Was it Close Enough?

Fog crawled the length of each mirror with the cold breeze of the cooling fall temperature. I turned my head to glance at the driver, my brother. His finger strummed along the wheel in the tempo of whatever song sung in the background. He sighed heavily, gripping the wheel as the car ahead stopped to signal left. In a quick moment he glanced at the rearview mirror and turned to the right. With the jerk of the car we railed past.

Was it close enough? I remember the cold dripping into my blood just as we passed that car. The honks behind mumbled the further we drove. Gripping the bag I glanced at the time, 8:26. My brother saw the clock as well and turned his head towards me before reassuring,

“Don’t worry, we’ll get there on time.” I wasn’t reassured. I just remember thinking in my head for him to keep his eyes on the road. Why didn’t you look over your shoulder? Why don’t you look at the road? If only I was in that seat. My test for my license was just in a month, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But I fell silent. Some sort of techno piano thrummed. There was a singer, words spoken too fast I couldn’t quite recall its rhythm. 8:28. Glancing at my brother once again I noticed the diverted expression he had. With little care for the road, he sang a faster tune. His body bouncing together with the squeaks and hops of the vehicle as he pressed on the volume button vigitantly. The base shook my skin, vibrating throughout my entire body. A shiver shook as I opened the window, suffocating from the smell and feeling of nausea. I couldn’t tell if he noticed my uneasiness or not. He kept singing.

He swerved to the left. Turning onto a quiet little street that lengthed for about a mile and a half. The road was smooth and the signs everywhere stated 25mph maximum.

“Where are we going?” I asked. This was more of a leisure road than a quick route to our school.

“I’m teaching you a shortcut” He replied. Arrogance was lingering in each word of his response. My own driving instructor told me to be confident but not cocky. He told me to play the offensive defense game when driving. I scoffed at my brother.

“You don’t know it, but nobody goes on this road so we can go a bit faster.” is what he said shortly before pressing slightly harder on the gas. That mere 25mph drowned out from his perception. The arrow in the dashboard now points to 45. That uneasy feeling grew but he didn’t notice. Rather, his eyes met mine and he asked

“Do you like rap?” I shook my head looking down at my bag in my lap before replying.

“Not really” He smiled and grabbed the phone down by the cup holder.

“Neither do I” I could care less for the music. I just looked ahead. We were moving quite fast. It might have been a common occurrence to move faster with the assumption that nobody was there. To be distracted because nobody will see you. But this was close enough. A black car just ahead sharply skipped a sign. How close was it gonna get? How close were we? Was it close enough? I shouted,

“A-anthony! Anthony!!” He sharply looked up and gripped the wheel quickly stepping onto the brake. I felt the car shift from side to side in an effort to stop.

“That was close.” Is all he responded with. The music stopped. The honking blared louder than my heartbeat. Inches, we were just 3 inches from the car. I was furious. Was it close enough? When would it be too close? How close of an incident does it have to be to matter?

Unfortunately, I still ask these questions as this event only occurred just short of a few weeks ago. I remember my younger brother sat in that seat just behind me. I can only imagine what would have happened to them if I didn’t say anything, if my brother stayed off of his phone. It doesn’t matter how close an incident is from a crash. Do not text and drive. That one text, phone call or song that needs immediate attendance is entirely not as important as a potential life. It is incredibly important to understand the vocabulary of the laws for driving. These can be taught or understood by just reading the state of Minnesota drivers ed log. It is important to educate yourself on the rules of the road to understand how your actions and the actions of others affect each other. It is incredibly crucial to recognize that nobody is a perfect driver.

This experience has shown me how important it is to pay attention. Nothing else matters than the road around you when you take responsibility for the wheel. I learned to never look away from the road unless under emergency situations. It’s just not worth it. When would it be too close for you? That experience with my brother was cutting it too close. I always look over my shoulder. Constantly look at the mirrors and I force myself to be an attentive driver. I don’t drive for myself. I almost always have someone else with me and it is because of that in which I push to always be alert. By being patient and focusing on the situations around me. I can help create a safer road for everyone just by paying a little more attention.

By acknowledging that there are no perfect drivers you become more aware and focused on not only your driving but also predicting what others may do. You can be able to avoid and prevent accidents just by being an observant driver. Educate yourself and practice. Become confident in your own actions but not in anybody else. It is safer to assume that nobody knows how to drive except for you. That way you are hyper attentive to the events happening around you.

A simple action that can be taken to reduce the death related car incidents is to put an emphasis on distracted driving and its leading casualties. More than 30,000 people die every year due to distracted driving. This includes texting and driving. Distracted driving not only compromises the safety of those around you but also your own life and whoever may be in the vehicle with you. Stay off your phone and pay attention to everything outside of your vehicle. It doesn’t matter if a rumor is spreading about you or if your crush likes you back. Is it worth it endangering the very lives around you? Could you live with that life in your hands?

Thank you for taking your time to read.