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From: rh@mit-eddi.UUCP (Randy Haskins)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.flame
Subject: Re: Penis Substitutes
Message-ID: <270@mit-eddi.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Jun-83 14:21:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.270
Posted: Thu Jun 23 14:21:35 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Jun-83 21:31:28 EDT
References: ritcv.407
Lines: 28

At age 20, I had my accident.  I was doing 40 in a 40 zone.
Unfortunately, there was a "Pay attention" sign on that
road, so I was not looking forward to see that the car in
front of me was stopped without having its brakelights on.
(Before I look around me, I always do a "parse forward
red lights.")  I managed to slow down to about 20-25
before hitting, but my car was still totaled.  The point is,
I should have been able (probably) to avoid that car by 
safely swerving, but I had just never gotten around to 
taking that defensive driving course I had thought about.
But at least I was a better driver at 20 than I was when
the state of Florida gave me my license at 16.  (I had
just learned to drive a stick about 3 days before the
test, although I had been driving automatics in traffic
for a while.)  In the course of my test, I:
 1.  Stalled the car twice because of my clutching (lack of) ability.
 2.  Put the car into reverse when I was supposed to put it in 1st.
 3.  Turned left when I was supposed to turn right. 
 4.  Made the wheels squeal when I stopped quickly.

I still got my license.  Later that day, I was almost killed
on one of our Florida racetracks when I was trying to turn
left off of it.  I was stopped waiting for a break in the 
other direction, I hear trememdous honking, and I see
some idiot go flying by on MY LEFT (in the other lane).
I wish they hadn't given me my license that day, because
I would have been helpless in that situation.
			--Randy