As the name of my blog might suggest, I am a tad clumsy, always have been and I expect I always will be. However, I do try to take more care now that I am a Mummy but to be honest clumsiness comes from nowhere and mishaps can happen when I least expect them! Thankfully, I am a more careful driver than I am a walker, that is not to say that I have never had a driving incident in my car because I have, a couple of times and once was bad enough for me to have written a car off which was very upsetting at the time! The other occasions were not my fault, as something went wrong with the car I had at the time.
One time, however, and I am not proud of this, I recall a mishap in my car on the way to work when I was a lot younger. It was when I worked in marketing for a company in Somerset, and we had all been to our Christmas party the night before. I had drank far too much and when I woke up in the morning, if truth be told, I was a little hung over and maybe I should not really have been driving so early in the morning, but anyway off I set for my 8.30am start. I had to drive across a busy Friday morning Taunton and I was stopped at some red traffic lights, as they changed I started to drive but I stalled the car and the car behind me drove right into my car! Rather than stop and check my car, I quikcly restarted it and drove the last part of my journey to work, not daring to stop in case I was over the limit and it was discovered!!! My car was ok, it was only the bumper which got hit BUT not not a moment to be proud of and *that* was a very long day at work!!
I asked some blogger friends of mine to share their car related mishaps:
My youngest daughter once let go of a big plastic toy she was playing with in the back seat. She was in a forward facing car seat, and the window was open and it flew out of the window. We were doing 50mph and I was stunned it didn’t cause an accident. Never left the window open again!
Jen
I upgraded my car, but totally forgot about childlocks and had to perform an emergency stop when my four-year-old tried to get out of the back door whilst on the way home from school!! I always check their seat belts are strapped in myself as they go around/across their boosters. Then I get into the car, drive off, have no recollection of doing it and have to ask them both if they are strapped in.
Kelly
Erm *looks embarrassed* I once tried to drive under a height restrictor on holiday as I forgot we had bikes on the roof. Not wise. Not pretty and definitely not very clever… Don’t mind being mentioned as I have NO SHAME
Helen
I did once try and take someone else’s car! The same colour Ford was parked near me in the car park and my key opened it. Was backing out of the space when I realised there were car seats and a dog in the back – that weren’t mine! Hastily went back in the space and fled before the real owner came back
Mary
I don’t drive but on an school run I’d just serviced the brakes on my bike, and forgot. Well until someone pulls out in front of me with no warning and I slam the brakes and go over the bike! Kiddy seat pins me down and I break a bone in my hand, slice my face up and still did the school run with all the mums in shock at the state of me.
Paul
This has never been told, no names on this one please! My friend got a brand spanking new Mercedes A class for her 21st birthday. It was shipped over from Germany by her dad for her. But being from Germany it was LHD. She was going back home for the Easter break and let me and my boyfriend borrow her car for the week. She said we could go anywhere with the car – just not damage it. We went to York for the Easter weekend on on Good Friday, in the middle of York we were coming out of a multistory car park and my boyf took the corner too tight being on the other side of the car and ripped off the skirts on the passenger side. We drove to a merc garage who had time to fix it, but did not have the part as it would have to be shipped in. The only place that did have that part in the whole of the UK was in Hull, so we drove to Hull on the Saturday to get the part then had to wait till the Tuesday to get it fitted and repaired. She flew back in on that afternoon and to this day, still does not know that there was an £800 repair on her car!!!
Anon
I was once driving down a dual carriageway near to where I live, with Jack & his friend in the back – the internal light came on & in a split second thought ‘that would only come on IF THE BACK DOOR WAS OPEN’, turned around & yelled ‘nooooo’ to a poor 3 year old in the back of the car looking scarred stiff! I never had child locks on that side as the older 2 didn’t need them…
Helen
Oooops !!
My OH has had a few accidents with his various cars over the years, even having one roll over in the road! This one time, he had a tyre blow out while he had been driving on the M60 motorway with a friend from south coast up to the north of England thankfully they were not injured but a little shook up nonetheless! All they could rely on was the internet and came across a depot point-s.co.uk, which had the tyres available in Manchester. It was very convenient as they booked the tyres online which saved time when they visited the depot for the fitting appointment. Checking your tyres is so important because worn out tread or deflated tyres can cause accidents, and attract the attention of the police! Always ensure that your spare is in good shape too – nothing worse than changing a tyre to discover that the spare is flat or even missing (I know of this happening to a friend!). Ensure that your tyres are looked after because they are an important part of your car. Tyre specialists such as Point-S offer a service up and down the country where you can have your tyres replaced, and you can even pre order them on line! Perfect for when driving mishaps occur, as well as preventing them from happening too.
Oh my God, some of those mishaps made me laugh and some are super scary, Amy once opened the backdoor on the motorway from Cardiff back to Bristol. It was so scary that nothing happened.
Having a tyre burst on the motorways must be the absolute scariest thing ever. How lucky that the company was so accommodating and able to help him so quickly. That must have been such a relief for him. Imagine having the scare of a bursting tyre and then all the stress of finding a suitable model and getting it fitted in a town you don’t really know.
Something must have eaten part of my reply. I meant to say: It was so scary. I still can’t believe that nothing happened 😉
Ooops! I once reversed into a brand new Mercedes in a petrol station in my desire to change lanes for the pumps; I didn’t even check my mirror!