The story opens with Walter Mitty having a few difficulties with his driving.  His wife notices him speeding and admonishes him to slow down.  Moments later, he is distracted at a red light and fails to drive on when the light changes until a police officer prompts him to move.

Walter Mitty becomes so engrossed in one of his daydreams that while imagining himself heroically repairing an "anesthetizer" with a fountain pen and then stepping in to take over a complicated surgery, he is unable to correctly park his car in a parking lot.

Mitty also remembers attempting to remove the snow chains from the tires of his car.  He somehow managed to get them wrapped around the axle of his car, requiring a young mechanic to come and remove them.