BRYAN, Texas — Many Texas college students hit the road for Spring Break festivities this week.
One Bryan woman lost her son to drunk driving and is now working with TxDOT to create safer roads and save lives.
Pamela Edwards is the Program Coordinator at Texas A&M AgriLife.
“Dillon died on August 9 of 2014 and it was that morning at 6:45 when I got a knock on the door and behind that door was two troopers coming to tell me that he had passed,” Edwards said.
Dillon Davis was just 25-years-old when he was driving under the influence and his life was taken in Crawford, Texas.
“He was the impaired driver,” Edwards said. “He took a risk he shouldn’t have taken, and he had his whole life ahead of him.”
Dillon’s mom, Pamela Edwards, said there could’ve been a different outcome.
He leaves behind a wife and two children.
“He was at a family function, and he left the premises thinking he was okay to drive because I know that if Dillon knew he was going to die that night, he would’ve made a different choice,” Edwards said.
She is a traffic safety educator for the State of Texas teaching others about being safe on the roads.
Edwards partnered with TxDOT to launch the ‘Drive Sober. No Regrets’ campaign to help save more lives.
“The problem with drinking and driving and you think you’re okay if you just had a few, how many ever you had, you shouldn’t be behind the wheel at all, and it cost him his life… but you don’t get a second chance,” Edwards said. “You don’t get a redo.”
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, during Spring Break of 2022 in the Bryan District, there were:
- 16 DUI-related traffic crashes
- 2 deaths
- 4 serious injuries
In the city of Bryan:
- 5 DUI-related traffic crashes
- 0 deaths
- 1 serious injury
In College Station:
- 2 DUI-related traffic crashes
- 0 deaths
- 0 serious injuries
“If it can happen to my son, it can happen to anyone,” Edwards said. “I would hate for a parent to get a knock on the door like I did notifying them that their child is no longer here all because of a poor choice for them to choose to drink and drive.”
Pamela emphasizes to designate a driver, use rideshare apps, or stay where in place until you sober up before driving.
She misses Dillon every day and uses her work to honor his life.
“Because what you do not only affects you, but it also affects everyone else around you, and is death has affected me and impacted me so much that I think about it daily and I will always think about it until I take my last breath,” Edwards said.
You can learn more about the ‘Drive Sober. No Regrets’ campaign here.
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