What's The Stupidest Thing You've Done While Driving?

"Sudman" (sudmanmurshed) 09/25/2013 at 21:47 • Filed to: None

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I've seen some stupid driving on the road and been in cars where there was a whole lot of stupid driving going on. But today, I was the stupid one. At least I think I was. So please listen to my story and help me feel a little better!

While on my way home from school I came up to a tighter than expected curve. I was in fourth (going about 35 mph), saw the corner which I underestimated I guess because of parked cars, downshifted to third, and to my surprise there wasn't enough steering because the turn was basically a curved 90 degree corner. My car had MASSIVE understeer. So much so that the tires started squealing and the car actually went on the other side of the road (a two way street). It felt like a plow.

Thankfully, no cars were on the other side. This was the first time I felt real understeer. It's horrible, I hate it, I've never felt anything like it. I wish my Sentra was RWD. Better yet, I wish I had my Miata already.

Luckily, I was able to gather it up rather quickly. I didn't panic at all, I felt like I was in control of the situation but god damn.

I consider my ass extremely lucky, actually. Of course, I felt like an ass after because I realized I could have caused an accident. This hurt my ego and my confidence as I'm still questioning myself and is also the inspiration of this post. But in my defense, there were no signs telling me it's a sharp turn and I wasn't driving like a moron! I guess I learned my lesson.

What's the stupidest thing you have done or the biggest mistake you have made while driving? Did you learn your lesson?

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 21:54

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One of the first times i was driving a RWD car in the rain i was at a left turn lane, with two turn lanes, and i was a cocky 17 year old, who thought because i had driven for a whole year, and thus the best driver in the world, took off way too fast and started to spin.

Natural reaction was to counter steer to correct. Unfortunately i did not let off the gas quickly enough and spun it the opposite direction right into a parking lot. Learned my lesson that day....

Anon > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 21:56

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I win! I once tried to drift...in a honda civic by pulling the handbrake...while going 60mph. I somehow didn't crash. (Thanks Gran Turismo)

Sudman > Anon 09/25/2013 at 21:58

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Damn that's crazy. Thank goodness nothing happened!

Lol, I can honestly say that I felt like I was in control of my situation because I've played A LOT of Gran Turismo with a wheel!

Milky > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 21:59

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Lesson learned: YOU'RE NOT D.K. OR MAD-JDM-YO .... keep the drifting to big parking lots filled with snow.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 22:01

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RWD still doesn't help you stay on the road if your entry speed is too high.

Mine was hooning around in a carpark late at night and didn't see a concrete pedestrian island, I hit it at maybe 80kph and bent a rim (lucky it wasn't an oil pan or anything).

I learnt to better check my surroundings before mucking about.

desertdog5051 > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 22:03

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Nothing personal, guy, But you were not paying close enough attention. Period.

Sudman > desertdog5051 09/25/2013 at 22:10

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Yeah, I guess you're right

JGrabowMSt > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 22:14

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Traction Control is the devil. Not in that it isn't useful, it most definitely is, but it kicks in AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIMES.

So there's a hairpin turn not far from an ex-girlfriends house, and I was cruising that day, and lets be honest here, it's a 35mph road, the cautionary signs say 10mph around the bend (it's that tight) and I was rocking about 20-25mph. Sounds harmless until 5000lbs of car starts to slide, and the traction control decides to get it's lazy ass out of bed. Next thing I know, I've got 450ft-lbs of torque facing a guard rail with the traction control starting to seriously kick in. After a serious dab of oppo, the car avoided certain tragedy, but I take all hair pins VERY seriously now. Just about every hairpin turn is in the worst place for one...They couldn't just make the hill go straight down? It HAD to be some threatening area?

That said, I avoid that road now, for fear of hairpin turns and ex girlfriends. Luckily I have never done serious damage to any car being stupid. I've scratched the paint a few times, but thankfully that's it. Always keep the rubber side down.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 22:33

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It wasn't while I was DRIVING, per se, but it was pretty dumb....

It were a hot summer day, I was cruising around, windows down, roar of a V8 in my ears, radio... not there, high on life after the outcome of the last NASCAR race. I was getting a bit thirsty, but I pushed that feeling to the back of my mind, cruising was much more important. Plus, my car doesn't have cupholders (No cupholder master-race up in hurr!)

