Brooke Richardson, a 20-year-old hairdresser from Victoria, was driving to work when she crashed into a tree, distracted by a text she was trying to send a client.
Her mother Vicki remembers finding Brooke’s phone at her feet with a final, ominous text message flashing onto the screen: ‘Are you still going to make it today?’
Since that tragic day five years ago, Ms Richardson has devoted her time to ensuring these preventable accidents stop happening.
Brooke Richardson, a 20-year-old hairdresser from Victoria, was driving to work when she crashed into a tree (pictured)
Her mother Vicki (with her husband) remembers finding Brooke’s phone at her feet with a final, ominous text message flashing onto the screen: ‘Are you going to make it today?’
‘Brooke won’t have a wedding. All her girlfriends are having babies now,’ her mother told the Courier Mail.
‘I don’t want another parent to go through this.’
Between 2008 and 2016 nine people were killed and 71 were seriously injured in crashes on NSW roads where a mobile phone was seen as a ‘contributing factor.’
In an attempt to curb these numbers the state government has today released an ad campaign showing the final SMS victims of these crashes sent before they died.
Between 2008 and 2016 nine people were killed and 71 were seriously injured in crashes on NSW roads where a mobile phone was seen as a ‘contributing factor’
Since that tragic day five years ago, Ms Richardson has devoted her time to ensuring these preventable accidents stop happening (Brooke’s car after the crash)
Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said despite there being figures for the amount of deaths, she doesn’t believe they’re even close to the true amount.
‘We have some data but I don’t think it’s accurate. I don’t think we know how bad it is,’ she said.
Following Brooke’s death Sergeant Cameron Roberts, of the Wodonga highway patrol, said too many people were taking risks when it came to texting while driving.
Roads Minister Melinda Pavey (pictured) said despite there being figures for the amount of deaths, she doesn’t believe they’re even close to the true amount
‘Brooke won’t have a wedding. All her girlfriends are having babies now,’ her mother said
‘There are so many people who simply don’t get it,’ he said. ‘Sadly it takes a tragedy like this to highlight the danger.
‘This family should be applauded for being brave enough to speak out; hopefully others will listen.
‘We can fine a driver $282, take three demerit points if they are caught, but if they have an accident they risk serious injury, or tragically in this case, death.
‘If someone else in the car dies, the driver is looking at being on far more serious charges.