I have connected with Laurie Hevier via Twitter. She is another passionate person about car crashes.
Here is her story.
About Laurie Hevier
Laurie Hevier is a dedicated wife and mom in the Twin Cities of MN as well as working at her full time corporate job. She has been working to educate the public on the dangers of distracted driving since losing her mother to an inattentive driver in April of 2009.
After meeting with the detective in her mom’s case and the hearing the response to her question on why the driver would only receive a traffic ticket based on all the evidence “…it doesn’t matter anyway; everyone speeds at the rate and everyone uses their cell phone while driving… it’s not ‘illegal or a crime’ it is just an unfortunate accident”.
To her it mattered a lot because it was her mom and immediately, she knew it needed to matter to other families and to society.
It was a beautiful April afternoon in 2009, when my mom and her best friend left to go for one of their hikes. As best friends do, they were chatting away “when all of the sudden she was just gone” is how her friend, Diane, described it.
According to the accident report and witnesses, the driver was traveling approximately 70 MPH in a 55 zone and seen swerving several times before hitting my mom. There wasn’t any attempt to break, no skid marks – she hit Mom at full speed.
It changed everything.
I wanted to educate everyone on the consequences one bad decision behind the wheel can have on so many lives. Inever thought of myself as a public speaker but knowing the pain inflicted on my family due to 8.75 seconds I decided my fear of speaking – especially while being emotionally raw – was worth it if it could save lives.
My journey took off in 2010, when I was invited to participate in Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s Distracted Driving Summit to share our family’s story during a press conference and the Faces of Distraction campaign.
Currently, I work with several national and local organizations to educate the public on the dangers of distraction but also to change laws to hold offenders accountable for their negligence. The woman in my mom’s crash received a traffic ticket fine of $173.
Our society needs to take driving 3,000 to 5,000 lbs of steel seriously. Just because you didn’t mean to hurt or kill someone does not mean you are still not responsible for the cause.
Were you involved with distracted driving prior to the crash?
Not at all.
Distracted driving was nothing I had really ever heard of, in fact, I was a contributor to the issue. I would talk on my cell phone while I drove. It’s actually when I would talk to my mom the most.
Ironically, I made the choice to never use the phone while my daughter was in the car because I knew that would betoo many distractions. I would never want to risk an accident with her in the car. Now I find that mindset as being extremely selfish. I cared enough about her life, but not mine or the impact to others if I was killed. And I certainly wasn’t thinking of those around me. To me it didn’t occur it was even a possibility.
What would you like to see change in regards to driving?
The numbers.
I’m not just talking about the number of lives lost that are completely preventable, while it is certainly a goal to end these needless deaths. But I want people to understand that it is not just about numbers or statistics, it is about people, family and friends.
When I tell my mom’s story, I start by telling what most people heard on the evening news “A 58-year-old woman identified as Julie Davis was struck and killed this afternoon by a 19-year-old driver”.
She wasn’t just a 58 year old woman on an afternoon walk. She was a daughter, a wife, a mother, a big sister, an aunt, a cousin, a niece, a sister-in-law, a best friend, a minister, an artist, a singer, a gardener but also one incredible grandmother.
And I also want to see stiffer penalties when someone causes a crash. Most people have no idea that if your loved one was killed by someone who was distracted by painting their finger nails, texting or talking on the phone, taking pictures, reading a book, etc would receive very minimal consequences. It’s not only about incarcerating offenders, but it’s letting the victim’s family know that we as a society find this behavior unacceptable.
Does your family often converse about driving safely?
Absolutely!
My husband and I made a pack that we would never use the phone while driving. If it wasn’t an emergency and the other wasn’t picking up, we would just leave a message. If it was an urgent, we would call once, hang up and then call back. That was our signal to find a safe place to pull over to take the call.
My daughter, who was only two at the time my mom was killed, will ask me to look or do something for her while I’m driving. I always remind her that my number one priority while in the car is to drive and keep us and other around us safe. Now that she is 6 years old, she does understand what happened to her grandma and that it was because someone else made a bad decision to not pay attention while driving.
She’s very passionate about it… one morning she rolled down her window at a stop light and yelled at an individual who was talking on his cell phone to “stop driving distracted”. We have since had a conversation about also not being a distraction to others while they are driving.
