Thank you for the front page, in-depth article in Sunday’s newspaper on the repercussions of a tragic accident that took the lives of a father in his 40s and a son in his early teens, leaving a devastated wife and mother and remaining younger son (“Mother, son forge bonds after devastating crash”).

Their car was hit head-on when an oncoming car veered across the center line. This type of accident occurs with terrible frequency these days. In most instances it happens because the at-fault driver is distracted, usually while texting, or maybe retrieving something dropped. How does anybody with any humanity live with the fact that they have killed one or more people through pure carelessness?

In my youth cars didn’t go so fast, but we were constantly reminded that “one split second” can mean the difference between life and death. “Keep your eyes on the road at all times, and both hands on the wheel!” I bet nobody hears those words any more. How many of us adults practice this good habit?

Everyone has the idea, “It won’t happen to me; I know what I’m doing!” But not forever. One day, for any number of reasons, bad driving can maim or kill you or an innocent victim. One bad mistake can turn a perfectly nice person into a killer, affecting forever their own life and those of others.

Texting is a new phenomenon now taken for granted. It seems perfectly harmless, unless you are bumped into by someone so engaged, or you yourself miss steps on the stairs and end up with broken bones.

Put your brains in gear. Think. Practice. Happy New Year.

Mary Barnard

Augusta

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