I'm often struck by how busy life can be at night when one is just putzing around behind the wheel.
Oh the things one can witness when the sun takes a slumber.
There's something about the solitude of a quiet country road that can get downright creepy.
Redditor Suspicious_Ad7948 wanted to discuss what happens when driving by the moon.
So they asked:
"When driving at night, what is the scariest/most unexplainable thing you've ever seen?"
I have seen it all in all sorts of places. I've been in a car at night in may different states, at many different times. And I wish I had kept a journal. Thankfully I always have a good soundtrack going. Something to help focus on the road and not the abnormalities around it.
Hey Deer
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Getting a feeling that I needed to turn my brights on in a dark spot in the middle of town... And there ended up being 4 deer just chilling in the road that I wouldn't have seen until I was much closer.
The "Biker"
About 25 years ago my sister and I were driving on a normally busy road, but it was late at night and was deserted. We could both see something flapping on the road up ahead. I asked her what it was and my sister said she didn't know but that it looked like a black garbage bag. I agreed, it really looked like a bag lying on the road being whipped lightly by the wind.
As we approached it completely changed shape. It went from being quite flat and small to morphing into a fully grown man on a bike. He was just standing there in the middle of the road with his bike. We pulled alongside and asked if he was ok. He nodded but didn't speak. We drove off.
We STILL talk about it because it was the strangest, creepiest thing ever and we both still can't explain what we saw.
Running Red
I was 19 driving home from my then bf house and stopped at a red light on the very edge of town (like city lights behind me but corn fields and shelter belts ahead of me) because it's like 2 in the morning I'm the only one sitting at the red light. I saw something moving in my peripherals and because of my location I thought it was gonna be a deer. I turned my head and locked eyes with a man maybe in his 50s creeping towards my car. When he saw that I saw him he froze and it was then then that I noticed he had a tire iron. I ran the red light and sped out of there.
People Share The 'Dirty Secrets' That Their Bosses Don't Want Customers To Know
There's a lot businesses hope their customers believe, and there are many business practices you wouldn't dare believe. These are some of the secrets Reddit ...Ghost Story
I was driving to work, chatting on the phone with my wife to pass the time (6-8 hour drive out to the base from our home) and ahead of me was somebody riding a motorcycle. The road we were on was generally straight (Mojave desert) but had some unpredictable curves because of the road loosely following a broad wash/lake bed (like we've discussed, Mojave's desert.) the person ahead of me was going between 70-90 MPH and seemed generally familiar With the road. But, then they just sailed straight over the edge of a 45 mph curve going about 80.
I made some reactive, disgusted sound, and hung up with my wife. I immediately pulled over, called 911 and put them in my pocket, got my trauma kit, and put on gloves. I was talking to the dispatcher and explaining what had happened when I step over the bank and see, to my surprise, not a crumpled body in the sage. But a young guy, mid twenties. Picking himself up off the ground about 75 feet ahead of me and 15 feet below.
He'd been launched from the motorcycle which was in terrible shape about 30 feet from him. I told him to stay still and went through a quick evaluation. He was basically fine, but super rattled (ended up Having a broken collar bone and a mild Concussion).
Anyway, it's not a ghost story. But I was absolutely certain I'd just seen a person die. And was completely shocked to find him in fine form if a little shaken up.
That Car...
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When I was 16 I had a junky convertible 1989 Capri. I loved that car. One night I was driving the backroads home out in the middle of nowhere Missouri. Top down, enjoying the night air.
I dove under some low hanging trees and heard a weird SLAP noise from the backseat. Turned around to see a huge black snake frantically slithering towards the safety of under my seat. I nearly wrecked. I hate snakes and even though this rat snake was 100% harmless I was panicked. Pulled over screaming and called my dad to come de-snake my car. I never road with the top down in the country again.
That's the worst part about driving in general, accidents and mayhem. It seems to be more prevalent at night. Sadly, the nighttime is when everyone seems to love to chance their odds with driving and imbibing. Not smart kids.
Night Shift
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I was working a night shift and rode a moped to work, the headlight was fairly dim but on the way home I saw what I can only describe as what looked like...
black pants, floating slowly just overhead but making a walking motion as they passed, I got a good look and I still cant make heads or tails of what it actually was and I sure wasn't going back to double check.
Thirty Years On
I once saw something late at night in the headlights on a dark country road which was sandy coloured, about the size of a small cat with about twenty feet of tail following it, running really quickly, real wtf stuff.
some thirty years pass, and then I find out on reddit what it was.
Someone posted a video of a pale rat with lots of smaller rats all holding onto each others tails and running like that.
"BIKES"
My mom told me this story. She was in the car with my sister who was driving and they were on their way back from some event. The street lights on this particular stretch of road weren't working very well and it was difficult to see. My sister is chatting away and my mom is watching the road when all of a sudden she sees in front of the car a bike rack, complete with bikes on it, that looked as if it had just dropped off the back of someone's car and they didn't notice. She screams "BIKES" at the top of her lungs, my sister swerves, over corrects, spins, and then comes to a stop on the other side of the road facing the opposite direction, miraculously avoiding all the cars that were going by.
A few cars stop to make sure they're okay. My sister looks at my mom and asks her how she even saw the bikes because she didn't see them until they were almost about to hit them. My mom said she saw them and it looked like they were illuminated by a gentle blue light, but they looked back and those bikes were just sitting in the darkness. Creepy.
MOOOOOOOOO!!!!
My brother and I were driving down a super remote road late at night many years ago. Wildlife was common so we drove slower than was posted. An accident could be fatal on this road. Anyway, it was a particularly dark night so we had the high beams on and were really concentrating on the journey.
We saw it at the same time. It was impossible to miss.
