I just nearly caused a car accident it was my fault

[Charlotte350]

I feel so shaken it was raining so heavy and pitch black I hate driving in the dark normally and it was like country road 60's I was pulling out on junction I thought I had plenty of time but clearly I didn't, it was awful my son was sat in front it would have hit him if I hadn't carried on driving away quickly to get out the road I honestly feel like I don't want to get in my car again I feel so shook up I just dropped my daughter off at school disco so I don't even know if it was one of the parents I'm having anxiety about that now thinking I'm going to get shouted at even when it's feel devastated it almost happend.

Try not to let this scare you. I nearly got run over today as my head is full of stress. You didn't do it on purpose, neither did it, I've learnt from it. If there's anything you can learn do, then move on.

It happens and we've all been there, OP.

Just get back in your car with renewed awareness.

Ok, so you didn’t have an accident so be thankful for that. You made a mistake but you had the ability to get out of the way and you took action rather than panic and make things worse.

Theres no way another parent would be likely to recognise your vehicle or see you driving, so that’s not a realistic concern.

When you make driving errors, once the shock has worn off, then you need to reflect on it and think about how to drive more safely as a result. There’s no need to catastrophise about what might have happened, that’s a waste of mental energy. Concentrate on considering where you went wrong and how to make better decisions next time.

Who is going to shout at you?

You made a bad call and were really lucky fortunately though you reacted in time. You will feel dreadful and you need to process it. If you can’t face driving tonight have you got a supportive partner who could pick up instead of you, or take a cab and pick up that way. Maybe re do the route in daytime. And check visibility and blind spots on your car.

I think it happens to everyone OP. The main thing is you didn’t actually have an accident. It’s good that you are shaken up (a bit) because hopefully you’ll be more careful in the future!

That sounded more patronising than I meant it too. Was supposed to mean you’ll be more aware now

I was in an accident a few weeks ago. No one was injured and it was more of a prang really but it really shook me. All the whatifs went through my mind. I have hopefully learned from it and will not make the same mistake again. Hopefully you will feel better soon.

Your clever quick reactions saved the day

Well done 👏 🥰

I think you’d struggle to find a driver who hadn’t made a similar mistake

the thing is it was an error of judgement rather than recklessness

We all have near misses, learn from them dont rush especially in dark, poor driving conditions. Be aware of distractions in the car, kids, passengers talking,

If pulling out of a junction on dark rainy nights, I always open both front windows, even though it makes me a bit wet. You can see the road more clearly and also listen for any vehicles further away. We’ve all had near misses OP even if we aren’t aware of them!

Everyone is fine, that's the most important. And strangely it will make you a better driver for it, esp at junctions.

This happened to me, but it was a bus i walked in front of a few months ago.
My head was full of crap.

Reiterating this. You say you’re shaken (which is fair) but you knew exactly what to do to avoid an accident proving that you are a safe driver.

it happens to the best of us.