At the Brink: A Seatbelt Story

At the Brink: A Seatbelt Story
By: Gauri Kaushik

“Shock” was the word that occurred to me when I tried to summarize being at the brink of danger; the terror almost stopped my heart that day. That memory was so fresh in my mind as it was only yesterday when it occurred.

It was a cold and fragile, January afternoon. It was about 3 o’clock and the sun was a few hours away from setting. My dad picked my sister and I up from school and we were heading of to our house in our sleek black car. I was only seven at that time, but that day I learned a very important safety lesson, always wear you’re seatbelt!

When I was young I always thought that it was pointless to wear a seatbelt. Seatbelts were the annoying and strappy barriers that kept me from wriggling in my seat. They had always been the negative point of a wonderful drive. But, that day I realized what an important part it played in road safety.

“Put you’re seatbelt on!” Commanded my father as he started the silent engine.

I felt a diminutive jerk and I knew the car had started. The low rumble of the car’s engine was starting to diminish as I shifted closer to the door peering down at the vacant and ice sheeted roads of Baku, Azerbaijan. My heart skipped a beat as I felt the car jerk to the left. The blood pounded in my eyes, and temporarily, all I heard was my heart beating thunderously. Suddenly, everything came back in slow motion. The only sound that I could discern was my sister yelling her lungs out, my dad trying to control the car. I felt my body yanked from my seat from the momentum of the car, as my body crashed against the front. The car stopped abruptly! The car front was inches away from an electricity pole.

“Everything is alright” I comforted myself softly under my breath when I realized nothing had happened.

We were miles away from our house. The car wheel was stuck in the deep snow. The only thing that could drive us back was broken. We were officially stranded. 20 minutes had somehow passed; my dad was trying to fix the tire with no outcome. Soon, mom would be calling. Suddenly out of the blue two men came running in our direction. Although we could not speak Azeri, the men helped my dad pick the car’s wheel from the deep snow. The chilly wind was howling in my ears. Finally, on the third attempt, the wheel came out. My dad, my sister and I were shortly heading home.