Kentucky's Capitol
(2009-10-14)
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Louisville teenager Nicole Meredith was afraid to tell her parents the truth about the cause of her wreck. She initially blamed it on an insect that had flown inside the car, but fessed up a year later when a teen magazine contacted her about doing an article on her brush with death.
Photo courtesy nicolemeredith.com (Click image to enlarge)
(CLICK ARROW ON BAR ABOVE TO HEAR TONY'S REPORT)
On a typical July night last year, 18-year old Nicole Meredith of Louisville was driving and texting. Her parents had warned her to never use her cell phone while driving, but texting was second nature to the teen and she thought she could handle it. Suddenly, she was off the road and halfway in the median.
"Like anyone, I freaked out and attempted to correct myself but I ended up over-correcting myself," said Meredith.
She totaled her car, but escaped unharmed. Now, she's helping the state send a message.
"Distracted driving is deadly driving. A message from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety."
The state says 53,000 accidents and 199 fatalities last year were blamed on distracted drivers. Seven of the deaths involved drivers using cell phones.
(ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE NEWS CONFERENCE)
"Distracted Driving is Deadly Driving." That's the slogan of the state's new safe driving campaign. Louisville teenager Nicole Meredith describes the night of her accident.
"It was a July night and I was on the way to my friend's house," said Meredith. "It was dark. There was no one around, so I felt comfortable with texting and driving. But prior to that, I'd texted numerous times in much more dangerous situations."
But on this night, her car drifted into the median, she over-corrected, lost control and totaled the vehicle. Meredith says she's lucky to be alive.
"My real message is that, there's no text that can't wait," said Meredith. "You can change your life by not texting and driving. You have a better shot at living longer. You have a better shot at not killing somebody. It's just something that people need to realize. It can happen to anybody."
Meredith has also taken her message to Washington, participating last month in a two-day summit on distracted driving hosted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
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