It was a slight miscalculation.
Feb. 22nd, 2006 02:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dejanaI knew I was going too fast for the weather.
It was only a light dusting of snow, but the sand trucks were out and I had passed a car that had slid into the median a few miles back, so I knew it was more slippery on the interstate than I thought. I was being rather foolish, all things considered. I was only 30 miles out of my hometown and I wanted to get there sooner rather than later. So I passed some cars now and then, even though that meant going into the left lane, which was snowier than the right. I'd driven in worse snow before. I wasn't too worried. There was another car ahead of me going about the same speed, we were both passing some other cars, but it was just going slow enough to be annoying - I was getting spray from the leading car and I really hate that. So I scooted over into the left lane so I'd be out of their spray. I wasn't going fast enough to pass that car for a good while, but I didn't want to speed up any more than I already had. Then the other car came up behind a slower car in the right lane.
They cut me off.
I think I was in their blind spot, but they must not have checked before merging, and they didn't signal, or anything. All of a sudden they were right in front of me and getting closer, and I was almost blinded by the spray.
It's one thing to learn the proper things to do in an emergency, and another thing entirely to actually DO them when the moment comes. Especially when you're afraid, which I was.
I hit my brakes.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I know. But when you've never been in that situation before, and it's all happening so fast...the more I skidded the more I just wanted to stop. So the car fishtailed and I ended up doing a 180 and sliding into the right shoulder facing back the way I had come. I slid across both lanes. Cars were going about 70 mph on that freeway.
I was really, really lucky that nobody had been behind me.
Also really lucky that there wasn't a barrier at this section of the road, or a sign, or anything. When I finally stopped I was over far enough that no oncoming cars would hit me, and I was unhurt, and only my front left tire was really in the snow. Unfortunately I have front wheel drive. I couldn't get out by myself. I did have my cell phone and I called my mom and my aunt to see if they could come down and help me, since I was really only a couple of feet into semi-deep snow and I didn't want to have to call a tow truck just for that. My aunt said she would drive, but it would still take more than half an hour for them to get there. So I waited.
I'm also fortunate to live in Minnesota.
We do have our share of assholes; the bastard who cut me off kept going without even slowing down. *curses him and his family for five generations* >:( The first person who stopped was a woman in a minivan, she just wanted to make sure I had a phone and help coming, which I did. The second one was a guy who had a go at pushing the car, but we couldn't get it out ourselves. Third was a family in a truck, a man and a woman and a teenage boy. They said if we couldn't push it out they had a chain and they'd find a way to tow the car out, but with the four of us together, it was out in ten seconds. Bless those people. Talk about your good Samaritans.
So I was able to get on the road again probably only after about 15-20 minutes or so. I called my mom and told her everything was okay and I was on my way. I drove the rest of the way about 10-15 mph under the speed limit. For once in my life, I was glad to have an unemotional mother. All I wanted was for everything to be normal again, to not think about what might have happened, to go on as if everything was okay, since really, everything WAS okay. And that's how it was. My mom apologized for not focusing on it more, in fact, but I told her I was glad we didn't dwell on it. I don't want to end up afraid to drive from thinking about it too much, or anything.
So I learned not to try to go the speed limit in the snow, and that even though I'm a good driver, I suck in the event of an emergency. Great news, that.
I'll be so glad when it's spring.
It was only a light dusting of snow, but the sand trucks were out and I had passed a car that had slid into the median a few miles back, so I knew it was more slippery on the interstate than I thought. I was being rather foolish, all things considered. I was only 30 miles out of my hometown and I wanted to get there sooner rather than later. So I passed some cars now and then, even though that meant going into the left lane, which was snowier than the right. I'd driven in worse snow before. I wasn't too worried. There was another car ahead of me going about the same speed, we were both passing some other cars, but it was just going slow enough to be annoying - I was getting spray from the leading car and I really hate that. So I scooted over into the left lane so I'd be out of their spray. I wasn't going fast enough to pass that car for a good while, but I didn't want to speed up any more than I already had. Then the other car came up behind a slower car in the right lane.
They cut me off.
I think I was in their blind spot, but they must not have checked before merging, and they didn't signal, or anything. All of a sudden they were right in front of me and getting closer, and I was almost blinded by the spray.
It's one thing to learn the proper things to do in an emergency, and another thing entirely to actually DO them when the moment comes. Especially when you're afraid, which I was.
I hit my brakes.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I know. But when you've never been in that situation before, and it's all happening so fast...the more I skidded the more I just wanted to stop. So the car fishtailed and I ended up doing a 180 and sliding into the right shoulder facing back the way I had come. I slid across both lanes. Cars were going about 70 mph on that freeway.
I was really, really lucky that nobody had been behind me.
Also really lucky that there wasn't a barrier at this section of the road, or a sign, or anything. When I finally stopped I was over far enough that no oncoming cars would hit me, and I was unhurt, and only my front left tire was really in the snow. Unfortunately I have front wheel drive. I couldn't get out by myself. I did have my cell phone and I called my mom and my aunt to see if they could come down and help me, since I was really only a couple of feet into semi-deep snow and I didn't want to have to call a tow truck just for that. My aunt said she would drive, but it would still take more than half an hour for them to get there. So I waited.
I'm also fortunate to live in Minnesota.
We do have our share of assholes; the bastard who cut me off kept going without even slowing down. *curses him and his family for five generations* >:( The first person who stopped was a woman in a minivan, she just wanted to make sure I had a phone and help coming, which I did. The second one was a guy who had a go at pushing the car, but we couldn't get it out ourselves. Third was a family in a truck, a man and a woman and a teenage boy. They said if we couldn't push it out they had a chain and they'd find a way to tow the car out, but with the four of us together, it was out in ten seconds. Bless those people. Talk about your good Samaritans.
So I was able to get on the road again probably only after about 15-20 minutes or so. I called my mom and told her everything was okay and I was on my way. I drove the rest of the way about 10-15 mph under the speed limit. For once in my life, I was glad to have an unemotional mother. All I wanted was for everything to be normal again, to not think about what might have happened, to go on as if everything was okay, since really, everything WAS okay. And that's how it was. My mom apologized for not focusing on it more, in fact, but I told her I was glad we didn't dwell on it. I don't want to end up afraid to drive from thinking about it too much, or anything.
So I learned not to try to go the speed limit in the snow, and that even though I'm a good driver, I suck in the event of an emergency. Great news, that.
I'll be so glad when it's spring.
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no subject
Date: Feb. 22nd, 2006 08:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 22nd, 2006 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 22nd, 2006 10:16 pm (UTC)im glad your alright.
here what i have going on this week:
today class 530-9ish
thursday cooking with jack 3-730ish
friday work 8a-4p
might get off at 2, but after i get off at work, either way, im going to go and see an apartment downtown with christy. you could come too if you want
saturday work 6p-12a
other then that im free. i have your movie too
*huggles*
glad your alright
say hi to mom for me
no subject
Date: Feb. 22nd, 2006 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Feb. 23rd, 2006 04:08 pm (UTC)*snuggle*
Glad you are ok!! Snow spinouts are SCARY!!!
><
You got lucky girl! Someone is looking out for you!!! ^-^