Every Time I Look in the Mirror
How a text message changed his life forever
“I never imagined a simple text message could change lives forever. It was an ignorant, terrible, selfish choice that will haunt me for the rest of my life,” shared Reggie Shaw.
On September 22, 2006, then 19-year old Reggie was driving to work on a country road in Logan, Utah. His car crossed the center line and causing a crash killing two men. Phone records revealed at the time of the collision, Reggie was sending a text message.
Reggie was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community service and one year probation for negligent homicide. The public uproar over his case led Utah to pass stronger distracted driving laws with stiffer penalties. Today, his phone is always turned off when he’s behind the wheel.
Since the deadly crash, Reggie has shared his story with thousands, dedicating his life to speaking about the dangers of texting while driving.
“I learned the hard way how deadly distracted driving can be,” he said. “Every time I look in the mirror I see someone who took lives in a crash that didn’t have to happen.”
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic. In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. . Because of this major societal issue, the month of April is dedicated to raising awareness about distracted driving.
For many years, State Farm has researched this issue; and for the last seven years, has annually published a Distracted Driving Survey. The survey follows trends in drivers’ attitudes and behaviors when it comes to distracted driving.
While a large majority of drivers support laws prohibiting cellphone use while driving, people are still using their phones while behind the wheel. To read more about the latest State Farm survey, click here.
To end distracted driving, everyone needs to do their part. To learn more about what you can do and commit to distraction-free driving, please visit distraction.gov.
Related Links2013 State Farm Distracted Driving Survey
