I was driving earlier and went on auto-pilot

[GoddessOfGuinness]

I was taking my son to an art class, and my mind wandered. Next thing I knew I was driving on the freaking Beltway. I'd driven almost 5 miles before I realized that I needed to turn around.

Sheesh that's scary!

[Suich]

1. Same thing happened to me last month.

I was 2 exits past the one I wanted. My first thought was Alzheimers...is this how it starts? (Both parents had it.)

I hate when that happens!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. I hope not!

I think in my case it was a matter of having too much on my mind.

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Luckily your auto-pilot kept you ON the road

Has happened to me, too.

This last Xmas time was driving to my son's house. I KNOW where to stop and look because of a 4-way in his neighborhood that doesn't have stop signs. However, I just drove right on through the intersection. Lucky that intersection wasn't as busy as my daydreamin' mind at the time...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. I did that once at a very familiar intersection

and I realized I was going to run the sign just as I caught the eye of a woman who had stopped on the opposite side. I grimaced; and she gave me this look that said, "Don't sweat it...I know what it's like to be a mom too." :)

[deadparrot]

3. That happens to me a lot.

I've got a four-hour drive between home and school. When you put on a CD and add a fairly empty highway, you lose track of time and space pretty quickly.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. Especially late at night...

I used to regularly play a gig that was 90 minutes away. I started doing large grocery runs after rehearsals because the prices were so much lower and I could shop late at night in a safe neighborhood. I had to stop though, because I almost fell asleep on the road one night.

I guess I just got too old. ;-)

[huskerlaw]

7. I've done that

used to do it nearly every day after a full day of law school. I'd get in the car, start driving home and just kinda...end up at home. I attributed it to exhaustion and stress.

I haven't done that since I moved to LA though, thank goodness!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. Wow! I always thought LA was stress city!

I'm glad it's had a positive effect on you! :thumbsup:

[huskerlaw]

9. Well, it could happen at some point

but for now, the drive is still unfamiliar enough that I actually have to pay attention. I don't have LA-strength auto-pilot yet! ;)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. Sometimes traffic jams can snap you out of it too...

and I hear you've got some monstrous ones out there!

[huskerlaw]

15. That we do!

Although they're not THAT bad. Mostly it's common sense. The traffic is horrid during rush hours, and less horrid other times. ;)

[SeattleGirl]

11. Eeek! Thank God nothing more than going the wrong way happened

I'm done the auto-pilot thing too, and it's freakin' scary. Glad you're okay! :hug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Usually when It happens I'm headed in the right direction

but I'm surprised to realize that I've driven as far as I have. I can't recall being unaware of the traffic around me, at least...just my location.

[In_The_Wind]

12. It's a real mind blower when that happens!

And it happens to me more than I'd like to admit. :scared: I haven't needed to retrace my route but some of those miles aren't part of my memory.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. A couple of times

my auto-pilot went off and I had to really think about where I was, instead of just realizing, "Wow...I'm here already!"

[In_The_Wind]

24. Then there are days like today when I was wondering - am I there yet?

I like the "Wow...I'm here already!" better. :)

[LynzM]

16. I've done this a couple different ways....

The one Huskerlaw described, where you just sort of.... end up... at home, is pretty common, for me. I loose stretches of the drive to or from work. The other one is that in high school, I dated a guy who didn't have a license for about two years. I could drive to his house and back in my sleep, and if I wasn't careful, for a long time after that I'd wind up on my way to his house, even if I intended to go someplace else! LOL

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. I'm curious...

When this has happened to you, do you feel that you have been aware of the traffic around you at least?

Are we totally spacing out; or are we just suspended in the moment, instead of focusing on where we hope to be when we arrive at our destination?

[LynzM]

23. Aware of?

Not consciously, anyway. But I don't feel like I'm totally gone, or that my driving is poor, really. I've had no experiences of almost hitting anything or anything like that; nothing where I've been jarred back to reality. So I'm hoping it's just that my driving brain is now developed enough to function fairly well on auto-pilot, though I'll admit that it does scare me. For me, it usually happens while I'm thinking about something, like writing something in my head or thinking about something for work or planning something I need to do.

[Redstone]

17. We all do that. At least I do. I've lost as much as 100 miles.

Redstone

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. 100 miles!

Wow! See my post #19...
Perhaps you are a master of remaining in the present moment. :D

[YankeyMCC]

18. This would happen to me a lot

years ago when I was commuting to and from work. It hasn't happened to me in a very long time though. Nothing bad ever happened but it would still scare me. I'd pull into the driveway and not remember the second half of the commute.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

21. Was there usually a lot of traffic when you commuted?

[YankeyMCC]

22. It was mainly backroads

so normally not much.

[Kathleen04]

25. I do that too

it especially happens if I'm having a conversation with a passenger in the car..I get all distracted, next thing I know they're screaming "TURN!!" at me.