The last time I felt that maybe, just maybe, someone was watching over me...
A few months ago, I was helping some friends move house. We loaded up the car and piled in, taking a B-road to his new house. I hadn't seen them for a while, so we got to chatting as I drove, and soon we were laughing away like loons. All of a sudden, I noticed about 50 feet in front of me, a car had stopped to turn right at a crossroads. There was oncoming traffic so he had fully stopped, I hadn't been concentrating (I've driven that road a thousand times and it's the first time I've seen a car turn into that little dirt track) so there I was, three of my friends in a car loaded with assortd bits and bobs, speeding towards a parked car at seventy miles per hour.

I gently but firmly applied the brakes. No, what I should say is I jammed my foot to the floor. Nothing happened. The tyres made an odd whining noise and we slowed about 1mph. I couldn't overtake, there was oncoming traffic. We were, to put it mildly, fucked.

Then something weird happened. I just went totally calm, took my foot off the brake and steered around the passenger side of the car. I hit a high kerb at 50mph, but nothing happened. We travelled along the grass for a few feet and back onto the road.

This should not have happened. I should have careered into the back of that car. I should have gone flying when I hit that kerb. I should have skidded on the grass and flipped the car. No-one said a word for what felt like ages, until we came to the next roundabout. I stopped and turned to find my three friends staring at me. We all burst out laughing, but I think we all knew how close we'd just came.

Now I know, it's just a load of old shit, I was just lucky. But there really is nothing like the feeling of realising had you done anything even slightly differently, you'd probably be dead. And for the life of me I don't know why I felt so calm when it happened, because thinking about it even now makes me shit in my pants.

God? If it was, he's a better driver than I am.
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Fri 20 Mar 2009, 1:38, 2 replies)

That sort of thing happens to me all the time
I've now decided that it's the kick of a proper dose of adrenaline that lets you get yourself out of it.

So far, it's worked for me in 4 spins (2 near ledges, 2 near the ultra-solid lamp-posts they put in a few years ago) and countless near misses.

To be honest, I should probably get someone to look at that road. It's bloody dangerous!
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Fri 20 Mar 2009, 15:36, closed)

Which make and model of car do you drive?
I want one.
(Helixdaunting, Fri 20 Mar 2009, 22:50, closed)