# So I nearly drove off the bridge last week. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554 "2007-06-19T04:30:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/1 "2007-06-19T04:30:54Z")
Not intentionally, of course. I was on my way in to work, middle of the morning commute, and was actually in the vicinity of the speed limit (60 in a 55) in the slow lane (in California, the slow lane is the one moving the quickest. Everyone wants to _be_ in the fast lane, no one wants to actually go fast), and some jerk in an old beat up white Honda pulled very close in front of me going all of 45. So, naturally…I did the worst possible thing I could do in that situation. Slammed on my brakes and yanked the wheel. The car fishtailed, slammed into the center divide, spun around, careened toward the side railing. I yanked on the wheel again, and stopped in the center lane at the very top of the bridge facing the wrong way, and shook and shook and shook. Honda jerk didn’t even check his mirror to see what was happening behind him. Called the cops, reported the whole thing. A very nice man in a Prius blocked two lanes of traffic so I could turn the car around and stop blocking traffic. Got off the bridge and called my sweetheart to tell him how much I love him. It occurred to me after the adrenalin wore of how exceedingly lucky I was to NOT have hurt anyone else, and that somehow, every other car on the bridge managed to avoid my wildly careening car. So. What all’s happened to you guys while I was gone? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/2 "2007-06-19T04:43:37Z")
Wow. Good to hear you’re okay. There’ll be no dying, missy. NONE! ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/3 "2007-06-19T06:05:19Z")
Ack! Bridges are a major phobia of mine. I got twitchy just reading that. Glad you are all right! ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/4 "2007-06-19T07:44:28Z")
I just can’t believe she was that close to the speed limit… Thank Og! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/5 "2007-06-19T17:31:03Z")
Yeesh. My fear of heights and the fact I’m a bad swimmer make me a little scared of bridges, too. A similar thing happened to me one rainy day on CA-17. I’m just happy there was a shoulder there, and no one slammed into us. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/6 "2007-06-19T18:25:10Z")
Which bridge, **Maureen**? Glad you’re okay. Yes, aren’t bay area freeways silly? The extreme right lane is usually the fastest lane, because it’s just not _cool_ to drive there. Everyone wants to be in the left-hand lane 'cause that’s where the big dogs drive. Those of us in the know drive in the sparsely-populated right-hand lane. Sorry that putz-brain decided to do so last week, too. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/7 "2007-06-19T19:12:50Z")
I wonder if, the next time you see a cool car chase scene in a movie, you’ll be thinking “Heh, _I_ can do that!” Glad to see you’re ok!!! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/8 "2007-06-19T20:46:28Z")
I read your post humming the James Bond theme. It works really good. Glad you’re ok. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/9 "2007-06-20T01:40:33Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] Which bridge, **Maureen**? Glad you’re okay. [/quote] Thanks, me too. The Dumbarton, West bound, 7:45am. Was 15 minutes early, even. > [@](#): > > Yes, aren’t bay area freeways silly? The extreme right lane is usually the fastest lane, because it’s just not _cool_ to drive there. Everyone wants to be in the left-hand lane 'cause that’s where the big dogs drive. What the hell is that about, anyway? Can’t see around the big assed SUV’s which are all driving slower on the bridge because they’re big and top heavy and can’t really navigate the bridge traffic well. Thanks for the well wishes, all. Been kinda missing this place of late… ---
**Author:** ![Like\_Fry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@Like\_Fry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Like_Fry)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-nearly-drove-off-the-bridge-last-week/408554/10 "2007-06-20T15:30:17Z")
I just heard on the radio this morning that someone drove off a bridge yesterday here in portland. Scary to me, yikes! Fry