I have not had brakes go out on me for many years, and hope it never ever happens again.
It is one of the scariest things that can happen with a mechanical malfunction, or, at least that is how I feel about it. I have had an angel looking out for me on the occasions that the brakes did go out, and it seriously made me reconsider speed when I was driving after that happened.
Way back when my kids were little, we had an old 1959 Pontiac Catalina station wagon. That wagon was built for power and speed, and it would easily pass 100 mph on the speedometer if I wasn't paying close attention. ( and even when I was paying attention. That old wagon was just plain FUN to drive ! )
This particular day, I had my kids in the back seat, and we were hurrying to Sandpoint from Bonners Ferry (about a 35 mile drive. ).
I was pushing close to at least 80 most of the way (and we were all happily singing songs together as we sped along).
When I got to Sandpoint, I decided to take the back road into town, for some unknown reason, and turned off of the highway before I got to town.
As I was doing that , and pulling up to the stop sign at Boyer to make a left turn, the brakes went out just as I got to the intersection of the two county roads !
Thank goodness, I was almost stopped, and we just slowly cruised through the intersection and gradually stopped since it was a flat gravel road.
When I could actually breathe again, we walked to a house nearby and called for help . (That's what people did before cell phones)
After that experience, I realized just how much I had jeopardized my children's lives by driving that irresponsibly; and how easily we could have all been dead if the brakes had gone out on one of the sharp corners that I had careened around on my trip down the highway.
I said a thankful prayer to God for looking after us, and made a promise to drive at a safe speed from then on.
When I got to Sandpoint, I decided to take the back road into town, for some unknown reason, and turned off of the highway before I got to town.
As I was doing that , and pulling up to the stop sign at Boyer to make a left turn, the brakes went out just as I got to the intersection of the two county roads !
Thank goodness, I was almost stopped, and we just slowly cruised through the intersection and gradually stopped since it was a flat gravel road.
When I could actually breathe again, we walked to a house nearby and called for help . (That's what people did before cell phones)
After that experience, I realized just how much I had jeopardized my children's lives by driving that irresponsibly; and how easily we could have all been dead if the brakes had gone out on one of the sharp corners that I had careened around on my trip down the highway.
I said a thankful prayer to God for looking after us, and made a promise to drive at a safe speed from then on.
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