Moms keep your eyes on the road, Teens aren't the only Distracted Drivers

I typically spend the later part of my Tuesday afternoons at a track meet watching my oldest son compete.  I really enjoy watching that kid sprint.  However this rainy Spring has washed quite a few out.  Last week he didn't complain too much, he had just gotten his driver's license that morning so instead he met friends for an early dinner.  However, it was a disappointment to all of us when they canceled his third meet in a row this past Tuesday.  This week the plan to drive his girlfriend to a friend's and return to workout.

The call came Tuesday afternoon a mere 5 minutes after he and his girlfriend had left our house.  "Your son's been in a car accident."  Fortunately, those dreaded words were followed by the terrific words, "he and his girlfriend are fine."  My husband was already in route to the scene and soon arrived to confirm that indeed they were both physically ok (minus a few bumps and aches).  The other driver and a child passenger were unhurt as well.  The cars were another story, her car according to hubby looked nearly totalled and my sons had a good deal of damage as well.


My husband also relayed that my son kept repeating it wasn't his fault.  My son said the other driver turned left right in front of him while he was driving thru the intersection.  He couldn't believe it ... it was as if she never even saw his large white SUV at all.  Police Officers confirmed the fault was that of the other driver and she was ticketed at the scene.

We all pondered how on earth this had happened, was the other driver on the phone?  A copy of the official police report revealed some additional information about the cause.  It seems the driver spotted a family member out for a walk right along that intersection.  The driver was apparently completely distracted by this person.  The driver turned left and slowed her vehicle while instructing the toddler to wave to this person mid turn.  The driver never saw my son's car at all until it struck the side rear of her car where her child was riding.

I've talked about the dangers of distracted driving on my blog before in terms of texting.  We've mentioned the Jonas Brother's involvement in the x the txt campaign as well as Oprah's put down the phone initiatives,  however it seems remiss not to point something else out.  Distracted driving is not just a problem limited to drivers texting or talking on the phone.  Furthermore, distracted drivers are not just teens.  Distractions can come in countless different forms and no driver is immune to them.  I ask all of you moms and dads to not only urge your new teen driver to drive distraction free, but to pay full attention to the road yourselves.