On April 23, 2019, Eileen Woelkers Miller delivered a speech at Nanticoke Area High School that will remain in my mind forever.
It was a message filled with emotion, compassion, and even a bit of anger, and the important thing is that it was sent by a mother who lost a child. It was a message received by hundreds of students who learned that tragedy can strike in an instant.
In 2010, Eileen’s son, Paul Miller Jr., 21, was killed on Route 33 in Hamilton Township when a southbound tractor-trailer crossed the center grass divider and traveled head-on into his car.
At the time of the crash, the tractor-trailer was being operated by a distracted driver — the man would later say he was reaching for his cell phone.
Eileen’s persistent and compassionate advocacy for stronger penalties led to the enactment of “Paul Miller’s Law” last year.
Eileen told the students this:
“On July 5, 2010, in one second, our lives were tragically changed forever because of something so preventable. Our handsome, beautiful son, Paul Miller Jr., lost his life to a distracted driver. Life is full of choices — what will your choice be?”
Alarming statistics
New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS) shows that fatal hit-and-run crashes have reached record highs in recent years.
The study also found that one in seven crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene.
These are alarming statistics, to say the least.
The AAAFTS study, published this week, finds that 15% of all police-reported crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene — the highest percentage recorded in any recent year.
The new research reveals a growing crisis on America’s roads — one that leaves injured people alone, without help, and too often without accountability.
Pedestrians and cyclists are especially vulnerable. In fact, 1 in 4 pedestrians and nearly as many cyclists killed in crashes in 2023 were hit by a driver who fled the scene. They are frequently struck in the dark during late-night or early-morning hours, when visibility is low, and there may be no one nearby to call for help.
Roadside service providers who work just feet from moving traffic — often in dangerous conditions — are at-risk as well. Tragically, 15 of them were struck and killed at the roadside last year, based on AAA’s tracking of reported roadside worker fatalities. At least 6 of those 15 were killed by a driver who fled the scene.
Life-saving solutions
The AAA Foundation’s research identifies practical solutions that can save lives:
• Automatic crash notifications through vehicles and smartphones.
• Safer road designs that protect people walking and biking.
• Accountability measures — including clear legal consequences and consistent enforcement — that make fleeing the scene less likely.
Other notable findings
• Hit-and-run fatalities most often occurred late at night or in the early morning hours, when it is dark, and witnesses are less likely to be present.
• Among known hit-and-run drivers in fatal crashes, 40% did not have a valid driver’s license, and more than half were driving vehicles not registered in their name.
• The majority of identified hit-and-run drivers were young, male, and crashed within a short distance of their homes.
• Research suggests drivers are less likely to flee when they believe they will be caught, pointing to the potential impact of traffic cameras and “Yellow Alerts” that notify and seek information from the public after serious or fatal hit-and-run crashes.
‘These tragedies are preventable’
If Miller’s emotional presentation at Nanticoke Area in 2019 wasn’t enough to convince the students — who were preparing for their prom — not to text and drive, the graphic pictures she showed must have had an impact.
Miller showed pictures of the accident scene — her son’s mangled car — and she told the students that when she went to the morgue to identify her son’s body, she couldn’t.
That was the most emotional moment of the presentation. Imagine having to go to a morgue, unzip a body bag, and look inside, only to see the unrecognizable remains of your child?
“These tragedies are preventable,” Miller said. “They are crashes, not accidents.”
It all comes down to being responsible.