I cruise around, making a big circuit of town, thirst growing somewhat stronger by the minute. It was beginning to look like rush hour, and my bladder was sending me signals it was time for a pit stop. I decided to take a few more lefts, and then turn in for gas, a piss, and something to drink.

Some asshole CUV was parked over two spaces, so I had to park dead center in front of the doors. I've seen too many gas station robberies end with cars parked right up front getting shot up and smashed. Anyways, I walk inside, fully ensconced in my mutant green fire suit (ALWAYS cruise in a fire suit, you NEVER know what might happen...), and bitches be 'mirin'. I'm somewhat of a local celebrity, after all. But as I walk towards the cooler in the back, urge to piss now suppressed by my monstrous thirst and the fact that I was now standing, I sensed that something was off.

Some midlife crisis-er, just the type to self-importantly park his bloatwagon across multiple spaces, is staring intently at the cooler, right where the drinks I want are normally located. He was bending over, reaching his landwhalish arms deeeeeep into the cooler, grunting something about "thirst" and "refreshing".

After a few seconds standing and watching him, he finally retrieves what has now become known in my head as "the greatest fear a man can know"...

He spun around, drink in hand, and my jaw dropped to the floor.

IZZAYT DA LAYST DAH-ITT DOO?

TL;DR I traded my car for some shitty toxic piss in a bottle

Dakotacowboy > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 22:34

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I have two stories to share oversteer and understeer.

Oversteer

Going too fast making a right turn off of pavement onto gravel going downhill. Rear of my Chevy LUV pickup stepped out big time. The nose was now pointed at the right side of the gate I was trying to drive through. A lifetime of NASCAR viewing had me prepared for this moment. I counter steered into the skid and lifted off the throttle. The rear tires caught traction. I eased back into the throttle and drove out of the skid and through the gate. This occurred mere days after I got my license. The gate I was driving through was at the county fairgrounds. It was demolition derby night at the fair. I have been much more respectful of gravel since then.

Understeer

I was driving a Dodge Spirit with a soft suspension that provided NO feedback to the driver. I overcooked a 90 degree left corner. I had no idea that I was too fast until the nose lost all grip, and I was now going straight despite having the wheel turned hard left. I slammed on the brakes and ended up stopped between two signs like the ones pictured. Luckily there was no guardrail on the road on which this happened. I never trusted that car again while cornering. It was a good car that rode great, but it was not the car for me. I regretted nothing when I traded it in and bought my beloved Neon a few months later.

Field Goal

speeddemon807 > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 22:45

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Here's my story of a screw up and remind anyone who are going to a driving exam to get a license. Please look at the gear before hitting the gas because I almost had an accident on my driving exam by putting in reverse instead of drive. Luckily, the examiner used the passenger side brake pedal to stop it. Just don't be goofy about it.

OttoMaddox > Sudman 09/25/2013 at 23:19

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Pittsburgh, 1985. I was driving alone and bored, at night along East Ohio Street when I looked to my left and saw something I never saw before. A brightly lit, brand-new road seemingly in the middle of the river. Actually it was on Herr's Island; once home to a slaughterhouse and rendering plant. When I attended North Catholic High School in the early '80s the overwhelming stench from the rendering plant rose up Troy Hill like the foul miasma of death that it was and forced us to shut the windows to keep it out, even in late May when our unairconditoned building was sweltering inside.

Anyway. In 1985, my senior year in high school the plant was shut down (yes!) and the island was being redeveloped for a tony condo development. The first thing they built was that long, straight, brand new road. I had to check it out.

I crossed over a bleak, rusty, unlighted iron bridge that crossed the backchannel to the island and found myself on that brand-new strip. Being the invincible 18 year old that I was I decided to see how fast my Dad's four-cylinder automatic Mustang could go, which turned out to be not very. But fast enough that the end of the paved road came up before I knew it. The city was kind enough to put up a warning sign that said "Pavement Ends". Right at the end of the pavement.

The lights ended as well, and I found myself plowing through door-handle high weeds in the pitch dark. As I turned back toward the light and the road I thought to myself, "Boy, I'd hate to get stuck here!".

I got stuck there. Literally axle deep in mud. Or so I thought. "Oh shit!" I said. Then I opened the door and the smell hit me. "Oh SHIT!!!"

I was stuck up to the floorpans in a field of manure from the old rendering plant; it's unlighted silhouette looming nearby.

