Sooo, car accidents are fun.

june gloom on 6/9/2009 at 20:10

I've had some close calls myself. Over the winter I was driving down a slope down a road that didn't generally see a lot of traffic- there was always at least someone driving along the 2-lane, 2-way road, but it's pretty much five minutes of nothing with no streets branching off, and the people who live on that road generally don't go anywhere. I realized at some point I was going too fast and when I went to slow down, I overcompensated, skidded, slid, just missing the one other car that happened to be on that road, and found myself turned around and into the lane for oncoming traffic going back up the hill.

I took that as a sign/said "liiiike a glove" and drove back up to where I'd just left (my grandparents' house, incidentally.)

Tocky on 7/9/2009 at 02:00

Are we telling some stories now? Alright!

When I was about 20 I had driven the roughly 300 miles to Jackson to see a buddy and we spent the day boating on lake Richmond and drinking a few. I had stopped drinking many hours before the return trip but hadn't counted on how much a day of it in the sun depletes your energy level. My girlfriend and brother were with me but down for the count within the first 20 miles.

It was about 2 in the AM and I had the window rolled down and the tunes cranked up but those bright little reflectors still dimmed to black and I had to yank my eyes open and breathe heavy to distribute the jolt of adrenaline every so often from the tatick ticking of the ones in the middle or on the side of the four lane waking me. I've never been so tired and trying to shake my girlfriend awake was like shaking a ragdoll. Maybe I should have pulled over.

Instead I get the bright idea to straddle the middle ones. Not a soul on the highway anyway right? I made about 50 miles dozing off till the tick ticks woke me but it got so my addled mind knew I still had the second set of reflectors to hit and kept dozing until they started ticking.

I am fucking brilliantly risking all our lives for another 40 or so miles when it breaks through to me I have heard the second ticks and am putting off awakening until the third tick of my other set of wheels going off and that is insane. I bolt awake half in the grassy median and jerk back onto the roadway doing a bit of a barking fishtail that finally wakes her and she leans against me asking if I'm okay. No. Next truckstop I'm stopping.

I pull in right up next to the bright window and immediately fall asleep. Only there is this stubborn knocking on my window. Damn trucker says he can't get to the pump. Sure I'll move. He walks away and I fall instantly back to sleep. Second knocking. Damn. I fell asleep? As soon as he walks away I do it again. The third time he threatens to whip my ass if I don't move. So I'm in the process of falling asleep again when my brother shakes me awake saying he thinks he means it. Fine. I move. I hadn't put it in park anyway and was idling against the curb. Got some coffee and made it the rest of the way without a doze.

Don't know if that was at all interesting or informative. Maybe I should have told another. Anyway get out and run around the car if you are sleepy.

SubJeff on 7/9/2009 at 02:45

This is another brilliant thing you get in England - a stop on the motorway every 20 miles or so.

Fine.

But sometimes there is no stop for frikking forever. You realise you should take the next stop (how far can it be?) and have a rest or some coffee or both but oooooh no, NOW you have to drive 45mins because some bright spark decided that the A389320 won't have a stop for miles. What's that you say? Roadworks? Roadworks for the next 20 miles slowing the traffic to 40mph? In the UK? Never. Try every day on every road. I don't know how they make them here but you cannot do any motorway journey for 2 hours in any direction anywhere without hitting roadworks. MAKE IT BETTER FROM THE START YOU TARDS JUST SPEND THE MONEY.

Sometimes I hate England.

Starrfall on 7/9/2009 at 15:23

^ in CA they're pretty good about putting up (http://www.westcoastroads.com/california/images005/i-005_sb_exit_309_05.jpg) signs that say "next services X miles" or whatever, which is nice because for such a pretty place we have a few truly (http://www.westcoastroads.com/california/images005/i-005_sb_exit_309_02.jpg) godawful stretches of road. (Those pics aren't mine, but anyone who's had the misfortune of driving that road will recognize it as southbound I-5 through the valley. It looks like that for like 300 miles. If you've ever eaten Harris Ranch beef, they have feedlots along that stretch.)

Enchantermon on 7/9/2009 at 16:20

Can't access those pics. 403 Forbidden.

gunsmoke on 7/9/2009 at 16:30

You aren't meant to see them. God told me so.

Kolya on 7/9/2009 at 16:33

It's just a referrer check. Open the link, click in your URL bar, hit return.

Starrfall on 7/9/2009 at 16:35

Or you can go (http://www.westcoastroads.com/california/i-005sm_ca.html) here to see even more pictures of a miserable road. Just what you wanted to do with your monday morning!

gunsmoke on 7/9/2009 at 16:36

Quote:

It's just a referrer check. Open the link, click in your URL bar, hit return.

See, now you are going against what was written. Beware of lightning...

Starrfall on 7/9/2009 at 16:41

Don't be silly, if god wanted to punish california he'd just send more sun (and only he knows what he sends when he wants to punish germans)

Inline Image:

http://imgur.com/Y8qzI.jpg