Accident

[alison]

A couple of weeks ago now when the weather was snow and ic etc, I was coming home from my sisters in Selby which is about half an hours drive from my home. As I was about halfway home along a country road I ended up behind 2 wagons. The latter was a sainsbury's lorry. We were not travelling very fast as it was slightly uphill.
After I had been travelling behind them for some time all things going smoothly and singing to the CD the next thing I remember is coming round with bangs and airbags and smoke. Gosh what a mess.
As I looked up out of my windscreen all I could see was the backend of the sainsbury lorry. It is funny how time goes so very slowly yet feels quick. I remember thinking "why hasn't anyone come to see how I am" yet in all probability there wasn't enough time elapsed for them to do so. The driver of the wagon did come straight away and helped me into his lovely warm lorry and really looked after me as I was shocked and couldn't believe what had happened.
My car is a write off but I was very lucky. I had friction marks on my nose and chin from the airbags and terrible bruising from the seatbelt and eventually a few days later pain in my back but I was not badly injured and live to tell the tale. When I hear of other crashes where people have died I am so grateful to be still here in one piece. The bruises are fading and I am much better. I still have no memory of what happened except from the lorry driver's account but maybe that is a good thing.

[AJC]

Well these things happen alison, main thing is you got out in one piece!!!! the rest is for the isurence to worry about, put it down to experience.

[retropwr]

Must have been a bit of a shock, glad to hear you weren't badly hurt.

[dampflippers]

Sorry to hear about the accident, but glad you're not too badly injured.
Look after yourself.

[alison]

I am fine now. Thankyou for asking. My bruises are fading and the pain of losing my car is going also as I think of what car I might get to replace it. I am lost without it and yet we have only had cars for a few years. I always went out on the bus or walked everywhere, but it is amazing how quickly we rely on a car to get us out and about. I think it is the freedom that we miss. Luckily Sonny has a car as well so I have pinched it on occasions to go shopping as I just wouldn't be able to carry bags anymore with my back problems.

The insurance was a ripoff as usual with a very minute amount being offered but it might just about buy me another car having talked them up another £400. I can't believe how they work it out. Our insurance company look at Auto traders website, look for same cars to ours, choose the lowest price and then deduct from there. Sonny had to go on and find cars same as ours and used their higher prices to talk up the insurance bloke from the lowest to those highest and came to an agreement inbetween them. But of course then the excess has to be deducted. But that is how they keep making a living isn't it and at least I was insured and can have another car.

[kaz]

What a terrible experience Alison... but pleased to hear that you weren't badly hurt. Did it take some courage to get back behind the wheel?

[alison]

Well it did a little bit, but because I don't remember the accident I am not frightened of traffic.
For the first week or so following the accident I didn't go anywhere but eventually asked to use Sonnys car to go shopping. This was because I noticed that I was getting wary of getting into a car and so thought I must do it. When I first got in it was a bit scary and I stalled the car a few times on the way to the shops but by the time I was coming back home it was just like second nature really. A bit of it would have been that Sonny's car is different and has the gearstick on the dashboard as opposed to mine being in the 'normal' place, but once I had fathomed that, it was okay.
I have seen another car which I am going to buy but again I am a bit wary as I have only really driven the Nissan Almera which I inherited when I passed my test a few years ago. Sonny got the new car which is a honda civic.
I am buying a Vauxhall astra and I felt fine sitting in the drivers seat yesterday and feel it should be mine but I haven't driven it yet. My sons have vauxhalls and also one has an astra estate and he feels I wont have any problems, so fingers crossed, all being well I should be back in the drivers seat next week. I think it will hit me when I go back to my sisters in Selby as it was driving home from there when I had my crash, so going past the place on my way home from hers might make me a bit nervous. We shall see.
I had gone to my sisters to have a craft morning as I have started making cards and hope to scrapbook my poems. My other sister also came that day as it was her day off from work. She had been worried in the morning and had phoned me to see if I was still going as she felt that we shouldn't go. The weather was still quite bad here with snow and ice but in Selby there was hardly anything so I thought that once we were out of the side streets we would be fine, obviously convincing her there was nothing to worry about. And so we went.
She sent me a get well card with the photo of the car on one side and a poem she had written about it on the other. I will share it with you all...

Thursday is here. A daytime to craft
Last thing on your mind is having a crash.
Your sister is worried; the weather's not great
She's just over anxious and she's making you late.

Journey to Selby and everything's fine
"What was she thinking that sister of mine?"
We all meet up and have a good day
Before you know it, it's time to stop play.

Back on the road now and everythings jolly
Oh Bother! you're stuck now behind a big lorry.
But all of a sudden your senses go reeling
2 airbags to protect you but thats not what you're feeling.

Don't know how it happened or what to think
But your beautiful car is pretty extinct.
A car is replaceable your family say
But a sister, a mother, a wife, there's no way!

