A Louisiana Mother Snapped a Photo of a Speeding Car, But Now She’s Going Viral for an Even Bigger Reason
An Erath mother made it around the world in a matter of days after sharing her experience with a recklessly speeding vehicle.
Earlier this week, a photo from the mother's Facebook page went viral after it showed the rear of a sedan with a message asking the parent of the child to please have a "come to Jesus meeting" with them after witnessing the young adult driving recklessly at a high rate of speed. She witnessed the car tailgating, blowing through stop signs, and driving at a high rate of speed, according to her Facebook post.
Although the comments and shares are well into the hundreds, I'm choosing to not identify the mother here as she told me that she wasn't looking for the spotlight with her post but instead, to hopefully save the life of the child and anyone else who could easily be hurt by their reckless driving, or worse. It's a situation that she was all too familiar with, unfortunately.
My 29-year-old was involved in 3 accidents, and it's the worse phone call to get. Thankfully she is alive, but 2 of the 3 accidents were kids driving recklessly.
As a parent who has dealt with three totaled vehicles due to the accidents she mentioned to me, she said it's a call that she "doesn't wish on any parent, especially in a case where their child may have not made it."
After going through the experience of her daughter having emergency surgery with a rod in her femur held together by screws; all while breathing with the help of an oxygen machine for 3 days, it's no wonder this mother shared the update with her Facebook followers.
Almost instantly, messages poured in from parents who thanked her, saying they would absolutely want to know if their child or grandchild was behaving this way on the roads so they could teach them young before something tragic could happen if they continued to drive recklessly.
Others pointed out that they have also witnessed the same vehicle driving recklessly, noting certain attributes on the vehicle that was posted.
This car has passed me multiple times on 339 between 338 and 14 on double yellow lines, playing leapfrog. It scares the crap out of me every time because I will be doing the 55/60 and they will blow past like I'm sitting still! The dent on the roof is a giveaway at recognizing it.
Multiple parents echoed the same message that if it was their kids, they would want to know. One father said that if this was his son, his driving privileges would be revoked immediately.
If it was my kid the dude would be riding the bus. Driving is a privilege and not a right
Speaking of riding the bus, a local bus driver chimed in saying that this type of reckless driving will inevitably lead to a terrible accident that could very likely injure innocent people, commending the mother for speaking up.
If someone finds out who this is, it would be worth giving the parents a call. It may be a 1 out of 10 chance that they would acknowledge the fact that their child may cause a very bad accident that may be fatal. Maybe call the school. They may not be able to give you the parents name, but may give you the kids name. You have no idea as a bus driver how many times in saw something like this. I had a kid who always had a pencil and paper in hand and if we could get his license # he was turned in to State Police. Back then they would get a ticket. No questions asked.
Someone even recognized the vehicle as one that almost hit them just a few days before the Facebook post was published.
This is the same car that almost hit me the other day! This kid is out of control.
More and more comments poured in as local parents said they could only wish someone would do this if they witnessed their child driving so "out of control."
I could only HOPE & PRAY that someone would do this same thing to my child if she is being reckless! I would be so thankful!!
Another mom agreed, saying that the multiple commenters who also claimed to have witnessed the same child in the same vehicle driving this way were further proof that the parents should also be aware.
Same! If someone EVER sees either of my kids being an absolute threat to both their safety and the safety of others, I HOPE they blast the information so I can be made FULLY aware of the situation at hand. Just look at how many people this kid has endangered already, as well as the danger to herself. I hate to say it but you can’t drive careless and wreckless like that and expect nothing to ever happen. I’d rather be made aware than have to bury my child due to their immaturity behind the wheel.
But then, you saw other parts of the country begin to chime in. One parent from New York said he would appreciate a post knowing what his kid was up to on the roads, especially if it endangered others.
NY checking in! As a parent, I’d appreciate someone letting me know how my kid was driving! Even though this is not my kid, I still appreciate the post! Thank you!
From Washington to California, the messages continued to pour in.
I want to preface this by saying kids do stupid things because they don’t understand the dire consequences. They make mistakes. It’s worth seriously talking to your kids though, my community just buried a 17 year old who shined so bright and had such an amazing future due to a wreck.. I would hope someone would tell me if my child was driving reckless so I could try and stop it before I had to lower them or someone else into the ground.
