A Mourning Mom

Please Help Save Lives

Jake and Sawyer’s short lives have taught me many tough lessons.  One, which I already “knew” (but now know with much greater depth and understanding) is how terrible losing a loved one really is, whether it is a child, a parent, a spouse, a grandparent, or anyone who you are close to.  That loss and the grief that comes with it is so powerful and completely life-altering.

A family that I hold dear to my heart experienced an untimely loss of a beloved son, husband, brother and uncle, a man who always showed kindness not just to me and my family, but to everyone he encountered in his own community and in his job as doctor.   His death was so preventable and such an unnecessary tragedy — he was riding his bicycle with a riding group (he was an avid and well-trained rider), when a driver hit him from behind.  The driver was distracted by his cellphone.

We all get distracted by our phones and other devices, but there is no reason for driving while distracted.  Whatever that driver was doing could have waited — or if it was so important, he should have pulled over and handled it.  But when you are driving, you put yourself and everyone around at risk if you do not pay full attention to the road and your driving.

If you are ever asked to “please help save lives,” you are likely to think, “of course, but how?” Well, the family of that wonderful man, and particularly his wife, are trying to make sure that no other family suffers a loss such as they have, and it creates a simple way for you to truly help save lives.  In Georgia, legislation has been proposed to help prevent distracted driving.  House Bill 673 sets up commonsense provisions and rules, and penalties that hopefully would make anyone think twice before allowing themselves to become distracted by their phone or other device while driving.  They are pushing hard to see the legislation become law, and have gotten plenty of local media coverage to try to convince everyone to support this bill.

I am on board and I have contacted my elected officials to tell them to please help save lives — please pass HB 673.  If you are in Georgia, I hope you will contact your legislators in the state house and senate and tell them you support this bill too.  You can Find your Legislator at this link.  And if you live elsewhere, contact your elected officials and tell them they should be doing more to put a stop to distracted driving too.  We have already lost far too many wonderful children, parents, spouses and loved ones to distracted driving.  We can all help save others from knowing what I, and so many others, already know all too well.