While biking home today I was weaving inbetween a line of parked cars on my right and cars stuck at a stoplight on my left (suckers). Up ahead I spotted a car that there was no way I could get around — it was just too close to the parked cars. So I started to pull up on the brake…. only to discover it was jammed. Holy shit!
In that moment there were a number of things that went through my mind:
- Stop the Bike- I was going pretty fast, so I stuck my leg out to drag on the tires of the parked cars. Ok, check.
- You are Going to Hit a Car - Despite my attempts to slow down, I knew I was going to have to hit a car. I considered whether it was better to hit a car with a person in it and sort it out or go for a parked car (i.e. moral grey area) and I decided to go with the car with people in it. Ok, moral decision established, check.
- Are You Going to Have to Pay for This? – Even in the moment of reconing, I was pretty worried that the accident would be expensive. Ok, worried, check.
- Ugh – This one is pretty self-explanatory.
When the time came I hit the side of a minivan, kept up a good amount of speed and drove into an empty spot on the curb to stop myself. The minivan seemed ok and, to my surprise the woman gave a quick wave of “it’s fine” and drove off. Holy shit! I think I just hit the car belonging to the most jaded woman in the world! Just in case she changed her mind I turned off the road and took a different route home. I can think of nothing more awkward than having to stand next to the person whose car you just hit at the next stoplight…
And that, my friends, was my crazy day!
