SLO-MO

A somewhat bizarre phenomenon has occasionally been reported by people who are subjected to sudden and hugely stressful experiences. Motor accidents, bombings and combat contact are known to precipitate what appears to be an extremely heightened state of consciousness – a level of alertness to deal with physical threats in which the brain interprets events as taking place in slow motion. Attention to detail appears to become elevated and the events imprint themselves in the recesses of memory with absolute clarity and a precise record of the circumstances, and physical phenomena remains embedded in the psyche. Time seems to expand commensurate with the level of “angst” experienced. Subjects report being conscious of more details of what is happening around them – the sounds, what they see and what they feel. 

An event such as that described above, occurred on Sunday evening, 31 August 1986, at the intersection of Union and Smith Streets, Dundee, Northern Natal (SA). Just after dusk on that evening vehicles stopped at the traffic intersection as they waited patiently for oncoming traffic to exercise their right of way. A few drivers were lined up, waiting to turn right into Smith Street, in this small town that in the 1980s had low traffic volumes even at peak times. It was, however, not the typical “one horse town” in which due care could safely be dispensed with. Drivers, in the main, were considerate and exercised care in what was essentially a law abiding community with low volumes of crime and public nuisance. But, even in a small town, you always get one!

The driver whose personal experience is described in this piece, was at the wheel of a much loved twenty year old (spare) vehicle. It had been maintained meticulously and was owned with much pride as a slightly old, yet potentially classic model. A white Ford Cortina, Mark 1, Super 1500, this fine old “girl” with all its quirks was quite precious and treated with care and respect for its part in motor engineering. Its engine in mint condition – valves and rings just recently replaced – this fine exemplar would have graced the roads for many years to come. Easy for an amateur backyard mechanic to work on, it was a dream car for enthusiasts who knew how to deal with its odd niggles. The wiring of its ignition and the loom could knock the confidence of any mechanic not aware that its grounding was “positive to earth” – just the opposite of the bulk of the automotive world. Thinking he (or she) has tuned it to perfection, it would suddenly jerk and sputter as the engine revolutions increased. Unbeknownst to most tinkerers they would usually have swopped the wiring of the coil. Much embarrassment would follow when the “fix” was pointed out as two tiny wires  mis-attached.

Apart from the deep respect this driver had for a well engineered exemplar of the 1960s, it was special because of its history as a family sedan. The salesman, a Mr Ferby at Grosvenor Ford, Durban, who handed over the keys of a spanking new Cortina, specially ordered because it was the first model produced with a bench seat in front, and high regard for its beautiful lines accentuated with well placed chrome hubcaps, bumpers and beading – had no idea that this vehicle would become a well loved member of the family who purchased it for R1850. The log book (noted on its first day out of the showroom, Thursday, 13 October 1966) reminds one of the cost of things and how this has increased exponentially over the years. In those days before runaway inflation and the bite of sanctions, its first full tank of premium petrol cost a mere R2:66 (for 8 gallons / about 36 litres in modern nomenclature). It was kept in original “stock” condition for all of 20 years – even the obsolete cross-ply tyres had to be hunted down to preserve authenticity.

In 1986, at that intersection, as the driver waited behind other vehicles to turn right, a Toyota Dyna 10 ton truck appeared in the distance in the rear view mirror. It is also a physical phenomenon that the larger the vehicle, the slower it appears to be approaching. This Dyna truck, though, was clearly approaching from behind at a rate of knots that presaged disaster. As it filled an ever greater space in the field of vision, it appeared to move slower than was actually the case. However, the impending crash was a foregone conclusion in the mind of the driver whose two passengers were blissfully unaware of the collision about to happen. The erratic appearance of the oncoming object seemed to be hurtling along under the tenuous control of an inebriated driver. There was no hint of an attempt being made to slow down in reality rather than perception. Braking seemed less of a certainty as the distance closed. The driver of the old Cortina’s perception of events at that point began to slow down relative to the brief time lapse which must have been traversed.

At the moment of impact heightened awareness kicked in. Anticipation of the unplanned event as well as its unfolding resembled the action replay on sport broadcasts by television stations, or the apparent slowing down of a cinematic film scene. Between the moment of impact and the old Cortina having been lifted, spun around and deposited on the opposing sidewalk, must have been a few seconds. Nevertheless, embedded in memory is an accident that appeared to unfold over a period of several minutes. The impact jolted the occupants backwards in a violent whiplash motion. The rear occupant flopped around the vehicle like a rag doll – 1960s cars not being equipped with safety belts in the rear passenger area. The driver vividly recalls the slow forward motion that smashed his nose against the steering wheel, and out of the side field of vision the front passenger’s contortion as the safety belt crushed his ribs and caused him to wince. The car took what seemed many minutes to spin around, having lost all contact with the road. The rear passenger, in the driver’s awareness, smashed the cranium against the bench seat  and was likely to have at the very least suffered a concussion – or worse. Those were the days before air bags and soft landings. The old car came to rest on the pavement, gouging out the neatly tended grass verge that had been immaculately trimmed by the resident of the corner property. All in the Cortina were at that point facing in the opposite direction. The Dyna truck had, after the impact, careered onto the Union Street verge. 

Apart from the commotion that followed – a tow truck arriving apparently at the moment of impact (as they usually do), police apprehending the truck driver and taking him for an obligatory blood test (his state of inebriation being fairly obvious from breath that smelled like a canteen and him staggering listlessly about) … That unfolding of events took place in real time in perception and memory. The juxtaposition of opposite perceptions of time lapse became evident immediately. The recall of the collision in minute detail and precise and vivid note taken of every physical object, person, movement, even many years later, is an astonishing piece of anecdotal evidence of the wonders of the human mind. How it deals with trauma, danger and threat, is one of the mysteries of our existence.

Having pondered about this experience, perception and intense and accurate recall, other events have come to mind that also became deeply embedded in the deep recesses of the brain. The wonder of the matter that occupies our cranium is simply astounding. Everything our bodies do are focused on maintaining the viability of lif3

e in that gelatinous powerhouse that alters its own state of function to preserve life. 

In our contemplation of this strange observation one is reminded of the words: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” What indeed is man? Wherein lies the essence of our lives? Is our consciousness relative? Can time and space can be distorted as described, and to what extent do our perceptions frame our existence? Time and space stretch and contract in our cognition as we experience happiness, joy, fear, boredom … 

Consciousness? Our minds? Our very souls? Only man amongst beings on this earth, is able to contemplate these issues.

There is little in this world that concentrates the mind like a brush with awareness of our own mortality.