Heather's Law
This is from Russell and Kim Hurd, parents of Heather Hurd, who was 26, originally from Harford County, and a Disney employe in Florida:
Over the Christmas holidays we traveled to Florida to visit our daughter Heather who was working at Walt Disney World. As part of this trip we were scheduled to meet at Disney's wedding planner to discuss plans for her wedding. This meeting was scheduled for January 3, 2008 at noon.
At 11:30 am, while traveling to meet her mom and me at the wedding planner, Heather was involved in a ten-car accident involving a tractor trailer. Her fiancee survived but Heather and another woman in another car were killed. It is alleged that the driver of the tractor trailer was text messaging his driving log when the accident occurred.
Because of text messaging while driving I will never get to walk my daughter down the aisle, never dance the father-daughter dance at her wedding, never hold a grandchild born to Heather and never hear her voice and little giggle ever again.
On March 4, we testified in Annapolis in favor of HB1110, which would ban text messaging while driving in Maryland. Although the bill failed we live to fight another day. We have started a petition drive and letter-writing campaign to bring this bill back in 2009. It is already being called Heathers Law.
Statistics seem to be what everyone is concerned about when it comes to this bill. Eighty nine percent of Americans support this type of legislation. Text messaging takes both your hands off the wheel and eyes from the road! It is a unique and deliberate act of negligence and needs to be addressed now as text messaging becomes more and more in use. The biggest statistic of all is the number one!! One less needless death!! One less family in pain and sorrow. If we can save just one than the bill is worth it. We hope to make Heathers Law a reality in 2009.
Comments
I support Heather's law and encourage everyone who has family members that they love and adore to do so also. What happened to my beautiful niece, Heather, sadly can happen to anyone especially when drivers are distracted by cell phones and text messaging while driving. Recent studies indicate that people driving while using hand held cell phones are impaired to the same degree as someone driving with a ..08 BAL! Driving while intoxicated is clearly a crime, and so should utilizing hand held cell phones for texting or any other reason be against the law!
Posted by: Donna Burke | May 28, 2008 9:15 PM
Rus, Kim & Drew, we think of you often and will do whatever we can to help Heather's Law pass, not just in MD and FL, but in OH as well. Our thoughts are always with you.
Posted by: Jen & Brian Ebright | June 11, 2008 11:24 AM
This bill clearly needs to pass. Heather was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. A shoulder to lean on in any situation and you could count on the fact that she would see it through to the end. Her smile and laugh would brighten up any room and she will be dearly missed.
We are passing laws to make it illegal to drive with a phone while not using a headset to remain hands free. How is it possible to keep the ability to text message legal when the distraction and chance for error is greater?
Posted by: Beau Peregino | June 11, 2008 6:44 PM
How would I get intouch with Heather's parents so that I can get permission to start advocating for Heather's Law in my hometown?
Posted by: Amanda | September 18, 2008 3:06 PM
Dan, I have been contacting cell phone companies asking them to consider a program feature that would disable cell phones from operation if a vehicle is moving (let's say over 10mph). EMS/EMT, doctors, police, etc. could be exempted for this feature. The feature should continue to allow 911 calls in all cases. I suggest that parent and companies would love to have a option to block cell phone use in vehicles in motion. What do you think?
Posted by: Dennis Ward | January 8, 2009 7:58 PM
Tell me, Dennis...How would it differentiate between the driver's phone and a passenger's phone, or do you propose the ban be extended to anyone in the vehicle?
Posted by: Michael Goodfellow | May 4, 2009 6:13 PM
My deepest sympathy to the Hurd family. On July 9, 2009 I lost my beautiful daughter, Julieanne, in a similar way. I would like to contact the family and support their efforts to pass Heather's law on a federal level.
Posted by: Jo Anne Kriens | June 25, 2009 9:48 AM