A near-miss on the 101 Freeway early this afternoon left me hugely impressed with my driving skills. I was next to the farthest left lane, speeding along at 75 or so when a young Asian-American woman in a white Honda SUV turned sharply left without a signal. She was just a few feet ahead. I’m sure I was in her blind spot. This is why they tell you to quickly look over your left shoulder before changing lanes.

I was breaking the law myself by talking on my cell phone, holding it to my right ear with my right hand. And I was concentrating on expressing a complicated thought when it happened so I wasn’t really paying attention. But the same instant that SUV lady barged into my lane, I veered to the left less than a split-second later, and a collision was barely avoided. “God, I’m good!,” I said to myself five or ten seconds later. Thank fortune there was no one in the far left lane in my blind spot.

SUV Lady obviously saw that she almost hit me and retreated to the middle lane, but then veered left again three seconds later and passed some other guy, and then went back to the middle.

A minute or so later I drove alongside her vehicle to check her out and see if she was loony-looking or whatever. She was young and fairly attractive and not on her cell phone, and not looking or even glancing my way. Or she saw me coming and figured, “Okay, here comes that guy I almost hit….I’m just gonna stare straight ahead and pretend he’s not there.” I eyeballed her all the same, made her think about it. I just saved you and me a heap of trouble, Miss Saigon. Drive a little more carefully next time.