Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. You are now behind the wheel of a multi-ton vehicle that can change the lives of those on the road with you forever. One high school senior learned this lesson the hard way when she hit my car while driving distracted by her phone. January 28th, 2016, started as any other day for my kids and me. We were on our way to my parent’s house; they were babysitting for me while I worked that day. I drove the same route that I drove every day while my 5-year-old twins played with toys in their car seats. I was traveling through a large intersection when everything suddenly stopped. At that moment, I was not aware of the circumstances, but our vehicle had been hit by another car. The impact sent our vehicle spinning, finally coming to a stop but facing a completely different direction, on a different street. In the movies after an accident, they show everything in slow motion, sounds are muffled and everything is distorted. This is a true depiction of what I experienced in the minutes following the hit. I remember smoke billowing from the engine of my vehicle. I could hear my twins screaming and crying and I tried to figure out what had just happened. I managed to get out of my driver’s seat almost falling to the ground from pain in my abdomen. I was determined to get my kids out of this car that was now smoking heavily. An off-duty firefighter came over and helped me remove my twins, car seats and all. My daughter had blood dripping down her face and my son was crying hysterically. A witness had called 911 and an ambulance and police were on the scene before I even knew what had happened. I just remember looking at my car realizing that we were facing an entirely different direction and on the cross street of the intersection we were traveling through. We were taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital for treatment. I am grateful that we only had minor injuries: facial cuts, abdominal bruises, and back pain. Emergency personnel from the scene had informed my dad that it was due to the type of vehicle we were in that we survived the accident. They praised me for correctly securing my twins in their car seats and ensuring they were not wearing coats, which allowed them to be properly fastened to the seats.
In the days following the accident while we all recovered physically, I found out what happened that day. The accident happened because a teenager was on their phone while waiting to turn left across the intersection. Witnesses reported the teen glanced up from the phone slammed the gas to get through the light. We later found out that the teenager looked up and noticed the light had changed to yellow, so they proceeded to turn. Never once did they look to see that my car was in the middle of the intersection under the traffic light that had changed while we were still going through the intersection.
Thankfully the teenager did not suffer any major physical damage either but both cars were totaled and the cost of the accident for me financially was much worse as I lost work hours, had to replace car seats and tablets that my kids had in the car and had to find a new vehicle which was a challenge as a single mother already working three jobs to pay bills.
Distracted driving remains one of the leading causes of auto accidents to this day. Even with upgrades to technology that allow a vehicle to read texts and speak to respond to messages, people still drive with their phone in front of their face. Since the accident, I have frequently had to avoid collisions due to distracted drivers. I always drive with an elevated level of anxiety since the accident. I have looked through windows to see people scrolling through social media while driving or even playing games on their phones.
Education on the consequences of distracted driving should continue to be provided to teenagers just learning to drive and to adults who have forgotten how quickly an accident can happen when you are not paying attention.
I believe that one of the most important things we can do to encourage safe driving is to remind people to put down the phone while driving. Billboards, ads on car radios, videos on social media sites and TV commercials are all ways to encourage better driving behavior. Putting information on being a non-distracted driver in front of as many people is the key to improving safety for all.
My twins are now almost fourteen and close to learning how to drive. I always make sure to put my phone away in the car. I will store it in my bag or the center console, ensuring it is not easily accessible while I am driving. When I am with friends if they pick up the phone while they are driving, I always remind them to put it down for the safety of everyone in and around the vehicle.
I share my story with everyone I know, every teenager, friend, family member, co-worker in the hope that it might save someone from making a life altering decision they can never take back.