Robert K
08-23-2004, 11:59 PM
I had to drive to another town about 20 miles away today for work. Since it was going to be a nice day, I decided to take my 1991 535i. The road is a divided four lane highway, but it's not a interstate, so there are many side roads that connect with it. So anyway, I've got the cruise set and am just enjoying the drive when just up ahead, I notice to my right a fully loaded dump truck on a side road approaching the highway. As I get within a couple hundred feet where his road intersects the highway, I think to myself, "he sure does seem to be going fast for being that close to the stop sign." I barely had that thought out of my head when I realize that he is not stopping and is about ready to drive straight into my right side. Thank God for reflexes, because that's all it was. I jerked the wheel hard to the left and moved over to the left lane, which was empty. I never even had time to hit the brakes, scream or anything else. In an instant it was over and I was okay. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that the person in the truck didn't get it stopped until they were in the medium between the divided lanes. Either he never even saw me, or what I believe is more likely, he miscalculated the stopping distance needed for his fully loaded truck. Had I been about 2 seconds later, I don't think I would have been able to avoid a 55 mph headon into the side of that truck.
I've always believed in owning cars that handled and braked well. I also believe that engine horsepower can be a safety device in certain circumstances. Had I been in an overweight, high center-of-gravity SUV, I probably would have rolled it today and possibly lost my life. Had I been in a sloppily handling car with poor tires, I probably would never have made it around the truck either. But my 535i has a fully modified suspension with Z-rated Michelins. Because of that, to be honest, the actual swerve was very uneventful. I was never out of control and the car did exactly what I asked. Today, I reconfirmed my committment to buying cars with the virtues of good handling, horsepower and braking and actually told my wife that we would probably would never own an SUV.
In the Bible, in Hebrews 1:14, it says of angels, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" As a Christian, I am fully convinced that angels were watching over me today. As I think back over today's near miss, the one odd thing that stands out to me is that I remember actually noticing the large pieces of white rock above the top of the sides of the truck's bed that signified he was fully loaded. In that one split second instant, I realized that he wasn't going to stop because he probably ran out of brakes. On any other day, I probably would never have noticed that one important detail. But today, I did, and that one piece of information probably saved my life. As a Christian, I don't believe in luck or coincidence. I do believe however that God can and does work in our lives and I thank Him that I'm still here to write this tonight.
Grace and peace,
Robert K
1991 535i
I've always believed in owning cars that handled and braked well. I also believe that engine horsepower can be a safety device in certain circumstances. Had I been in an overweight, high center-of-gravity SUV, I probably would have rolled it today and possibly lost my life. Had I been in a sloppily handling car with poor tires, I probably would never have made it around the truck either. But my 535i has a fully modified suspension with Z-rated Michelins. Because of that, to be honest, the actual swerve was very uneventful. I was never out of control and the car did exactly what I asked. Today, I reconfirmed my committment to buying cars with the virtues of good handling, horsepower and braking and actually told my wife that we would probably would never own an SUV.
In the Bible, in Hebrews 1:14, it says of angels, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" As a Christian, I am fully convinced that angels were watching over me today. As I think back over today's near miss, the one odd thing that stands out to me is that I remember actually noticing the large pieces of white rock above the top of the sides of the truck's bed that signified he was fully loaded. In that one split second instant, I realized that he wasn't going to stop because he probably ran out of brakes. On any other day, I probably would never have noticed that one important detail. But today, I did, and that one piece of information probably saved my life. As a Christian, I don't believe in luck or coincidence. I do believe however that God can and does work in our lives and I thank Him that I'm still here to write this tonight.
Grace and peace,
Robert K
1991 535i