How a frightening trip to the ER changed my resolve about distracted driving

I believe that it was more than luck. Seeing as I’ve never been trained on how to deflect an oncoming SUV, I felt nothing but profound gratitude for the unseen hands that guided mine, and that cushioned my fall. Clearly, it wasn’t my time to go; the outcome could just as easily have been tragic.

Distracted driving. We’ve all seen it. Most of us have been guilty of it. At what point do we decide that it’s simply time to stop? Many vehicles literally weigh a ton, sometimes two. Is a phone call or text while driving, or even reaching to pick something up, worth what we’re risking by letting ourselves be distracted? Far too much is at stake. We have no idea whose lives could be forever altered by our looking away.

It might be a mom, wearing her favorite pair of jeans, walking into a store to buy donuts for her son’s 12th birthday.

The next morning, I heard my sister singing these words on my voice mail:

No New Year’s Day to celebrate

No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away

No first of spring

No song to sing

In fact here’s just another ordinary day

I’d never been more grateful for another ordinary day.

Susie Boyce is a mom, writer and public speaker. Her column, "Momsensical," is featured in North Dallas-area newspapers and posts bimonthlys on KSL.com. Visit her website at seriousmomsense.com.