Had a close call driving home from Ottawa. I was driving and we had passed through a small community on the hwy. There was a car fairly close behind me and a transport behind that car. When the hwy divided into two lanes on the other side, I started to move over a bit to the right to give the car and transport a chance to pass on that side if they wanted to.
All of a sudden, a car going in the opposite direction crossed way over from its right side to the outside lane and veered into my lane. It was heading toward me on an angle. I maintained control of the wheel, tapped my brake to warn the driver behind me and lowered my speed to use the shoulder to get out of that dangerous situation.
The driver suddenly veered off into the passing lane on his side of the hwy. My husband was a bit freaked out and I was calm. He couldn't get over my reaction; he thought I'd cover my eyes with my hands. I said, "I'd never let go of the steering wheel; what good would that do?"
Not sure what happened, my first thought was a suicide attempt, but he should have waited for the transport or perhapps he was having a heart attack. Since the driver was able to regain control to avoid the collision, I'm guessing he dropped a cigarette and took his eyes off the road or was texting and driving. It sure seemed like it was intended at the time. If I wasn't paying attention, I would not have seen him coming and been able to make a quick decision to avoid the collision. Thankfully the roads were dry.
The car and transport that were behind me slowed down and kept their distance behind me for a minute or two and I noticed the transport had two people in it and I imagine one of them was reporting the erratic driver. I thought I'd wind up dreaming about it during the night, but it never crossed my mind. I wonder if the driver got any sleep.
My husband and I discussed how horrible it must be for emergency services to arrive upon an accident that could have easily been avoided especially over the holidays. Way back early in his career, Number 1 son came upon an elderly couple that had succumbed to their injuries and the station wagon was full of Christmas presents.
For those who may recall, I had a fear of driving because my mind never seems to shut down so I thought I'd have a hard time concentrating on the task of driving and would never "bounce back" if I caused an accident that took another life. It's no longer my driving I worry about.
For those people driving over the Christmas holidays, be aware and stay safe!
Hurray - another successful merry mission.
