Distracted driver who suffered traumatic brain injury warns other motorists against making same mistake

ATLANTA - The Governor's Office of Highway Safety found that more than half of car crashes in Georgia in 2022 were caused by a distraction, according to a new report.

Officials say a lot of the time the people killed in these types of crashes were innocent victims.

When it comes to distracted driving, Molly Welch is an expert on the subject, but she will tell you she never wanted or expected that to happen.  

"It only takes a second," she said. "I thought I was invincible."

(Credit: Molly Welch)

The Atlanta-area native was on her way back to Auburn University in 2008 when she admits she got distracted.

"I just looked down for a brief second, went clear across a median and head on with the pickup truck," Welch said.

The moments after the crash were captured on a tape recorder. She says she was messing was messing with it while behind the wheel. The crash left her in a coma and with a traumatic brain injury, which she is still dealing with. In the years since, she launched the nonprofit "A Second Later" to tell her story and teach others to be more careful while driving.

"I'm just so tired of people making mistakes when they drive," she said.

Her message is an important one.

A new report by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety used data from 2022 and found distracted driving remains a threat on Georgia roads.

"One of the things that stands out to me as pertinent in this report is that two-thirds of the people killed in crashes involving a confirmed or suspected distracted driver were not the confirmed or suspected distracted driver," said Robert Hydrick from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

In 2018, Georgia enacted the Hands-Free Law which banned drivers from holding electronic devices. Hydrick says it is saving lives, but it is still happening.

"Driving, it's a life or death responsibility, and it requires everybody to pay attention," he said.

For Welch, she’s hopeful she can make an impact.

Molly Welch

"If I just save one life, it will make it all worth it," she said.

If you want to learn more about Welch’s nonprofit or to have her speak to your group, click here.

If you want to read the report from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, click here.