Almost totalled my brand new car

[thalberg]

I just bought a brand new car.  I was on the way home from the dealership today (it was after dark).  As I entered a cloverleaf (also called and off-ramp) another vehicle came around the corner going the wrong way on the clover leaf.  I slammed the brakes, swerved, and barely missed the vehicle.  My car had only 50 miles on it, and it almost was ruined completely.  I still cannot believe it. 

[m19834]

I had a voice teacher for this class once who was talking about performing and "our" ability to overcome fear with a particular state of mind.  He went on to tell a story about getting onto a freeway where he seemed to nearly get into an accident.  He explained how it happened and said that everything seemed to slow down like it were all happening in slow motion.  In this slow motion, he was able to see a path around the probable-seeming collision and calmly took that path, avoiding what could have been very destructive circumstances.  After he passed, he looked into his rearview mirror at what "could have been" and heard himself say that he was just nearly in a horrible accident, but then he caught himself as he recalled what actually had happened.  He realized that, in fact, he were truly nowhere near being in an accident, as he had seen a path around it and took that path.  The path he was able to take was utterly and entirely accident free, and, in fact, completely untouched by what "could have been."

I am glad you had a different path, too . 

[thalberg]

Wow that's very interesting.  Thank you! 

[thalbergmad]

There is nothing more nerve wrecking than driving off from the forcourt the 1st time.

The last car i bought, i had it delivered to home.

Thal

[wert718]

What car was it?

Wert718

[thalbergmad]

Lotus S4S

[shortyshort]

I always try to anticipate any trouble, so the option is there to avoid it when required.

You probably do the same.

Always have lots of paths available.
A problem with only one path out will nearly always lead to trouble.

[rc]

Something else is that while we're always on the lookout to avoid accidents, so are most others on the road.  Many times the collisions I've avoided were a joint effort between myself and the other drivers on the road.

But I guess like Thalbergs story here, it only takes one bozo.

Another thought:  ice is the worst!  My cat like reflexes mean nothing when the tires are sliding.

[arensky]

I bought a new (to me) car a year ago and driving it home from the car lot a small rock hit the windshield, chipping it  . I've learned to ignore it but at first it drove me nuts. 

[morningstar]

One always has more than 1 way out in a 4WD

[thalberg]

oh and my car is a Honda Accord.

[morningstar]

oh and my car is a Honda Accord.

Nice. Isn't that the car tanman just won? *looks suspiciously at thalberg*

[furtwaengler]

It's cool we got cars at the same time. I just bought a brand new Hyundai Sonata on Wednesday, but have not nearly wrecked it yet. I do have some stories though:

Not long after a very dear friend of mine bought a new Ford Focus, he was driving home on the interstate when at about 10:30 PM, he came upon traffic backed up and stopping for an accident which had happened about a mile ahead. He was within 500 ft of his exit when he slowed down and stopped behind the semi in front of him. At that moment a teenager ready to graduate high school the next day swerved around a semi in the left lane and nailed my friend stopped in the right lane at 70 mph, plunging him into the back seat, still strapped in his seat by the seat belt (In fact, both front seats ended up in the back, crushing the car seat where his 1 year old son would have been strapped in next to his 4 year old son...thank God he was alone!) His new car and, unfortunately his back was totaled in the accident. He's enduring horrible pain even now (the accident happened May 19th), and it accelerated the development of a hereditary spinal degeneration he'd not have felt for years. Through his lawyer's work he's been able to get another new Focus, a deal that's as if nothing had happened to the other, but due to pain and due to fear he's had me help drive him when I can lend a hand.

Recently, driving him to the building where he works as a gospel preacher, we were winding around a bend on an old country road when a speeding car came at us head on, dead center in the middle of our lane, forcing us to run off the road where fortunately there was nothing but grass. That was *WAY* to close for comfort!

These things can be sobering.

[thalberg]

Wow!  It's absolutely amazing how horrible things can happen to us that are totally beyond our control.  I got very lucky to have avoided the accident.

[communist]

I had a voice teacher for this class once who was talking about performing and "our" ability to overcome fear with a particular state of mind.  He went on to tell a story about getting onto a freeway where he seemed to nearly get into an accident.  He explained how it happened and said that everything seemed to slow down like it were all happening in slow motion.  In this slow motion, he was able to see a path around the probable-seeming collision and calmly took that path, avoiding what could have been very destructive circumstances.  After he passed, he looked into his rearview mirror at what "could have been" and heard himself say that he was just nearly in a horrible accident, but then he caught himself as he recalled what actually had happened.  He realized that, in fact, he were truly nowhere near being in an accident, as he had seen a path around it and took that path.  The path he was able to take was utterly and entirely accident free, and, in fact, completely untouched by what "could have been."

I am glad you had a different path, too . 

was he on crack?