My first crash: Tracey Cox

I got a sports car when I was 20 — a Nissan Exa Turbo, the first turbo passenger car on the market in Australia. You could just floor it.

I was driving along a residential street — a bit too fast, as I recall — when somebody came out from a side street without looking.

There was a massive crunch and I spun out of control into the middle of the road. I was thrown forward and the cigarette I was holding came out of my hand. I remember thinking, “Where has it gone?” because I didn’t want to start a fire. I think the impact put it out.

I was wearing a seatbelt and I got a black belt-shaped bruise across my shoulder and chest. A lady came running out of her house screaming, “Oh my God, are you all right?” The car was a crumpled mess. I went stomping over to the other driver to complain. She hadn’t been hurt, but kept saying, “I’m disabled, I’m disabled”, which meant I couldn’t even shout at her.