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@DickBarton
The most frightening moment I ever had on a bike was when negotiating a busy roundabout with barriers (thus no escape route), in the dark, in the rain, in the rush hour and my handlebar stem came loose.
The bars suddenly turned about 30 degrees to the left and I had the terrifying experience of cycling while turning with the handlebars pointing away from the direction of turn. Should I try to turn them back? Obviously not. Should I try to brake? Risky, given that this would put forces and weight through the front wheel which could throw me off line with no way for me to control the direction of travel (due to the loose handlebar stem). I also had cars, trucks, etc. all around me, making it doubly unwise to brake.
Somehow I managed to straighten the bike towards an exit road and, with my hands and bars still pointing towards the kerb with me going straight along the road, I gently applied the brakes and stopped - still upright! Thinking back to it, I can't remember how on earth I got my feet out of the pedals and straps as it would have involved taking a hand off the bars, but I must have done somehow.
That was a seriously scary experience and if I could have afforded it at the time several beers might have helped to calm me down.
Anyway, the point of this tale, apart from it being cathartic to recount it, is to suggest you do a full spanner check* on the bike to ensure that nothing has come loose.