Its a narrow busy two lane semi-rural road, 55 mph. (Willow Pass Road just off I-4, if you're from around here) 5 PM, so the traffic is really flowing. Up ahead I see a lady standing off the side of the road by her broken down car. She's just standing there, way off the road holding her kid. I look back to the car in front of me, trying not to let the constant trucks and cars speeding by just a few feet to my left break my concentration. The lady, now probably about 100 yards ahead catches my attention again: There are two cars between me and her, and suddenly out of the blue she runs AWAY from her child DIRECTLY at the oncoming traffic waving her arms wildly as if she knew the person two cars ahead of me. The split second that my eyes were on her was time enough for the two cars ahead of me to slow down considerably (fearing she was going to run into traffic), and by the time I looked back at them they were going about 25 mph and I was headed straight for them at 55. I mash the brakes, lock up the tires and my rear wheels skid left almost completely sideways and my car slides INTO THE ONCOMING LANE. I turn into the skid, having slowed down to about 30, and release the brakes. My car violently whips back straight and I regain control, and continue on.

It was my fault all the way and had there been an accident of ANY kind it would have been completely my fault, i'm not even going to try and deny that. I was incredibly lucky that there was a short break in the oncoming traffic, because believe me it was a SHORT break.

Scary.

Lucky indeed. Glad you're alright. Willow Pass Road can be insane at traffic times.

Completely of topic, but what school do you go to, Dash?

Diablo Valley College

I work at Diablo Foods #2 in Concord...store #1 is in Lafayette which is a bit closer to you...ever heard of it?

I haven't heard of the stores, but I have been out through the tunnel for soccer and lacrosse stuff mostly. My brother lives in Walnut Creek too.

Wow..glad you're alright.

Might want to get the brakes checked, though -- since you hit the brakes that hard, more than one tire should've locked up (unless you have one worn-out tire).

I almost rear-ended someone the other day because I was checking someone out.

for the oddest reason, i am drawn to traffic accidents and bad drivers. I've been in two wrecks already in less than a year (only had my license a year and a half). I almost get into a wreck about 3 times a week and at least one of those times is usually avoided by only a few inches. The oddest thing is that it's never my fault (sans my last actual wreck, but due to events of the other driver, i would have won if it had gone to court). My last one yesterday night, a truck almost side-swiped me from the lane next to me, crouding my lane. The last bad one was a week ago, blind corner, other driving in oncomming traffic came around it in my lane, i swerved a bit but didn't have anywhere to go due to a ditch beside me, missed by about 5 inches. Would have been a head on at 30mph. And of course the lady in teh other car started yelling at me out her window as she sped off. Ask Elana14, my car almost got t-boned by a truck that ran the light first time she ever road with me.

Of course it's never your fault... It's *never* your own godamn fault.. always someone else's. Give me a break. If you 'almost get into a wreck 3 times a week', the problem is obviously with you. I've been driving for five years and I've never even had a close call.

Eh? My brakes work great, I never said only one tire locked up.

Oh, so you're the expert on driving. Good to know.

Anyways, I almost fell asleep at the wheel today. Ran into a construction cone. Woke up, whipped back into my lane and stayed jittery with adrenaline all the way home. Yeah...that was fun...

I nearly got hit by a car today... it was a Smart Car though; so no worries even if it had hit me.

I almost get hit by cars everytime I get off my bus. The bus is still stopped, I go behind so he can drive away, sometimes don't even look around the bus, and step out into the other lane which is a blind corner. Once I made a car brake. I've started peering round like a penguin every so often just to even up my odds.

If you drove in California, in the urban centers especially, you'd recant that. I've never been in an accident either, but I have had many share of close calls. Mostly people blindly chaning lanes into space that I am currently occupying or people running reds lights when they are making a right turn.

By running red lights do you mean doesn't even yield, or what? Because it's legal to make a right turn through (most) reds :p

I mean when the don't stop a thte red light and coasting through while making that right turn. Making the turn is leagal after a stop if it's safe to proceed.

My first near accident came in the first big snowstorm I've driven in.

I was coming back from a neighborhood at about 9PM, and it was the first time I have ever driven in a snowstorm, about a month after I got my license.

I was exiting from teh itnerstate to the highway, and I was gonna make a left, and it was pretty much a 90 degree turn. I slow down and I start to turn and my back end just tails out and my car is pretty much perpindicular to the road, with people behind me about to turn right into me. Luckily, I was able to get out just in time before the guy behind me also slid out (and almost slid into me).

Since then though, not to many close-calls.

Wow...you're lucky! Crazy people...and she just left her kids alone? Arg...


I've gotten hit by a car twice so far. Same hip both times...I'm not going to be a happy old lady at this rate.

Avenger is right, I have at least 2 close calls a week, 90% of which are NOT my fault.

I have close calls all the time. NJ drivers are terrible.