An Open Letter to an Unknown Driver

I want to address a specific individual. The only problem is I don’t know her name, who she is, where she’s from, or any reasonable way to find out that information. I figured a public post would be the best option, as she may happen upon this. Let me start with some background. I’m 28 years old and I’ve been driving on my own now for 12 years. I consider myself an experienced defensive driver. Sure I like to zone out and listen to the radio, and on a few occasions I’ve probably leaned a little too hard on the gas pedal. The way I think about driving changed just over 3 months ago when our son was born. What used to feel like solid steel making up the frame of my car now feels like far too little to protect the precious cargo in the back seat. My whole life is in that car; my wife in the front seat, and son in the back. Now I want to speak to that individual. I didn’t meet this person, and I only saw their face for a brief couple seconds. My wife, son, and I were in the car heading to a family party on Loomis Street in Granby. We were within a half mile of our destination, a house which we expected to see as we crested one of the small hills on the road. What we did not expect to see was a car coming the opposite direction at full speed in our lane – driving on the wrong side of the road. My wife was driving, and just had enough time to swerve halfway off the road and lay on the horn. The young woman behind the wheel of the oncoming car just barely moved out of our lane in time to avoid a collision. The other driver appeared to be driving above the speed limit and clearly was not paying attention. It’s impossible for me to know why she was driving so erratically. She could have been intoxicated, checking directions, texting, or even turning to answer her own piece of precious cargo in the backseat that no, for the fourth time, they are not there yet. The reason is insignificant, and the result is a very near miss. I hope that other driver feels as affected by this incident as my wife and I do. As we pulled into the driveway of our destination just a few hundred feet ahead, we stopped to gather our thoughts. My wife wiped her tears, and the first thing we each did was give our little boy a kiss. Distracted driver - you very nearly dramatically impacted my family’s lives, as well as your own. Two cars traveling 40 mph and hitting head on would not make for a pretty scene. I truly hope that you will learn from this and make a conscious effort to drive safely. You may not give it a second thought as opposing traffic zooms by, but people are carrying their entire lives behind those four doors. You owe it to them; your fellow citizens, co-workers, students, friends, and family; to make sure you’re paying attention while behind the wheel. I consider myself lucky to be able to write this today, and I hope someone reads it. At the very least, my little boy got a few extra kisses today.