Distracted driving, especially amongst teen drivers, is a huge risk factor leading to thousands of avoidable deaths each year. It is why, over the years, our agency has taken the time to conduct DUI and distracted driving simulations at local high schools throughout Renton. Keeping our youngest, most inexperienced motorists aware the dangers they face and the consequences of their actions is in the best interest of everyone in our community.
Liberty High School student, Lucas Counts, joined Create Real Impact’s effort to raise awareness about this important issue by writing a very raw poem that conveys the seriousness of this risk. We are proud that the youth in our community take a vested interest in the safety of their peers and wanted to share his work with you today.
Thank you, Lucas, for helping us in our effort to continually make Renton safer, healthier, and stronger.
All For a Text
By: Lucas Counts
A little ping
Just a quick glance
How little in significance
Only a second
What’s the risk
He looks real fast
Looks back up and all goes blank
Sirens wail
And screams sound off
Lives are gone
How senseless the loss
If only he had waited
Families are fractured
Death is a hatchet that divides
And pain will surely fester
Loved ones never say goodbye
Children’s songs do not survive
Now tell me – was it worth it
He read his text
Life will go on
And he escapes death’s ghastly jaws
It surely was a close one and he will live
But will it be a curse
It was just a quick glance
Only a second
Couldn’t he have waited
But in the end
Tears and blood flow in harmony
Full recovery never materializes
It wasn’t a dream
His trepidations are all confirmed
Blood is on his hands
And all just for a text
Put the food in the back
Makeup away
Phone on silent
A text can wait
Eyes on the road
See the full entry here: https://createrealimpact.com/entries/26853/
