Two and a half years ago Linda Brown was hit by a distracted driver.
She was tossed from her motorcycle, injuring her leg as she hit the asphalt on Hwy. 29 just outside of Lakefield.
Three years later Brown has launched the “I Pinky Swear” campaign to keep motorcycle riders, and all drivers on the road, safe. Brown runs the campaign primarily through social media sites like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
Brown and her supporters have also been working on public safety messaging, recreating collisions that happened as a result of distracted driving.
On Thursday they were in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Brown’s hometown, filming a scenario.
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“The story came to me from a mother who felt she had killed her daughter,” Brown explained. “She sent a text to her daughter, saying, ‘I love you, drive safe.'”
“Her daughter went to pick up her phone to answer it, and-” Brown said, shaking her head.
To get their messaging across, a young woman posed lying on the asphalt, a bloody gash on her head and arm, a cellphone still clutched in her hand.
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The group was joined by members of the City of Kawartha Lakes fire department, paramedics, and the Kawartha Lakes police service.
Sgt. Dave Murtha said police have a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to distracted driving.
“Traffic safety is a major concern for all of us in the city where we police,” he said. “It’s important to all of our officers.”
Brown said she hopes her message sticks with motorists, even if it’s just for a moment.
“If it’s just that one drive, that could have been that one drive that saved somebody’s life,” she said.
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