An Unexpected Highway Ride

It was a quiet day, only the sound of passing tires and NPR News filled the car. My brother and I were being taken to school. It was Friday, my brother’s “Front day”, he got to sit shotgun. The Flu season had hit hard that year and many people were sick, including my father. Despite his sickness he drove us to school. I stared out the window looking at the sun struck clouds and birds that passed through the sky. I sat there daydreaming, while thinking about school. Suddenly with no warning, my father’s McMuffin seemed to slip from his hand and his head went limp. He had fallen unconscious and all that was left to control the car racing down the highway was My brother and I, two ,at the time, young and new to driving kids. At first, we tried to wake up my father but to no avail, his leg was resting on the acceleration pedal and something had to be done. I told my brother to grab the wheel, while I worked on lifting my father’s leg off the accelerator. We raced down the highway for what felt like hours, but in reality was only about a minute. We were able to maneuver the car, as to not hit anyone, and thankfully there was no morning traffic, so we did not have to hit the brakes. I don’t know what we would have done in that situation. My father eventually regained consciousness, and we pulled over at the nearest exit, which just happened to be his work’s exit. They had a medical facility there and he got checked in. It seemed his type 1 diabetes made him more prone to the bad symptoms of the flu. My grandparents were called, and we eventually did make it to school, although a little shaken.

This story would have ended differently if my brother had not taken drivers Ed. Even with his basic knowledge of a car, road rules, and minimum actual driving experience, we were able to safely maneuver a car together. We were checking our mirrors, blind spots and signaling when we were weaving through cars. Without those basic skills we would have had a horrific crash, endangering ourselves and others around us. I believe taking drivers education Is one of the best ways to lower the number of deaths out on the road. It teaches people how to communicate through car signals, safety distances, and how to deal with any situation that might arise. Before entering a car now, I always check the driver to see if they are okay. I never let anyone who is sick take the wheel anymore, and I warn others to do the same. Someone who is sick does not always have the best judgement, and it is up to you to make the call. You can either stop the person before the accident, or hope that you get as lucky as I did this one time.