A police officer in Ohio posted an open letter on Facebook that included a plea to drivers to stop speeding.
“To the 18-year-old kid I stopped on SR 10, You’re welcome,” the officer wrote.
“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.”
The officer said that the driver clearly lied when the driver claimed that he or she did not know they were speeding.
“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,” the officer said.
“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.”
The officer has encountered dead or severely injured teenagers dozens of times, responding to serious car crashes.
“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,” the officer wrote.
“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.”
The officer wrote that he or she was proud of writing the ticket and that they hope the teenager has to spend months earning the money to pay for it, so that every time they make a payment they can think how it wasn’t worth it.
The post has gone viral, with more than 121,000 shares, 10,000 comments, and 72,000 reactions at the time of this publication.
“Very powerful message,” wrote one user.
“Thank you God, for putting his officer in the right place at the right time, and for this post. Hope millions of people get this message. Bless You!” added another.
“This was me at 19. Thankful for the scary experience being pulled over at 103 and the scary, shaking experience I had in the courtroom. It was my final speeding ticket,” wrote another.
