# Brain Farts

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-farts/501567>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 1, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-farts/501567 "2009-07-01T11:34:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-farts/501567/1 "2009-07-01T11:34:29Z")

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While driving home from work yesterday, I was approaching a red light. As I applied my brakes, I flipped on my left turn signal and came to a stop. I sat waiting for the light to change, idly listening to the rhythmic _tink-tink, tink-tink_ of the turn signal and seeing the little arrow flash on and off.

The light changed to green and I proceeded… _straight_… through the intersection. Why didn’t I turn, you ask? Because that wasn’t my turn. I go straight at this intersection every damn day. I wasn’t in the turn lane and never had any intention of turning.

Yet somehow, for some reason, my brain decided to signal for a left anyway. (Fortunately, the intersection is protected by turn lanes and red arrows, so I didn’t actually place myself or anyone else in danger.) It wasn’t until after I’d cleared the intersection that I realized what I’d done and turned off the signal, feeling very stupid and embarrassed.

I know we’ve done this before, but it’s been a while… What are your latest brain farts?

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**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-farts/501567/2 "2009-07-01T20:16:48Z")

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I don’t know about latest, as I have them continually (do they smell?), but I have a driving related one that still baffles me to this day.

I was sitting at an intersection, waiting to make a left turn. Light turns green, I start to turn, but halfway through the turn, I see a red light and slam on my brakes.

I was seeing the cross traffic light, and had a freakout over go! stop! go! aagh?!

I also, when heading to work on a Sunday morning, stopped nicely at a red light, then proceeded through the intersection as if it were a stop sign. The bad part? I did it 2 weeks in a row. Luckily there were no other cars around, but man, that was stupid.