Zen, and the art of the close call…

Heading home from work today, I’m coming into Florida doing about 40mph, a couple carlengths off the Mitsubishi in front of me…  Up ahead, a UPS truck is waiting to hang a left out of a parking lot, and a tractor trailer is waiting to hang a right into the parking lot.  Then someone decides to do a courtesy stop.  Now normally, this isn’t a problem… but on a Friday afternoon when everyone is heading home from work on a busy road, it’s not too bright.

So the Pontiac stops short, and comes to a complete stop to let the UPS truck out.  The Mitsubishi behind them stops short and slams on the brakes.  I start to emergency stop behind the Mitsu, but I can’t slow fast enough, so I start to veer right and head for the grass, ready to take my first fall.  The Mitsu of course, still can’t stop in time for the Pontiac, so it starts to cut right at the same time I do, cutting me off.  I veer even harder right, into the grass.  After a bit of wobble I manage to slow and stop on the grass…  Mitsu on the grass behind me.  I slowly start to move again and the Mitsu AGAIN starts to cut me off after the Pontiac is already driving past me.

At this point I’m downright irate, so I just get on the gas and head down to turn around in the parking lot, when this jagoff puts his arms up at me like ‘WHAT THE !@#$’ – so I toot the horn, salute him, and continue on my way.

I wasn’t speeding, I wasn’t tailgating, I’ll have to work on my emergency stops a bit I think, but for the sake of all things holy, if there’s someone trying to pull out of your parking lot on a busy road at rush hour, and you have a line of cars behind you, LET THEM WAIT.

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