I had a long way to go to get to a phone, and that island was dark and fucking SCARY. I saw two burnouts in the distance smoking while sitting on the hood of a Dodge, but I wasn't about to ask them for help. So I RAN back to the road and along its entire length which I think was about a quarter mile, up the ramp and across that gloomy iron bridge that looked like it was blacked out during World War II and not relit or painted since, across East Ohio St. which was not a street at all but then a 4-lane high-speed arterial, because there was no sidewalk or crosswalk there; and maybe another 1/8 mile to a gas station to use the phone. I was an out of shape asthmatic and couldn't have done that before even if you paid me.

I called Pete Hartz, a friend of my grandfather's. He had a rattletrap '63 Chevy tow truck and hauled junk cars away for a living. Pete got out of bed, drove all the way from Stanton Heights, met me at the gas station in about 20 minutes and we went back to the island to get the car. It took us awhile to find it with his powerful spotlight, then after he hooked the car it took some determined yanking to free it from the island's shitty grasp. The price? No charge. Pete was a good guy.

So I started it up and drove off. You can imagine the smell coming off the shit-caked hot exhaust system. I drove to my grandfather's house in Lawrenceville-I didn't dare drive home because I'd still be hearing about it from my prick of a dad to this day. Pappy gave me a roll of quarters and I used them all at the car wash on Butler St. I hosed off the entire underside of the car, the floor mats, door panel, my shoes and pants legs.

Dad still doesn't know that it happened. Pappy never told his son; he was a good guy too.

promoted by the color red > Sudman 09/26/2013 at 00:04

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Two way tie between the time I tried to merge in fifth gear and backing into a low-brick wall the other day.

Merging in fifth sounds innocuous until you try it in an Acura/Honda product.

Leadbull > vdub_nut: scooter snob 09/26/2013 at 00:07

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Wat.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Leadbull 09/26/2013 at 00:09

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Leadbull > vdub_nut: scooter snob 09/26/2013 at 00:13

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And suddenly, it all makes sense.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > Leadbull 09/26/2013 at 00:20

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I spent so much time and had such high hopes for this little tale.

Nobody noticed but you ;_;

Sudman > OttoMaddox 09/26/2013 at 00:33

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Unbelievable. Made my night!

Danger Ranger XLT > Sudman 09/26/2013 at 01:41

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Back during the summer of 2006, I was 17 and living with my parents. On the plus side, I had a horny girlfriend who lived next door. I promise this story involves stupid driving!

So one day I went out and bought a pack of condoms. I sat them on the bench seat next to me and drove on home. As I turned on to the road where my parents lived, the box o' condoms slid from the seat and went into the passenger floorboard. So I reached down into the floorboard to retrieve them. Both of my hands came off the wheel, my feet off the pedals, and my head was completely under the dash. In the middle of a turn.

With condoms in hand, I sat back up in my seat and found my truck was bouncing off the road, aimed squarely at a speed limit sign. I made this panicky squeak noise with my throat, fumbled with the steering wheel for a split second, and guided myself back to the road. Then I sat the condoms back on the seat and continued driving home.

There was no real damage - I had only been off-road for maybe 100 feet. The bumper collected a bunch of grass and one of the bolts for the license plate broke. Above all else, I was really happy I didn't actually crash - imagine having to explain that accident to your parents:

"Well mom, the condoms... They got away..."

notahater > Sudman 09/26/2013 at 07:40

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A completely different kind of stupid:

Leadbull > vdub_nut: scooter snob 09/26/2013 at 07:59

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I know that feel

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

DocWalt > vdub_nut: scooter snob 09/26/2013 at 08:47

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Brilliant.

JMIP143 > Sudman 08/06/2015 at 16:33

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Definitely learned my lesson. This happened today. I was pulling out of McDonald’s after getting a drink, and the way they have the lanes set up is really weird so you have to make a pretty wide turn in order to get into the right lane. I turn and right as I reach the crosswalk I notice the double yellow lines... That one on the wrong side of. There’s a car next to me in the correct lane so I can’t exactly move over especially considering somebody was as stupid as me and got behind me in the wrong lane. So people turning into their lane (luckily there was a way to get around me) were getting pissed at me (don’t blame them) so the light turns green and all I can think of is getting the hell out of that lane and I don't think the left signal light turned green so a lady is coming toward me and I almost hit her and I swerve into the correct lane and drive home shaking. Worst experience ever. I've only been driving alone for two days but I don't think I'm going to drive for a while lol