A young woman has shared a wild story about the five words she used that saved her life when she was travelling in a car — with a drunk driver behind the wheel.
Sophia, from the US, made a now-viral video about a random conversation she had had as a kid which would later help her get out of a potentially deadly car ride.
“This conversation saved my life and I feel every teenager should be taught this,” she said.
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“My friend’s parents told me, ‘If you’re ever in the car with a drunk driver, tell them you need to throw up’.
“I was in sixth grade and thought, ‘When am I ever going to need to use this?’”
But last year, Sophia found herself in a terrifying situation when she shared a car with a drunk driver she had only met that night at an underground rave party.
”I was with my two close friends and two one of their friends who I hadn’t met before. Let’s call them ‘Mark’ and ‘Carly’,” she said.
After the group left the venue, Sophia realised they were all “pretty intoxicated” so she suggested booking an Uber.
“But one of them goes, ‘Let’s go to the beach’. I can’t pass up the beach so I was like, ‘Let’s go’,” she said.
“So Carly goes, ‘I can drive, I’m sober.’ I completely trust her… it’s not her car, it’s Mark’s car.
“We get into this car … we’re having the best time, we’re singing Nicki Minaj and we’re on the freeway.
“All of a sudden, Carly goes, ‘I love this song’. She cranks it up, we’re speeding at 2am on a freeway, there wasn’t too many cars around but still, there was (sic) cars and there was (sic) people in this car.
“We all look at each other.”
Sophia said she didn’t want to be “that backseat passenger” who came across as a party pooper.
“I look at her, and go, ‘Ha ha ha Carly let’s slow down a little bit’,” she said.
Carly slowed down and apologised to her.
“But then the next song comes on, she goes, ‘I love this song’. Turns it up… just the same cycle over and over again,” Sophia said.
The passenger said she began “sobering up really fast” as she pleaded with the driver to slow down or pull over.
“I start getting angry. I hold her shoulders and go, ‘Carly, slow this car down or you have to pull over, I’m giving you an option’,” she said.
“She laughs, and goes, ‘Oh don’t worry about it.’ Then she swerves the car.
“It’s a four to five lane freeway — we’re going from one side to the opposite side and then back again.
“My friend is texting her boyfriend that she loves him and we’re just in this death car.”
‘We’re going to die’
Mark, who was in the front passenger seat, told everyone not to worry because he trusted Carly with his life.
“I’m like, ‘I know you trust Carly, but I don’t know Carly. Slow the hell down or we’re going to die’,” Sophia said.
Things took a serious turn when Carly took her hand off the wheel.
“The car just starts swerving, and I grab her and I push her against the steering wheel,” Sophia said.
“I go, ‘Grab the steering wheel’ and she goes, ‘I’m just playing’…
“And in that moment I go, ‘I have to throw up’.”
Mark immediately turned around to look at Sophia.
“He goes to me, ‘You’re not going to throw up. No, no, no, not in this car, it’s my mum’s car’,” he said.
However, Sophia insisted: “I’m going to throw up. I’m going to throw up right now.”
“Mark goes, ‘Carly, pull the car over.’ She starts pulling the car over to the side. We get out of the car, I fake throwing up in a bush and then I call an Uber.”
Her video has been viewed more than 11.4 million times, with many thanking her for sharing the story.
“Wow this is actually such good advice,” one said.
Another shared: “I will absolutely give my kids this info.”
One added: “Brilliant and such good advice. I’m glad you got home safely.”
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