Your body is suffering, is bruised and is battered
But you have survived it and that's all that matters.
Best wishes arrive from family and friends
And I know very soon you'll be on the mend!

[alison]

Well 3 months have passed and I am fit and well but I got a summons to go to court for 'careless driving' I can't believe it after all this time as the police woman had said that there wouldn't be any problems as I was the only one injured and my car was a writeoff whereas there was hardly a mark on the wagon. So after hearing nothing til now, what a shock it was.
Anyway they do a scheme where you go on a driverawareness course instead of being prosecuted. That is the option I have had to take at a cost of £180 for a day and a half. The prosecution would have been points on my licence and a fine of up to £1000. and as I have no memory of the accident happening I really haven't any defence to come up with.
I am absolutely petrified which isn't logical as it is not a big deal to most people I guess, but after it took 10 attempts to pass my test just because of nerves alone my mind has gone back to 'that place' and I feel as if I am taking my test again. My nerves are already shot. The nearest course to me is in Harrogate which is over 30 minutes drive away, somewhere I have never been as I don't usually travel out of Leeds except to my sisters in Selby.
They do a full day 9-5 where they have a classroom session in the morning, have lunch and then you go out driving in their cars for the afternoon and the following morning in duel drive cars so to me that looks like you are back on your test. You have to do it satisfactory or you will still be referred to court.
I am booked in next tuesday and wednesday so at least it will be over and done with then as I have been worried for the past fortnight about it. I am sure that it will be fine as I am a decent driver and up to that moment and since that moment of the crash have never had even a near miss. I drive sensibly when I am with friends or on my own but I just can't seem to register my brain that. I keep saying it will be fine, but my body goes into it's own thing of panic and shaking. Roll on thursday when it will all be over and I can say "that actually was very helpful" and be happy again.

[Tricia]

Oh Alison poor you! Try to think of it all as a day out and just that you are going somewhere you haven't been before. Lots of luck - I'll be thinking of you next week!

[alison]

Thanks Tricia. I am probably worrying about it far too much but that is my character unfortunately. I would love to be able to take it all in my stride and be positive but it is just a fear of the unknown that panics me. Everything on the letter suggests that it is very informal and a relaxed atmosphere and when I booked it the receptionist said that she had taken it as part of her job and she found it very usefull and would have liked to go through it again. Of course she wasn't under pressure of having had a crash. But I will try my best to be self assured and positive that no one will think I am nervous at all.

[Tricia]

How did it go Alison?

Tricia

[dampflippers]

Hope it went well and that you got alot out of it.
My neice had an accident on the M25 once and decided to do a "defensive driving" course which she found very useful. If you're still a bit jittery about driving, it might be worth thinking about to mak you feel more confident.

[alison]

It went very well. There were 10 of us altogether. 3 females and 7 males. I was still a little aprehensive but I was not as bad as I had felt before going. The only thing was that I have had Laryngitis for the past 7 weeks and I was still squeeking so I was a little self concious about that as everytime I started to speak only little squeeks came out and I had to take a little drink and then try again. The presenter was very good though and after telling us all that we needed to participate he turned to me and said I didn't have to talk as much as the others. I told them all that I was quite nervous and he obviously thought about it and put the 3 females together with a female trainer which was lovely, but the next morning she was unavailable and we had to have a man, so it was another person and car I had to get used to. As we were going out to the cars the guy (Jim) shouted over to me and asked if I was okay and brought the trainer over to me and introduced him and told me I would be fine with him and that it wasn't a driving test, I would still have my licence when I got back and tried to put me at ease.
Actually I did really enjoy it but I still had to comment on the back of my forms because I felt that had they put a leaflet in with the original letter telling us about the course and what it entailed I would not have been in panic mode for a fortnight. Everyone agreed and said that the original letter was far too harsh. I also made another comment as when I had phoned up to book I had asked if lunch was included and the person said yes. we were there 9-5 tuesday and 9-1 on wednesday. When we broke for lunch there was nothing provided and as I am diabetic I had to go and find somewhere to eat as it was 6 hours since I had eaten breakfast.
All in all it was very interesting and brought back into your minds how you first learnt to drive and how to use your mirrors more etc. I got top score for speed and signals both days and improved in everything else from the first days score to the second. We did about half an hours driving each time and what was good about having others in the car with you,we learnt more about how they drove and what was their problem which also helped us to concentrate on that as well.

[dampflippers]

I'm glad it went ok Alison, and hope you feel more relaxed driving now.

[alison]

Thanks damp. I think that it was a good thing all in all and maybe if more people just went back to a driving instructor occasionally for an hours refresher then a lot of accidents could be avoided. We never think we are doing anything wrong with our driving, but a little reminder about using our mirrors more and staying further back from the vehicle in front does help focus us back on to manual instead of auto pilot.
Can you believe it I got stuck behind not one, but two Sainsbury wagons last thursday. I stayed well back