Distracted Driving Kills And

Causes Heartache

To the Editor:

On a sunny spring morning this past March, a 44-year-old man named Kenneth Dorsey was struck while jogging on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk by a 16-year-old girl driving an SUV. Ken suffered a broken back and multiple skull fractures and died a few hours later at Norwalk Hospital. 

After the police completed an investigation of the girl’s cellphone records, it was revealed that she had been using her cellular phone during the minutes leading up to the accident. She had been talking on the phone to her mother, accessing her music library on iTunes, and then, seconds before the accident, surfing the Internet. She was subsequently charged with negligent homicide by motor vehicle, failure to drive in an established lane, and distracted driving.

Ken was a close friend of one of my co-workers. He was a very nice guy who did not deserve to be run over in the prime of his life by a distracted driver. His family, friends, and coworkers are devastated. The young girl will have to live with shame and regret for the rest of her life. She needlessly destroyed a human life and brought immense grief to many.

The roads are crowded, especially during the summer, with joggers, bicyclists, walkers, pets, and automobiles. We need to think more seriously about the added danger caused by distracted driving. Parents should tell their kids about Ken and the 16-year-old girl (you can find plenty of information about this tragedy online). This problem is not limited to teenagers either. Adults also need to consider whether using a cellphone, iPod, GPS device, iPad, or computer while driving is worth the risk of killing a human being. Personal electronic devices are fun and useful, but it is time to stop using them while driving. It’s important for parents to model good driving behavior so that the children sitting beside them or in the back seat learn that using any kind of electronic device while driving is unacceptable and foolish.

David Reynolds

19 Cemetery Road, Newtown                                           May 29, 2012