By Sarah Standifird
My life changed forever the day I lost my son Andrew. And the saddest part? His death was preventable. Yet, like so many families who have experienced the same loss I was left asking myself how something so devastating could happen because of one momentary decision behind the wheel.
Parents should not ever have to bury a child. But to bury a child because someone glanced at their phone when they should have been looking at the road, unbearable. Yet, I have found some solace since Andrew’s death by making it my mission to speak up. And while I know it cannot change what happened to my family, I am certain that we can prevent it from happening to others. Unfortunately, distracted driving has become a common phenomenon, and people barely think twice about glancing at their phone to check a text or scrolling through notifications while they are driving.
It is that very normalization that worries me.
We have taught our children about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and bullying, and invested so much time in helping them to make the right choices. Yet for some reason we do not offer them any education or guidance on the deadly consequences of distracted driving. This is a risk that is very real. Yet it is preventable. This is why I believe that road safety policies deserve the same amount of attention as any other policy. I have often wondered why, when technology has evolved so much over the last decade, our policies have not.
Distracted driving policies need to cater to the reality of today, and not yesterday’s habits.
In addition to this, there also needs to be a push for lawmakers to connect directly with the families who have lost a loved one in these tragedies. Every conversation had about distracted driving could potentially save a life. Every young driver who puts their phone away when driving may never be distracted enough to cause a heartbreak like I and many other families have endured.
I want Andrew’s legacy to make a difference, and if sharing his story encourages even one person to keep their eyes on the road, then I believe that I have succeeded. I will continue to fight to make a difference. One where the next generation see distracted driving as unacceptable rather than inevitable.
Sarah Standifird is an author, advocate, and nationally recognized voice on distracted driving and safety reform. After losing her son in a preventable crash, she brings rare credibility to the conversation, combining her longtime experience in the legal industry with the perspective of a grieving mother navigating the court system as a client. Her book, Citizen’s Prey, exposes the hidden realities families face in the aftermath of sudden loss, from strict legal deadlines to systematic failures that prioritize profit over human lives.
