If any of you have seen the movie Final Destination where Death is hunting down teenagers through a series of obscure accidents. Well the same thing happened to me last week only it wasn't death but it seemed fate wanted my RX8 to get into a crash.

First I was leaving work and just as am getting to my car some old fart in a beat up car was trying to parallel park in front of me. He kept hitting the curb at the wrong angle. So I quickly got in my car and backed up. This fool hit the gas instead of the brake while reversing which would have given me a nasty fender bender, but I managed to get the car started and reversed just in time to avoid it.

Five minutes later I',m at an intersection making a left turn at a traffic light. I'm at the stop light waiting for it to turn green when a speedaholic makes a left turn in front of me but he didn't make a very wide turn so I see him coming straight at me. I couldn't back up to give him room because of the cars behind me so I gripped my steering wheel anticipating the crash. He just missed my front bumper literally by an inch.

Thirty minutes later I'm almost home and I almost get broadsided by another old fart who pulls out of a seven eleven driveway without looking. Instead of pulling out of the the driveway into the right hand lane which was clear he decides to turn onto my lane just when I'm passing by. I swerved sharply to the left into the oncoming traffic lane narrowly missing him luckily there was an opening in the oncoming traffic, then I swerved sharply to the right back into my original lane and avoided the accident, and he just kept on going like nothng happened.

Luckily I made it home without a ding, but it seemed like fate was trying to ruin my car that day. Has anyone else had days like these?

 

Yes!

I had a day like that two weeks ago.....people were going out of their way to hit me...finally there was a pickup that went all the way to the end of a merge lane instead of falling into line like everybody else in traffic...he didn't even signal or give me a chance to let him in if I wanted to...he just moved over. I kept moving over until I touched both rims on the curb......he finally stopped moving over at that point. He was within inches of taking the whole side of my car out.

however, I now have two rims with scrapes on them. I was so f*cking mad that I motioned to the guy to pull over and get out. (i've never donethat before) Of course the chickewn-**** drove off.

 

We've all had days like that. I sometimes wonder if my car is actually invisible to other drivers on those days. Best thing to do is to slow down and drive home very defensively, as if they can't even see you. And hope tomorrow you're not riding with your cloaking device on again!

 

I feel that way every time I ride my motorcycle to work (almost every day the weather is nice - My 8 is my winter car). I find riding a motorcycle gives you the perspective that you are starting to feel.

It really does feel like everyone is actively trying to kill you. Does that stop me from riding? No way! Riding a motorcycle (like driving a hot car) is one of the most demanding jobs. You have to look way ahead of the car that is immediately in front of you. You have to build up a map of the cars and what you expect them to do and leave yourself an out (or two). Drive like this in a car and you'll see potential accidents all around you, and avoid them.

Drive defensively because everyone else is driving offensively (pun).

 

One thing for sure, it keeps you on your toes. Nothing like a close call to wake you up.

 

my days are like that everyday but sometimes i am not always lucky.

 

Crosswound is soooo right. Being surrounded by Massachusetts drivers, your lucky days are in shorter supply.
Also I think the amount of luck is invers to the value of the object at risk:

For 36 I was driving relatively old cars, and the suffered no accident and hardly a dent or scratch.

Now I had my RX-8 as my first really new car for exactly 47 days and 4310 miles until an 80 years old granddaddy
ignored a stop sign and overlooked the bright velocity red object right in front of him.
The impact on the rear left side sent me on an almost 180 degree spin.

Result: A very sick RX-8 and a heavily bumped head and twisted spine for its driver.

 

I had the same woman in a dodge ram pull out in front of me at the same place two days in a row, the second time I lost it and gave her the finger(which I hate to do, it's someones mom or daughter FCS) needless to say I take an alternate route home. Like JohnO says you need to be looking out for them because they are damn sure not looking out for you.

 

Glad you're alright (and the 8, too). Keep up the defensive posture and be safe. I wish stupidity were painful... get these bad drivers off the road.

 

I'd have hit him. Luckily I have a yellow and people notice it way easier. There's been many a time where I've already ran people off the road. I'm a defensive driver.. I'll hold my damn ground and if you intrude I'll make you pay for it.

That spot between me and the car in front of me, just because your car will barely fit does not mean you can get in there...

Same with merge lanes.. if you keep driving past all the yeild and merge signs and think you are entitled to me to slow down or move over and let you in.. forget it you are eating curb/median/whatever.