low_delta: (car)
About twelve to fourteen years ago, I drove a forklift. It was a sit-down type. It's controls were: gas pedal, brake pedal, steering wheel, two levers for the forks, and a lever on the steering column for forward and reverse. I'd be crusing around pretty good, gas/brake, forward/reverse, pick up a palette, spin around drop it, pick up another, stack it, drive into a trailer. Always in a hurry.

After work, I'd back my car out of my parking spot, put the car in "D", step on the gas, and find myself still moving backwards. It took me a few days to realize that I wasn't putting it in drive, but flipping the lever on the steering column, like on the forklift, expecting to change direction, when I'd really only flipped the turn signal on.

Sometimes, I did this out on the street, too. I'd pull up to a stop sign and flip the lever. I'd take off through the intersection wondering why my turn signal was on, when I was going straight. The strange thing was, I usually only did this at one particular intersection. Even stranger, I still do this there sometimes. I did it last week. I'm wondering how I got into this habit. I didn't drive through that intersection much until after the forklift job ended. And when I did it last week, I was going east through that intersection, and I don't recall doing that before. It's always when I'm going west.

What a strange thing.

Date: 2006-11-07 04:07 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] specificocean.livejournal.com
My car has a manual transmission. If I drive a car w/an automatic, I'll sometimes stomp on the LH side of the brake pedal to push in the 'clutch'...*lol*...

Date: 2006-11-07 01:28 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] specificocean.livejournal.com
I don't do that very often, fortunately....*lol*...

Date: 2006-11-07 12:28 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] roadskoller.livejournal.com
That's weird about that particular intersection, but Stan takes turns really wide in the car and will wait for a break in traffic big enough to get a truck started.
I've also seen him grabbing air while he looks for the stick shift that isn't there.

Date: 2006-11-07 02:48 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] low-delta.livejournal.com
I very often reach for the shift lever on the steering column in Cyn's car, even though it's on the floor. But her last car had it on the column, so that's not too surprising. And the two cars were very similar - unlike yours and a semi.

Date: 2006-11-07 03:30 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] vocalista001.livejournal.com
Funny how ingrained habits can be. It is really weird that that particular intersection brings the behavior out. hmmm.

Profile

low_delta: (Default)
low_delta

June 2025

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
151617 18192021
22232425262728
2930     

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 21st, 2025 03:51 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios