Police officer stops teen driving at 100mph – his open letter is something everyone should read

Speed kills. No matter how many times we repeat the message over and over again, there seems no end to the people willing to risk their lives – and the lives of those around them – by driving above the speed limit.

Let’s face it, we’ve all crept over the limit when we haven’t been paying attention. Perhaps you’ve done 32 in a 30 zone, or maybe even 40 in a 30 zone. Nobody’s perfect, I’ll grant you, but that doesn’t change the fact that we could all be reminded of the devastating effects of losing concentration whilst behind the wheel.

Well, one police officer in the North Ridgeville Police Department has attempted to send a stark warning this Christmas, by way of a poignant Facebook message. We think everyone should read it …

The warning

The officer in question says he stopped an 18-year-old kid who might have been “minutes away” from causing a Christmas tragedy.

The kid was apparently going in excess of 100mph, but the officer stopped him before any accident came to pass. He then took to Facebook with an open letter to the kid, and it’s something that’s rapidly picking up traction …

“To the 18 year old kid I stopped on SR 10,” he writes.

“You’re welcome. I’d like to believe that you were minutes away from creating an unspeakable Christmas tragedy when I stopped you. If not only killing yourself, you were well on your way to killing some innocent person who was minding their own business doing nothing else wrong but being in front of you.

You said you didn’t realize how fast you were going. That’s a lie. You may not realize when you’re doing 45 in a 35 but you are fully aware of every mile per hour at 100. You realize it with every bump you hit. You realize it as you pass cars so fast the wind moves your car. You realize it every time you drift over the line and when you move the wheel the car reacts a lot quicker than you’re used to. You absolutely realized it.

You were scared when I stopped you. You were visibly shaking and breathing hard. Unfortunately, you were scared one minute too late and for the wrong reason. You should have been scared that you were trying to kill yourself. I know you’re invincible. I know that you can’t even fathom your own death.

I can tell you dozens of stories of dead and broken 18 year old bodies that I’ve pulled from cars. Broken bodies that I’ve found in front yards after crashes. Unrecognizable bodies. They thought they were invincible too. They weren’t. They were gone so they missed the part where I had to tell their parents that they were dead. Part of your soul disappears every time you have to tell parents that their kid is dead.

I don’t KNOW your parents, but I know them. I know that when you leave every day they say “Be careful. Drive safe.” Those aren’t just words. That is the very last act of them pleading with you to come home safe. When they get a knock on the door, it’s not “Good afternoon ma’am. Your 18 year old son just had a massive heart attack. It’s “Can we sit down? Your son has been involved in a very serious crash. I’m so sorry. He’s died.” When you leave the house they know that, far and away, the best chance you have of dying that day is in that car. Sometimes you’re the innocent person hit by someone with no regard for anyone else and sometimes you’re the one with no regard for anyone else. Today you were the latter.

I don’t KNOW your parents, but I know them. I know that when you leave every day they say “Be careful. Drive safe.” Those aren’t just words. That is the very last act of them pleading with you to come home safe. When they get a knock on the door, it’s not “Good afternoon ma’am. Your 18 year old son just had a massive heart attack. It’s “Can we sit down? Your son has been involved in a very serious crash. I’m so sorry. He’s died.” When you leave the house they know that, far and away, the best chance you have of dying that day is in that car. Sometimes you’re the innocent person hit by someone with no regard for anyone else and sometimes you’re the one with no regard for anyone else. Today you were the latter.