[redpoint5]

Lots of incidents due to my risk taking behavior.

Took a 90 degree corner going 45 MPH in a VW Bug the night before beginning my senior year of highschool. Ended up on the side in a farm field with a busted side window and a tire pulled off the bead. Lucky for Dan Simonton, we were on the way to TP his house. Had to crawl straight up to get out of the car, then push it back onto its wheels, then put the spare tire on.

Lots and lots and lots of close calls, stuck in snow (days of my life spent shoveling, putting chains on/off), stuck in ditches, high-centers.

Hit the front end of a Bronco with the rear end of my Subaru (pit maneuver on myself) once while emergency swerving to avoid a guy I couldn't see until the last second (lights off at night, in a rainstorm). I spun 360 and maintained my lane, the Bronco driver drove his car off the freeway, through the bushes, and into the safety wires. I shouldn't have been doing 85 MPH.

I'm a very skilled driver, mostly due to having pushed the limits of every vehicle I've had in my youth, in every environment I encountered. I was at higher risk of accident due to my risk taking in the past, but a lower risk now due to driver skill. You'll never hear me say I ran my car off the road trying to avoid a deer.

Bad brakes is a BS excuse, and I wouldn't let anyone get away with that. Modern cars can brake so hard they lock all 4 tires up, unless there is something seriously wrong with the braking system. Since brakes are capable of locking up the wheels, tire choice is what affects stopping distances.

Air crash disasters are my favorite thing to watch because the cause is so thoroughly studied, and often involves a series of very unlikely events that conspired to confuse the pilot.

EDIT: Do we include not at fault incidents? Been rear-ended twice and backed into once.

I don't know how people get into crashes while driving normally. Every single close call or crash has been due to driving at extreme limits. I've never had a close call when driving speed limits, and using normal acceleration and cornering speeds.