Not a day goes by without a newspaper or TV story announcing a fatality and/or injury caused by distracted driving. It is heartbreaking to see innocent lives lost due to an action that is easily avoidable. I write this message because I am from a family grieving the loss of our 19 year old daughter Shreya who was fatally injured while riding as a passenger. The driver got distracted causing a crash killing Shreya on the spot. Although that episode occurred over five years ago, the wound it left is as fresh as it was on November 1, 2007. Our healing has been hampered by a non-ending stream of similar stories hitting us daily.
Many states have been passing strict texting/cell phone laws while behind the wheel. I want to expand the focus beyond testing and draw attention to the broader issue that underpins unsafe driving. Research has shown that a majority of crashes occur due to a driver action taken just 3 seconds before the impact. It is not an action but distraction that may not be attributable to a cell phone, like the Minnesota trucker who was while reaching down to retrieve an energy drink set off a chain-reaction crash killing two women and an unborn child. He ignored posted warning about a lane closure ahead. By the time he looked up, three lives were gone.
Driver distractions originate from both inside and outside of the car and cannot be managed by laws alone. I propose a broader grass roots level community driven path of education and awareness training starting with elementary school kids and reinforcing their behavior as they graduate to middle, junior and high school. We must engage our future drivers in their formative years by leveraging peer-to-peer networks. Initiate elementary school level good driver behavior education programs. These kids may even keep tabs on the elder drivers who claim ownership to a driver a license but are too distracted to drive with discipline.
Shreya R. Dixit Memorial Foundation invites those who have lost loved ones to distracted driving to join in this crusade for building a distraction-free driver community, one driver at a time.
Vijay B. Dixit, Chairman
Shreya R. Dixit Memorial Foundation
http://www.shreyadixit.org
501(c)-3 Non-Profit Organization
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