Please note: I find humor in MY experience. There is nothing funny about the man’s mental health issues that led to this situation.
Okay, now back to it being all about me😉!
Reoccurring theme
As I write more posts, you will see a reoccurring theme…I could not make this stuff up if I tried! Seriously, I am a magnet for weird situations, conversations, etc. On the upside it provides endless entertainment for my friends and plenty of material to write about!
What happened (this time)?
I was on 93 North (5 – lane highway) headed to visit my parents when I saw the state trooper. He/she was moving fast coming from the on-ramp with lights and sirens blazing.
About a mile later the traffic started to slow. I saw the trooper’s lights and cars swerving, but still could not figure out what was going on. As I approached in the far left lane, the trooper started driving at me!
My brain was trying to process why they would cut the lanes diagonally like that. And then I saw Happy Moped Dude. Yep, there was a man on a moped driving straight into oncoming traffic on a major highway! Seriously?!?
Why the left lane?
Yes, it is because I drive too fast, but there is more to it. Driving in the far left lane is actually part of my ready to act strategy.
I can’t control other people’s actions, but I can limit my exposure to them. Assuming a car does not jump the median, I only have to deal with those behind me and to the right. The median also gives me room to move in an emergency.
Self-awareness sidebar: Always ready for anything
I am the person you want around when sh$t goes sideways. In moments (work or life) when emotions and the stakes are high, I am at my best.
Although I am (super) high energy and passionate, my core is actually calm and steady. It is something often misunderstood about me.
People tend to associate excitability with being ruled by emotion, but that is not me. For better or worse, my logic and hyper-rational brain directs my behavior.
Take that natural wiring and layer on years of the unexpected happening and poof….you have yourself a human that contingency plans for everything!
Off-roading it is!
There were two lanes between me and Happy Moped Dude’s current path with just a short distance before we crossed. I was still moving around 45 mph, so needed to think quick.
Option 1: Stop the car woman! On the surface stopping felt like the right option until I factored in speed and the car behind me. Slamming on the brakes would likely lead to an accident.
Option 2: Keep moving little lady! Given our speeds and distance between us, the probability of us colliding was slim if I just kept going. The median in that area is pretty flat, so opted for the extra space and the opportunity for a little off-roading!
I was the last car through before the highway came to a full stop.
Check out the video
Sadly I was not able to find video of me off-roading (very disappointing), but here is the CBS news story which shows how wild this got.