerved back into our lane. Immediately I shot a look to my three female passengers. I thought for sure I would be chastised for it, and removed from my driving duty. But as I looked to their eyes, saving me much embarrasment, they were all fast asleep as well.