Dec 26 2006
How Soon We Forget
I was driving home last night, my brother nodding off in the passenger seat. We were returning to my place after having successfully found a place open for dinner. We were hoping for Italian food, but as usual, ended up at a Chinese restaurant. It’s a known fact that Asian food places can usually be counted upon to be open during a holiday.
Traffic was fairly light and I was on roads I’m very familiar with. I was approaching this large intersection - it’s one of those intersections where 2 major roads merge along with one confusing offshoot. The lights are timed and I know how they work. I was in the far right-hand lane with no cars in front of me. The right-arrow light was green and since I was a little ways back, I sped up a little to insure I would make it.
Here’s where things go slow…. motion.
Right arrow-green: accelerate slightly.
Check lane to left: first car seems to be stopped. Noted.
Check lane to the left: cars slowing down behind first car.
Conclude: right arrow just turned green and cars were expecting first car to continue.
Note: No lane to my right.
Note: No traffic in front.
Tensing.
Check lane to left: Cars beginning to stop. Driver in first car probably doesn’t understand the lights.
Approaching intersection.
Note: Dark SUV, headlights at my shoulder level pulls out suddenly from behind the first car on the left.
Note: No lane on right
Note: No traffic in front
Note: Breaking won’t help
Note: Accelerate.
Note: SUV approaching.
Note: Focus.
Note: SUV ahead.
Note: Accelerate.
Note: Quickly steer to the right.
Note: Weight transfers to the front of the car.
Note: Tires turn, grip.
Note: Listen for the sound of metal-on-metal
Note: Continue accelerating..Go! Go! Go! It’s harder to hit a moving target.
Brace.
Note: Look in rearview mirror. No SUV.
Hear: Holy Crap! From my now fully awake brother.
Say: Merry-Effin’-CHRISTmas!
I felt lucky, damn lucky, to have avoided an accident. I also felt grateful.
My car against an SUV? Goodbye car. Since the SUV was aiming at my side, in the worse case it may have been Goodbye Ms. Q.
Later on , as my brother and I hugged each other goodbye, I thought, wow. This evening could have ended so differently.
I know that this memory will fade. While I wish that I could feel this level of gratitude more often, I know that I am lucky that I will forget about this near-miss.
Near-misses fade from memory. Hits seldom do.
Was it just about when the bars closed down?
Driver #1 : It’s hard to steer when your holding a drink!
Driver #2 : Zoom! Screech! BEEP! (Hic) Oh no! Spilled my beer!
Glad your reflexes were there.
Nope, it was before 10pm. I think it was just one of the driver of the SUV made one of those typical mistakes of not checking all that closely due to impatience. I doubt it was beer-related. If anything, I would guess it would be cell phone or stereo-related! Yeah, I’m glad that I was able to respond quickly!