Something happened to me near the A1(M) last Thursday night and I can't explain it

Right, I'm going to sound absolutely mental but I need to get this down somewhere because my mates at work think I've lost it. Last Thursday around 23:45, I was driving back from Leeds to Nottingham on the A1(M), just past the Darlington junction. Clear night, good visibility, barely any traffic.

About five minutes, I notice this light above the motorway. Not a helicopter - I know what helicopters look like. This thing was stationary in the sky, and it was bright. Like nothing I've ever seen. Then it just... accelerated. Straight up. No sound. My car's dashboard went mental for about thirty seconds - radio cutting out, speedo flickering - then everything went back to normal.

I lost about forty minutes somehow. One minute it was 23:50, next time I looked it was 00:30. I don't remember stopping, I don't remember anything. My petrol gauge went from three-quarters full to half full. That distance should've barely used anything.

Has anyone else had their vehicle affected like this? I've been too embarrassed to file a report anywhere official.

Mate, this is classic missing time scenario. You need to get yourself checked out by a proper ufologist, not the NHS. There's a researcher in Durham who specializes in A-road abductions - I can dig up their contact if you want. Don't let this fester in your head.

I lost about forty minutes somehow.

Could it have been ball lightning? The dashboard interference is interesting though - that's unusual for natural phenomena. Have you checked your car over since? Sometimes there are marks or burns inside the vehicle. Also, did you feel any unusual sensations on your body?

This is brilliant. Genuine question though - were you tired? Because the A1(M) at that time of night is hypnotic as hell and your brain can basically autopilot for hours. The 'missing time' could just be dissociation. The light could've been anything. The dashboard glitching is just dodgy British electrics. I'm not trying to be rude, but Occam's Razor and all that.

I believe you. This happened to my uncle near the M6 in 2009. He got very ill afterwards - nothing serious, but strange skin rashes. Might be worth keeping a diary of how you feel over the next two weeks. The electromagnetic exposure can cause minor physical effects.