It was a dark and stormy night. Oh wait, wrong open call. Ok, it was a day of sunshine between cloudbursts. I was in my Toyota Scion XA, which is about the same size as a VW. I was stopped at a red light at the bottom of a long winding downhill road. In the right lane.
A car ahead.
A car to my left.
I idly glanced in my side view mirror, something I never do. When checking out traffic around me, while stopped, I always look in my inside rearview mirror.
This day was different.
I noticed a trash truck making it's way down the hill in the left lane. I could see that the truck was slowing but I said to myself, with a small laugh, I sure hope he stops.
I then gazed straight ahead.
A second later I heard the truck honking its horn. Without a thought, purely on instinct, I immediately pulled my car over to the left as far as I could.
Another second and the trash truck rumbled past me on the right, missing my car by inches. The driver had lost his brakes. He went over the curb, maneuvering the truck between a line of trees and the stoplights, a distance of no more than 50 feet. He went through the red light and, luckily, no cars were in the way. He finally came to a halt on the other side where the road leveled out.
The light changed and traffic moved. I don't think any one else knew what had gone down. I passed the truck and looked up at the driver, wanting to give him a thank you wave, but I saw that he had his head down, and I'm sure he was saying "Gracias a Madre de Dios". It didn't hit me until later that day that I'd nearly gotten creamed.
A year later I traded the Scion in for a Corolla because the Scion had proved to be too small. The new Corolla was the same price as the Scion, got the same mileage, and I wondered why I had opted for such a small car as the Scion to begin with. Then I remembered that day. The Corolla is larger than the Scion. Enough so that it might have made a real difference that day.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
b Koscelny
Dana Dangerous
Caruso Wegie
Robin Sneed
Patrick McEvoy-Halston
Freaky Troll
Salon.com
Comments
What was the impetus that prompted you to move your car?
difficult question. All's I can say is that I pay attention. It was
all completely automatic. I have, more or less, given myself
over to the Universe, I stay open. That may sound airy fairy
and probably is, but it works.
brakes and headed towards me. I probably would have had
a heart attack or been frozen in fear.
at you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtSpJUVWN4Y
very lovely
As Ablonde says, li'l cars are nimble. Safer unless you get hit. Some cars are sold on their safety in collisions, but that would be with each other, not with runaway dump-trucks (or tractor-trailers).
Glad you're still here!
My aunt gave me the best advice ever for driving out in the big world, "Always know where your bumpers are."
When we know where we are and how we move, we can remember how little and helpless we are. This, more than anything else, can make us strong.
there is a canyon in malibu where approx once every two years or so a similar scene plays out. too often, the results aren't as good as recorded here.
that spot at least twice a month and to this day I still marvel
about it.
Myriad: I much prefer lil nimble cars, one certainly
has to stay alert in them. And that's a good thing. Thank you.
Lisa:You are right about opening up yourself to your instincts.
Dicea: Your aunt knew what she was talking about. All we can
control is what we do.
m.a.h.: I'm hoping that you stay off that road in Malibu.
Accidents happen and sometimes there is little we can do about them. You knew where you were and had a sense about where to go.
Right now I way just over 76K pounds. You car weighted about 2k. If you had not moved what do you think you sitting mass would have done with my moving mass?
This is a story you need to spread to all those who are just getting their drivers license and need to learn a lesson before they get it the hard way.
word is a good one.