I'm still hyperalert and scared right now...

So I dropped off a friend and drove home.

Traffic in SF is always a little crowded and from experience the left lane is usu the fastest. I was just minding my business driving in the left lane.
I have this habit (during busy traffic) of leaving a large gap b/t me and the car in front b/c I don't like braking then speeding up. (I don't understand why people if traffic jams drive so close to the car in front. You're not going to get there faster. If there is a space at least by the time your car uses up the large gap the traffic will most likely started moving again - however this is another thread).


to be continue...

 

So here I am going at 20mph (32kph for TJ) and, as usual, the left lane is moving faster. I didn't pay attention to the right 2 lanes which are stopped.

I started to speed up as I near a coming intersection...

(there is still a rather large gap in front of my car)....

 

(BTW my signal light was green - I have the right of way)

Oh, it was also in a poorly lighted area of town...

as I was about 10 feet from (going about 25mph) the intersection suddenly I saw a woman running across the designated walk way onto my lane...

By the time I realize this I'm half way through the walk way...

 

so the thing that prevented the accident was she saw me and stopped about 6 inches from my hood...

I didn't fully comprehend the situation until I had passed the intersection and looked at my rear view mirror...

(she was really late walking across the intersection when our lights turned green so she started running)...

 

that's why the right 2 lanes were stopped...

b/c she isn't quite at the left lane, traffic there started at the green light...

b/c of the large gap I left I was way back when the light turned green and I didn't see her....

 

Whew!!

That could have been very very bad...

(I'm still very awake right now)...

 

POOR NINH that must have been awfully scary! Sooooo glad nothing really bad happened! Just relax your gonna be ok!

 

OMG...I am very glad for you (and the pedestrian) that things turned out as they did. I know how scary that can be!

 

Thanks Brunt and G-girl.

I'm gonna try to go to sleep now...

 

g'night.