Dear Mom and Dad,

I’m sorry.

I didn’t think this was going to happen to me, I didn’t think that one second was a big deal. I just didn’t think. People do this kind of thing all the time, look down at their phone while they are driving. I thought that because it was just for one second, just so I could send that one text that I would be able to text and drive too.

But I was wrong.

How could I let myself be so reckless, so thoughtless. How could I let myself risk my own life, and the life of anyone else on the road. How could I do this? Dear God please, I’m not ready to leave this place. I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. I’m sorry mom for all the pain that I am putting you through now. I never meant for this to happen, I never wanted to hurt you.

Please know that you are an amazing mother and you raised me to be better than this.

Dad, I never wanted to let you down. I always wanted to live up to the girl you thought I was, and I’m sorry that for this one second I wasn’t anywhere near that girl. I wish I could take it all back, go back right to the second and just put my phone back in the cup holder. I wish I would have just thought about what I was doing, instead of making the mistake of believing I was invincible. I’m only 19 years old, I haven’t even graduated college yet. There are so many things that I haven’t done, and now I’ll never have the chance. I died because I thought I was going to be an exception to the dangers of texting and driving and now I’ll never get the chance to say goodbye.

This isn’t a real story but it could be.

To anyone who has ever gotten behind the wheel and was under the influence, distracted, or simply just reckless, please remember this letter the next time you think to do it again. Before you decide to put yourself behind the wheel, think about what the letter to your parents would say. How are you going to tell your parents, that you won’t be coming home because you thought you were going to be the exception to destructive driving.

The truth is, none of us are an exception to driving recklessly and the sooner we realize that, the safer we will be.