One story from Michigan was an absolute heartbreaker.
Checking in from MI. My dad was hit by a wreckless driver and has a TBI. As a young driver, I was always very cautious because you never want to change someone’s life like that forever. Good job Dawn for raising awareness about this driver.
And soon, the mother's message had made it around the world, as parents within different cultures on different continents still cared more about the future well-being of their children than temporary Facebook embarrassment.
Japan here! I’ve lost people I’ve cared about due to reckless driving. Going dangerously fast is not worth your or someone else’s life
A mother in Canada shared a heartbreaking story about her brother—and while speed wasn't a factor, she spoke about how that accident changed her life forever.
This post has reached Canada.
My son is 17. If I found out he was driving like this, i would inform his Other family that he lives with, and they would Definitely take his keys and other privileges away. Because driving is a privilege, not a right.
The parents of this kid need to grow up and learn how to be parents. Stop letting their spoiled little brat get away with everything.
She is going to kill someone someday.
Tomorrow marks 7 years since my brother (my profile photo is my 19 year old brother), and his 16 year old friend were killed in a single vehicle accident. Not speeding though, and I have no answers as to why, but they collided with a tree and were ejected and killed on Impact.
Tomorrow marks 7 years. He should be turning 27, but he will forever be 19 years old.
My life, my dads life, my sisters life, and my moms life were all turned upside down and we will never be the same.
These parents and their daughter need to go do a tour of the morgue and be shown what happens when people speed and drive dangerously.
Eventually, accounts claiming to be parents of the young driver and the young driver herself would enter the chat, but there seemed to be some disagreement about the method the Erath mother used to get her messaging out.
As the discourse continued, comments continued to come in from across the globe asking the child and her parents to look beyond the method of the mother's message to see the bigger picture.
Luanda, Angola Africa checking in. This post is now global in multiple continents. We all seem to agree with each other. Slow your kid down and stop defending her reckless behavior before you find yourself wishing you would have ♂️
Soon, the comments became less about the action and more about the blame game.
Okay, so this is still a child, probably still learning the roads, however, i do understand how some may think of this as a life lesson or a “life check”, i think that this is getting out of hand. We are all saying how this child needs to be punished, but what about the adults, texting and driving is even worse, especially for an adult, and taking a picture as that. And for other adults or children to sit here and bash them, is also uncalled for, to talk about their representation at school or their peers feeling towards them, is just sad. I think we should all just grow up and stop.
While there have been plenty of meaningful responses as well as the expected fair share of hot takes and tasteless comments, there are some undeniable facts when it comes to reckless driving as it pertains to young adults.
Speeding remains a significant issue among young drivers, as evidenced by the fact that about one-third of all fatal crashes involving drivers between 15 and 20 years old are attributed to speeding. Research shows that young drivers are more likely to speed than older drivers and are also more prone to distracted driving.
It's a trend that can be partly attributed to the tendency of young drivers to overestimate their driving abilities and underestimate the risks associated with speeding. We've all been there before, so it should come as no surprise that societal norms that glorify speed and risky driving behaviors may contribute to this problem.
Regardless of how our opinions may differ on this subject, the consequences of speeding are severe; including an increased likelihood of crashes, more severe injuries, and a higher probability of fatalities. It is essential that young drivers understand the dangers of speeding and comply with posted speed limits and other traffic regulations.
But like just about anything else in life, it starts in the home. Parents and caregivers play an important role in preventing speeding by setting clear expectations for safe driving and modeling responsible behavior behind the wheel. Overall, it is crucial for everyone to recognize the gravity of this issue and work towards promoting safe driving practices among young drivers.
In the end, the Erath Mom made the Facebook post private after it was clear that the child's parents had been made aware of the reckless driving as well as the community (both near and far). As the comments became pettier and folks started to criticize the parents and/or their response to the post, the mother felt like that was only distracting from her original message.
I just wanted to make parents aware. The fact that so many more people have either commented, texted, called, and even privately messaged me about the same child driving the same as I witnessed floored me even more. I would expect the same from any other parents regarding my girls if they acted this way or were disrespectful
Will this stop the child from their alleged reckless driving? Only time will tell, but as two old sayings go, it takes a village and no lesson is worth learning twice.