The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dad tells young future drivers of phone risks
Vijay Dixit still feels the pain from losing his daughter in a crash that involved a distracted driver, and he’s been on a mission to make the roads safer ever since.
Shreya Dixit was 19 when she was killed in a crash attributed to distracted driving on I-94 in Wisconsin in 2007. Since then, her father has pushed Minnesota legislators to pass the state’s hands-free law, written books on distracted driving and helped start distraction-free driving clubs at a handful of metro-area high schools. Club members encourage classmates to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Dixit believes peer-to-peer interactions can influence future drivers to go distraction-free.
“Young kids look up to older teens in their schools and may listen to them rather than their parents,” Dixit said. “If teens can mentor these kids, that might make a difference.”
His latest effort is a 2020 wall calendar that features colorful anti-distracted driving sketches by kids still years from getting a driver’s license.
The calendar came out of a class called “Drivers in Making,” for children ages 6 to 9.
Dixit last summer brought in members of Eden Prairie High School’s Distraction-Free Driving Club to lead more than 20 kids in an afternoon of games, skits and videos to illustrate how using devices can turn driving deadly. The goal, Dixit said, was to get the youngsters to start thinking and talking out about safe driving practices long before they get behind the wheel.
At the end of the day, the high school leaders had the future drivers draw pictures to show what they had learned. Quite a bit, it turned out.
“They knew all about distraction, Bluetooth and the handsfree law,” Dixit said.
The resulting calendar also displays names of people who have died in distraction-related crashes. Each month includes statistics on distracted driving from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Even though Minnesota’s handsfree law prohibiting drivers from holding cellphones went into effect months ago, many haven’t complied. In September alone, the State Patrol cited 2,729 drivers, up 18% from August, according to the Department of Public Safety. Through October, 26 people died in distracted driving-related crashes in 2019.
The calendars and class information are available from the Shreya R. Dixit Memorial Foundation, shreyadixit.org.