Scared Safe!

I've always considered myself a safe driver. A good driver.
But needless to say, I will admit...I sped - ALOT...infact, ALL THE TIME! It was like I was addicted to speeding...once, I even tried going a whole week without going over the speed limit - didn't work. I just got so frustrated that I sped even more.

And while I know "there's no such thing as 'safe speeding' " (I've read the signs, I've seen the ads), I still considered myself a good driver. A safe driver. I never drive recklessly or in a dangerous manner. But yeh I would always be at least 5, 10, maybe 15 ks over the limit, always.

Since having Muffin (since falling pregnant really) I cut down on my speeding considerably. It helped that I was no longer working at my day job so didn't have to get thru the 9-5 hustle and bustle of peak hour traffic. But yes I did still speed, not with Muffin in the car though and I'd try not to go over 10ks past the speed limit.

Recently, Mr.J & I traded in Black Betty, for a new more family-orientated car (a station wagon).

I'd owned Black Betty for near 7 years now, I knew it very well, knew how to handle it, could probably have driven it at unrealistic speeds in horrible environments with my eyes shut - backwards - and not have an accident.

Sure I've hit a few poles in my time but both times it was in a parking lot and I was barely doing 5 kms let alone 105kms and it was a mis judgement on my part.
But I knew my car...I knew what it was capable of, I knew how to handle it in tricky situations.
I knew how to speed in it.

Since getting the new car, I've cut down even more on my speeding, it helps that I'm no longer working my night job and I have no schedules so I only occasionally sped if I was running late for coffee with a friend or something.

Last week, Muffin & I were on our way home from my mum and dads. Its a 45-50 minute drive, I take the m7.
It was raining...absolutely pissing down.
I was driving up the Boulevarde...it has about 5 or so roundabouts - big ones up the whole length of the street.
Its a dual carriage way.
The roads were slippery.
I could hardly see out the front windscreen.

I was not speeding. I never sped in the rain.

It was either the first or 2nd roundabout - I cant remember now.
I was in the right hand lane.
There was a fair distance between me and any cars in front of me.
There was no one next to me in the left lane.
I had just finished turning my wheel to the right from entering the roundabout and was now turning it to the left to make the exit.

I lost control of my car.

I was turning the wheel to the left but the car kept sliding to the right. All of a sudden, the car lurched towards the left, just in time to miss going into the other side of traffic.
Because it happened so suddenly, I guess I was still sort of trying to pull the wheel to the left. It thrust me over into the left lane so sharply that I went sideways out of the roundabout.

I don't know how but I managed to regain control of the car and straighten back into the left lane before cleaning up the telegraph pole on the sidewalk.

All I could think during this moment was that I would never forgive myself if I crashed and Muffin died or was injured. NEVER.

I am SO glad that I was not speeding that day.

I have never lost control of my car before. But this is a new car and I don't know it, at all. It took me years to get to know Black Betty. I've had this car for about a month - if that.

I haven't gone over the speed limit once since this day.

I take extra care at corners and in roundabouts.

I'm so ashamed that even when not doing the wrong thing, I could've just lived out every drivers worst nightmare.

I learnt a very valuable lesson that day. One that I will never forget.

Ever.

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