New fear unlocked
Dec. 18th, 2025 11:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
christopher575Suddenly I'm worried about the possibility of losing consciousness while driving, especially at a high speed. Why? Because it almost happened this morning. I subbed in Monroe today and was heading east on US-2, and it was a much more pleasant drive than I'd worried about. The rain wasn't too bad and I'd already passed the dense oncoming traffic that stretched east more than usual do to other routes being flooded.
I don't know what I drove by, but suddenly my car filled with a terrible chemical smell. If I had to compare it to something familiar, I'd say it was sort of like spray paint. But imagine if instead of smelling it, you were inside the can. It wasn't long before my heart began to pound and I struggled to stay conscious. My mind raced trying to figure out what to do; it appeared I was on a stretch of the highway where there's not much of a shoulder so it didn't feel safe to pull over. At first it didn't seem safe to open the windows since the outside was probably where the smell came from, but thankfully I realized pretty quickly that there was no way it was going to clear from inside the car fast enough if I didn't.
The next couple of minutes were extremely harrowing as I fought to stay conscious, in my lane, and at the proper speed. And of course the windows being open were helping clear the air, but the noise was loud and distracting. Thankfully I left really early and had lots of time before class to relax in the car with the windows wide open, and then inside on a bench at one end of the pool. Figuring if something should happen it would be good for people to know why, I told the guy at the front desk about the incident as well as one of the lifeguards.
I half expected to see a road closure and cleanup crew or at least heavy traffic on the map after class, which would have been extremely impactful with so many other roads closed. No such thing, though. I clicked the air recirculation button before setting off and think that'll be the default state from now on. It makes sense anyway because it makes heating and cooling more efficient, so leaving it on and then turning it off when some fresh air is needed seems like the way to go.
Driving in the dark has been scary lately anyway. I even got these glasses.
Having that happen when I've already been so concerned about driving in the dark? Makes me wonder what other horrors might await. Glad I didn't plunge into any floodwaters.
I don't know what I drove by, but suddenly my car filled with a terrible chemical smell. If I had to compare it to something familiar, I'd say it was sort of like spray paint. But imagine if instead of smelling it, you were inside the can. It wasn't long before my heart began to pound and I struggled to stay conscious. My mind raced trying to figure out what to do; it appeared I was on a stretch of the highway where there's not much of a shoulder so it didn't feel safe to pull over. At first it didn't seem safe to open the windows since the outside was probably where the smell came from, but thankfully I realized pretty quickly that there was no way it was going to clear from inside the car fast enough if I didn't.
The next couple of minutes were extremely harrowing as I fought to stay conscious, in my lane, and at the proper speed. And of course the windows being open were helping clear the air, but the noise was loud and distracting. Thankfully I left really early and had lots of time before class to relax in the car with the windows wide open, and then inside on a bench at one end of the pool. Figuring if something should happen it would be good for people to know why, I told the guy at the front desk about the incident as well as one of the lifeguards.
I half expected to see a road closure and cleanup crew or at least heavy traffic on the map after class, which would have been extremely impactful with so many other roads closed. No such thing, though. I clicked the air recirculation button before setting off and think that'll be the default state from now on. It makes sense anyway because it makes heating and cooling more efficient, so leaving it on and then turning it off when some fresh air is needed seems like the way to go.
Driving in the dark has been scary lately anyway. I even got these glasses.
Having that happen when I've already been so concerned about driving in the dark? Makes me wonder what other horrors might await. Glad I didn't plunge into any floodwaters.
