There's plenty of embarrassing things you can do in a car — let loose a stream of weird racist vitriol, staring into someone's eyes while methodically soiling your pants — but what's the most embarrassing driving mistake you can make?
There's many, many driving mistakes you can make, and while many are slightly embarrassing, things like missing the apex of a turn at least imply you know to look for an apex at all. So that can't be truly embarrassing.
To be truly embarrassing, I think you need that right mix of false confidence and a really stupid mistake. That's why I always liked the "I forgot I was in reverse" mistake.
When done perfectly, the driver will have been attempting to show off, somehow, usually by whipping out of a parking space dramatically, noisily, and rapidly. Then, in all the excitement and mind-clouding joy that comes with reversing rapidly, the mistake happens.
And it's subtle— it's a small act that doesn't happen, that shift to drive. This almost never happens with a manual driver, who's shifting actions become muscle memory, but for that rarely-touched automatic gear lever, it's possible. What really makes this work is a determined look forward, and a dramatic stomp on the gas.
The unexpected backwards lurch and subsequent panicked braking eliminate any confidence or bravado from the driver, and I've never seen this happen without everyone else in the car laughing their ass off.
So what do you lot think? I'm sure you've seen even more embarrassing stuff — tell us some good stories I can later repeat as my own!
What's The Most Embarrassing Mistake You Can Make While Driving?