What's Your Most Out-Of-Depth Driving Experience?

Photo: Mona T. Brooks (Getty Images)

Have you ever overestimated the winter capabilities of your car after a huge snowstorm? Did you take your typical grocery-getter to get battered on a forest trail? Did you take your brand new Ford Mustang to a Cars and Coffee? We’ve all been there. We’ve gotten in a car and bitten off more than we can chew. Sometimes, you get lucky and escape unscathed. Other times, you’re hoping that you don’t have to empty your checking account to cover the repair bill.

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Today I’m asking when you were most out of your depth behind the wheel of a car. Most drivers gradually gain confidence as they spend more time out on the open road. However, no driver will ever be prepared for every single possibility. It doesn’t matter if you’re still on a learner’s permit or a professional racing driver.

A high-profile incident that comes to mind was when Charles Leclerc crashed Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari 312B3 Formula 1 car at the 2022 Monaco Historic Grand Prix. The 312B3 suffered a brake failure heading into Rascasse. The hometown driver had no time to react and became a passenger as the vintage Grand Prix car slid backwards into the barrier.

Leclerc, one of Ferrari’s current F1 drivers, is by no means a bad driver. He was just caught out by a mechanical failure on a car that he wasn’t familiar with. No shame here. More importantly, I want to know what was the worst spot you ever ended up in and how did it turn out.