Opinion: Distracted drivers are taking lives in Colorado and punishments must be more severe to hold them accountable

My son, Ollie, had his life tragically cut short at just 10 years old. According to the Larimer County sheriff, there is evidence that the driver was distracted when she hit and killed our sweet son as he biked home a few blocks from a friend’s house in Timnath.

The pain of losing Ollie isn’t something that will ever leave myself, his mother or his three siblings. Our youngest son, who suffers from PTSD at the loss of his brother and best friend, talks frequently of dying, so he can somehow be with his brother again. Ollie was our light, our joy, and without him, there’s a hole in our lives that nothing can fill.

But there is something we can do. There is something we can all do.

On Sunday, we will mark World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, and honor Ollie, along with the thousands of others who have died or been injured in road crashes.

But this day must also serve as a wake-up call. The tragedy we face is the result of an individual’s choice. But it also points to a  systemic failure in holding drivers accountable for their actions on the road. In Colorado and across the U.S., distracted driving has become an epidemic, yet the consequences for drivers who take lives due to distraction are shockingly weak.

In Ollie’s case, the driver who killed him faces only two misdemeanor charges. To say we are heartbroken doesn’t even begin to describe our daily pain. But what compounds our grief is the injustice. 

Our state laws don’t reflect the seriousness of what happened. Under Colorado law, tampering with a water meter can result in felony charges, yet killing a child with a car results in nothing more than a slap on the wrist. How is that possible?

Across the country, distracted driving kills thousands every year. In 2022, 3,308 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. In Colorado, 69 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2022 and 72 died in 2021, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. The state agency also reports that more than 90% of Colorado drivers self-report driving distracted.

Yet, most people still don’t realize how dangerous distracted driving truly is. It’s six times more dangerous than drunk driving, according to the NHTSA.  

This is why we’re speaking out. It’s not just about Ollie, though, of course, he’s at the heart of everything we do. This is about protecting every child, every cyclist, every pedestrian and every driver sharing the road with someone who thinks sending a text, checking an email, selecting music, or eating is more urgent than paying attention. 

Distracted driving is a public health crisis, and our laws must reflect that.

The driver who killed Ollie will go to trial in December, but even if found guilty, the sentence will likely be minimal — a few months of probation at most. Meanwhile, we have lost our son forever. We are calling on the district attorney for the 8th Judicial District, Gordon McLaughlin, and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser to elevate the charges in Ollie’s case. Only by holding drivers accountable to the fullest extent of the law do we change behavior and stop the vicious cycle of preventable tragedies like Ollie’s.

We are calling on Colorado lawmakers to strengthen our state’s distracted driving laws. Other states, such as Alaska, have started to pass tougher legislation that treats distracted driving as a serious crime. Colorado needs to follow suit.

We are calling for a movement. We ask that you take a moment and think about Ollie — and the thousands of lives that have been lost due to distracted drivers. And then, we ask you to act. Call your local lawmakers, demand stronger distracted driving penalties, and remind everyone you know to put their phones away when they’re driving.

Distracted driving kills. It’s not a minor mistake, it’s not just a lapse in judgment — it’s taking lives. And unless we do something, it’s going to keep happening. During Sunday’s day of remembrance, let’s commit to changing the system so that no other family endures the heartbreak we live with every day.

Rod Stratton and his wife, Clarissa, live in Timnath with their children and run their nonprofit Ollie’s Bike Parade.

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