My brother hit the brakes and we skidded to a stop in front of the biggest freaking cow on earth. We could have driven under it with room to spare. It was massive. And it stared at us without seeming to see us. The vibe was so creepy. Other cows were around but they were regular sized. This guy was the king of all bovine.
It doesn't seem all that weird when telling the story but something was just off with this creature. It didn't seem quite... natural.
Just Gone...
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My mom tells this story about when she was young and her mom was driving home from shopping.
The car they were in broke down, and in the car behind them a guy gets out and offers to help and fix it there at the side of the road. Thing is, after they were done fixing the car (I think she says they ran out of oil or something like that) the guy, and his car, just disappeared. Gone. Nada.
Didn't see him get in the car and leave, just one moment he and his car where there, and then next they were gone. While the story isn't particularly scary, but my grandmother was petrified, and they drove quietly all the way home.
Road Monster
I haven't seen any comments mention it yet but I fully expect someone will.
If you see a deer on the road that... isn't quite right... in some way or another, it's probably chronic wasting disease. It's a form of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (prion disease) that often presents in ways like the deer is rotting while still alive.
This can mean a lot of things, like deer with weird postures, pieces falling off of them, etc. so in the dark at night it can look really freaky. Like a monster that is trying to look like a deer but didn't quite get it down.
I've heard several "I saw a monster on the side of this mountain road one night" stories that were almost certainly a deer with progressed chronic wasting disease. It's very sad but also quite fascinating, if it wouldn't gross you out to read about.
Coming at You Fast
Huge truck with no lights and all reflectors covered with mud, stalled in a shadowed patch of darkness totally blocking the right lane of a lonely country highway with no shoulders.
A wall of invisible steel waiting to kill some less observant motorist.
In Florida those invisible things are usually moving at ~45mph coming toward you because the old dumb fools in Florida don't know how to use headlights at 10pm. I wish I was making this up. But it's happened on at least 5 occasions in half as many months.
The Beast
A friend and I were driving down some gravel roads one night, aimlessly turning and trying to get lost and find our way back home out of boredom.
So we're driving down a long stretch and it's pitch black out, no houses or lights nearby just the gravel and fields around us. Suddenly I see a large, black mass running next to the car and keeping up with us. I scream and point, my friend screams and slams on the brakes.
We're both in sheer panic mode as this thing stops and turns around to run back at the car. I thought this was the end. Some paranormal creature was about to kill us... annnnd it was just a big, black, wild dog.
The relief and laughter that followed felt so good after being so freaking scared. The dog was huge to be fair but it keeping up with the car while we drove is what had me thinking it wasn't some normal animal we see out here.
Hoofed!
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I used to date this girl who lived in a house in the middle of the woods and her driveway was like a mile long single car road.
I was driving up it around midnight to go home and my drivers side window exploded and showered me with glass.
Turns out a deer had rammed into the driver side of my car. Completely destroyed that side and I had to get out of the passenger's side. I never even saw the deer, I assume it ran away but there was a perfect hoof print in one of the doors.
The Spot
I live on a backroad in the country, so when I need to head to town, I almost always end up having to pass by an Amish carriage. It's a common occurrence, and they're usually friendly and pull as much to the side as they can to let cars pass them by, but this one was going unbelievably slow.
So I came up behind them, checked to make sure it was clear, passed by, and I very vividly remember looking at them as I passed in my rear view, looking ahead to the road, and then looking back in my rear view to see that nothing was there. No horse, no carriage, no roads to turn on nor hills to cut off my sight. One second they were there, the next they just weren't.
Not sure if I'm going insane or if this belongs in a spooky subreddit, but I'm still a little creeped out by it everytime I drive by that spot.
Bullseye
Many years ago, my uncle was driving home from a night shift very early in the morning (it was still dark out). His driver's window shattered - except his was from being shot at. Some guy he fired waited on the side of the highway to shoot him on the way home.
Sleepwalker
I had just gotten back to the high school after a state dance competition. It was 2am and I'd been up since 4 that morning, so I was extremely tired. I only had to drive 7 miles from the school to my house, and it was a very rural area, so I figured I'd be fine, but I was exhausted. About 1 mile in, I started to see shadowy people walking on highway.
Scared the crap out of me.
The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed that morning. I went outside and found my car in the driveway, turned off but still in drive, with the keys in the ignition. I still don't know exactly how I got home. That said, I am known for sleepwalking. Yikes!
Midnight Dancer
It was in the dead of the winter and in the middle of night a girl was dancing around on the highway. I almost hit her because it was snowing but I managed swerve. So I got worried and turned around on the next ramp and when driving back she had just disappeared. I was probably just sleep deprived but it felt so real.
Cliffhanger
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A driver drove past me by my right side. I was driving in a single lane street next to a cliff on my right and a mountain (no road) to the left. I slammed my brakes and let it sit for some minutes before driving again.
To this day I'm not sure of what I saw.
Then I looked up.
This happened to me when I was 20 years old and my car was about a year and a half old. I was driving home from work at about midnight, coming through residential streets. The boulevard that I was on was four lanes with a cement divider that had plants in it along the way. I was halfway through an intersection, and my car stalled. My foot was on the gas, and suddenly the car was dead. Luckily, they were no other cars that I could see, so I brought my car to a stop, put it in park, and started it up with no problems.
Then I looked up.
Coming straight at me we're headlights. Someone had turned from a side street and instead of going across the median to turn left going down the correct side of the street, they had turned left into my lane thinking it was only a 2 Lane Road.
Had my car not stalled when it did, I would've plowed head first into that car. In the five years that I own that car, it never stalled again.
What have we learned? Don't drink and drive. Never talk to strangers by the roadside. Always be prepared. And always have a soundtrack to steady your nerves.
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.