I’m not sure what happened, but I lost the road. One minute it was there, the next I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Or the road through the rain. I took the turn too fast. Unfortunately, so did the tractor trailer next to me. I didn’t realize it until he was half into my lane. Which landed me halfway closer to the median than I would have liked to have been. I battled the idea of passing him. Driving next to him, was not a safe option. Then again, neither was passing.
The convoy of eighteen wheelers made me nervous. There was 5 of them, all in a row. I was traveling roughly 4 seconds behind. As rough as one can tell when it’s raining so hard you can’t see the road. One of the trucks started to pass another one, and suddenly, the visibility went from little to virtually nothing. The backsplash of rain coming from the truck in front of me and the truck to my right made it impossible for my wipers to keep up.
I flashed back to my mom’s accident 3 or 4 years ago. What if that happened to me? Would I be so lucky? I had warned her that the roads were slippery when she went out that night. The roads were slippery as I went out tonight.
I’m not usually a nervous driver. But tonight, it felt different. I remembered advice from both my Driver’s Training classes and my dad. Confidence and caution. Find your balance.
As my car struggled to find the twists and turns of the slippery madness of the 401, my hands gripped the wheel at eleven and one. Ten and two has never been quite my cup of tea. But what I really wanted was a coffee. Tim Horton’s would be a good excuse to stop and take a break. There was no Tim’s. Not for another long stretch of dark and rain.
I was finally able to pull back into the right lane. Slower traffic keep right. Oh, I was keeping alright. It was then I took the stupid sense off line. It suddenly dawned on me that 75 KM/hour was a better speed considering the conditions, of dark, wet, windy and reduced visibility. Cars passed me at ridiculous speeds. This time I didn’t care. The convoy of trucks that I had worked hard to pass had begun making their way around me. Each time they did, I held my breath. I felt like I was driving under a waterfall. Or at least through one.
I knew better though. I kept my guard up, eyes diverted from the road only to check the review mirror. Hands on the wheel. Now was not a good time to answer my cell phone, or change the CD.
Finally, Tim Hortons. I’m ready for a break. The rain still pounds down heavily. One coffee later, it’s starting to let up. I signal, check my blindspot, and pull slowly on to the ramp of slippery madness.
The convoy of eighteen wheelers made me nervous. There was 5 of them, all in a row. I was traveling roughly 4 seconds behind. As rough as one can tell when it’s raining so hard you can’t see the road. One of the trucks started to pass another one, and suddenly, the visibility went from little to virtually nothing. The backsplash of rain coming from the truck in front of me and the truck to my right made it impossible for my wipers to keep up.
I flashed back to my mom’s accident 3 or 4 years ago. What if that happened to me? Would I be so lucky? I had warned her that the roads were slippery when she went out that night. The roads were slippery as I went out tonight.
I’m not usually a nervous driver. But tonight, it felt different. I remembered advice from both my Driver’s Training classes and my dad. Confidence and caution. Find your balance.
As my car struggled to find the twists and turns of the slippery madness of the 401, my hands gripped the wheel at eleven and one. Ten and two has never been quite my cup of tea. But what I really wanted was a coffee. Tim Horton’s would be a good excuse to stop and take a break. There was no Tim’s. Not for another long stretch of dark and rain.
I was finally able to pull back into the right lane. Slower traffic keep right. Oh, I was keeping alright. It was then I took the stupid sense off line. It suddenly dawned on me that 75 KM/hour was a better speed considering the conditions, of dark, wet, windy and reduced visibility. Cars passed me at ridiculous speeds. This time I didn’t care. The convoy of trucks that I had worked hard to pass had begun making their way around me. Each time they did, I held my breath. I felt like I was driving under a waterfall. Or at least through one.
I knew better though. I kept my guard up, eyes diverted from the road only to check the review mirror. Hands on the wheel. Now was not a good time to answer my cell phone, or change the CD.
Finally, Tim Hortons. I’m ready for a break. The rain still pounds down heavily. One coffee later, it’s starting to let up. I signal, check my blindspot, and pull slowly on to the ramp of slippery madness.
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