Before 22-year-old Alexander Heit could finish a text message while driving, police say the University of Northern Colorado student drifted into oncoming traffic, jerked his steering wheel and went off the road, causing his car to roll.
Heit died shortly after the crash and now his parents and police have decided to share the image (above) of his incomplete, and fatal, last text in hopes of keeping others from texting and driving.
Alexander’s mother, Sharon Heit, said:
“In a split second you could ruin your future, injure or kill others, and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who loves you.”
Witnesses told authorities that Heit appeared to have his head down when he started drifting into the oncoming lane of traffic. According to police, a driver in the other lane slowed down on the road in Greeley, Colorado, and moved over just before Heit over corrected by jerking the steering wheel. It was noted that Heit had a “spotless” driving record and was not speeding.
Here is some information and a PSA from the Ad Council on texting and driving prevention:
A texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver.
One million people chat and text while driving each day. People feel pressure to remain in constant contact, even when behind the wheel. What drivers do not realize are the dangers posed when they take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel, and focus on activities other than driving.
This campaign targets young adult drivers with a focus on texting and driving prevention. Young adults live in a connected world where multitasking is the norm. This manifests in the car where they recognize texting and driving is dangerous, but do it anyway.
The average text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for nearly five seconds. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field. The message being conveyed is that texting while driving isn’t multitasking, it’s essentially driving blind.
