He had been following the SUV for twenty minutes now. The vehicle drove down the interstate highway. Its driver uneasily swerved as they overtook other cars.
Was the driver sick or under the influence? Knowing he needed to stop them, he turned on his siren and stepped on the gas. He couldn’t believe what he had found.
Marcus Solomons had been a state trooper for the last decade and a half. He knew the ins and outs of the Utah highway system and enjoyed helping folks as they drove to their destinations.
Marcus had seen almost everything the highway had to offer. He’d been in car chases before, but nothing would ever top what happened to him that morning.
For Marcus, a typical day as a state trooper involved patrolling the interstate highway in Utah. Marcus loved his job. Every morning, he would wake up stocked for the adventures that waited for him on the road.
Even though he didn’t know it, what would happen that day would forever change his perspective on being a trooper.
That day began as every other did, with a cup of coffee and a drive down to the station. After a bit of housekeeping and paperwork, Marcus hopped into his cruiser.
The Interstate 15 (I-15) was part of his route that day. Marcus could feel it call to him. He kicked his cruiser into gear and slid out of the driveway. He had no clue what he was driving into.
Patrolling the interstate was usually a calm endeavor. Yet today, Marcus felt like something big was about to happen.
He was cruising down the almost clear highway when an SUV swerved ahead of him. The vehicle lumbered down the road unsteadily. What’s this? Marcus wondered. Something wasn’t right.
Marcus had driven along this highway for two decades. He had seen a lot, but not what he was looking at now.
The SUV before him jerked forward. Its driver steadied it. The vehicle wobbled on the road as it overtook a pickup truck. But that’s not what struck the state trooper as odd.
Marcus could’ve sworn he’d seen no one on the driver’s seat. He wiped his eyes. Was he in some prank, or were his eyes playing tricks on him?
He flicked his turn signal and overtook the pickup truck, steadying his cruiser behind the SUV. Marcus craned his neck, trying to better look at the SUV’s driver. What he saw almost made him veer off the road.
There were many stories about ghosts plaguing highways all over America. Marcus grew up with some of those stories.
The idea of a driverless car wasn’t new to him. Cars driving themselves didn’t cripple his spine with chilling fear. But this vehicle made his blood cuddle and his forehead run wet with sweat.
Marcus tried to rationalize the situation. There was an SUV before him with no visible driver. It was overtaking other cars but barely keeping to the road.
It might be one of those electric self-driving cars. Marcus had seen some in the city, and they were a better pick than ghosts. He had to stop the vehicle.
Thirty minutes had already passed since Marcus started pursuing the SUV. He needed to stop it now. As he accelerated toward the car, a thought hit him.
Maybe the vehicle had a driver, but they were sick and needed medical help. Marcus assisted many travelers on this road daily. If this driver needed help, he’d willingly offer it.
Marcus turned on his siren, hoping the phantom or driver inside the SUV abided by road laws. The vehicle shook. As it settled back on the road, Marcus finally caught a glimpse of the driver’s seat.
A person was driving the car. Marcus laughed at himself. Ghost driver, what was he thinking? But as he got a closer look, his smile faded.
A child stood behind the wheel, barely looking over the dashboard. Marcus blinked severally, his jaw slacking. A ghost driver would’ve made more sense than this.
“Pull over,” he spoke into his PA system. He’d have to be gentle as traffic was picking up around them. Spooking the child might’ve resulted in countless accidents.
As gently as he could, Marcus drove alongside the SUV. He cracked open his window and smiled at the kid, urging him to pull over.
The child nodded, returning Marcus’ smile with a nervous one. “It’s alright,” Marcus said over the window. “Just stop the vehicle, son.” He was not ready for what the child did next.
The kid, who couldn’t have been over six, slowed the SUV and pulled it to the side. Marcus couldn’t believe it.
He rushed out of his cruiser with a first aid kit. Where were this child’s parents, why was he on the road, and where did he learn to drive at such a young age?
Marcus took the kid and called the station. He explained the situation, and the department contacted the child’s parents.
As they drove back to the station, Marcus asked the boy something that had been gnawing at his mind. “Where were you going and why?” “My mom wouldn’t buy me a Lamborghini, so I was going to California to buy one,” the boy shrugged. “Look,” he fished three dollars out of his pocket, “I even have the money.”
It’s a good thing to teach children how to drive at a young age, but, parents please don’t let your kids drive alone on the highway.