Two weeks ago, a woman driving home with five children from a vacation in the countryside wound up going the wrong way on a major highway, killing four of the children, herself, and three people in an SUV she hit head on. Autopsy results showed she was drunk and high, though she was supposedly a normal, responsible mother. Since it happened nearby and was not only tragic but also terrifying, it's been on a lot of New Yorker's minds in the past few weeks, especially as the local papers splash new, sordid details about the woman's alcoholism and her husband's deep denial across the front page.
But it was far from my mind last week as I was driving home with Eli. We were on a windy, two-lane road with dangerous curves and blind spots, but where I had driven hundreds of times without incident. We were quietly listening to the radio when all of the sudden, I rounded the curve and there, right in my lane, was an enormous white SUV, headed straight in my direction. Miraculously, I swerved at the last second, just inches from hitting the car. There was no shoulder, so I continued on, shaking, for a few more minutes before pulling over. A second of hesitation and we would have been crushed.
A few minutes later, we stumbled upon a makeshift set for "The Bounty," and were suddenly face to face with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. In my excitement, I pushed the incident from my mind and tried not to think about it, but it's still there hovering in the back.
Since I've been back in New York, I had a rude re-awakening as to how many bad drivers there are here, and how aggressive and obnoxious they can be (after living in Rio, I romanticized the driving conditions back at home). But I've never had anything that scary happen before on the road, even when I was first learning how to drive and could barely tell the brake from the gas pedal. I have no idea if the person was swerving to avoid hitting an animal, or if the driver was drunk or sleep deprived, but there is nothing worse that suddenly finding a person driving the wrong way in your lane, headed straight for you.
In other news, that's why I have mixed feelings about a popular new Twitter account in Rio, called Lei Seca RJ. By following the account, you can find out where there are police traffic stops in Rio to catch drunk drivers, since the new dry law prohibits drivers from having any alcohol in their system. Users send in dry law traffic stop locations so that other drivers can avoid them, and avoid getting caught. If you are discovered driving drunk, you face a heavy fine and lose your license for an entire year.
But you know what? There's a reason for drunk driving laws, and though Carioca culture is hard to change, this particular aspect is really for the better. Though I think the creators of LSRJ are using Twitter in a clever and innovative way, they're doing it for the wrong thing and helping perpetuate crime. Catching drunk drivers before it's too late saves lives. Just ask Roseann Guzzo.
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