A 19-year-old California cyclist who was killed by a motorist texting on her cell phone is being honored this spring by his father.
Dr. Robert Okerblom set off from San Diego on a solo cross-country bicycle tour on Feb. 27 to remember his son and bring attention to the big problem of cell phones distracting motorists.
Already he has raised awareness about the issue through newspaper interviews, classroom presentations, press conferences and one-on-one conversations with folks who just happen along and ask what he's up to with that bicycle.
Novice cyclist
Okerblom said he hadn't done much bicycling until after his son, Eric, was killed in July 2009. In fact, the father and son had made plans to go for their first bicycle ride together the morning of July 26.
The previous afternoon, however, the distracted driver hit Eric on his bicycle during a training ride near his home in Guadalupe as he worked to get in shape to try out for the UC Berkeley cycling team.
Same pedals
Now Robert Okerblom has traveled across California, Arizona, New Mexico and into Texas on a custom-made titanium bicycle. The pedals are from the bike his son Eric rode the day he was killed. Here is what Okerblom says in his blog, EOFoundation:
“Parents are forever connected to their children. As they grow and mature, you never entirely separate from them. Like your arms, legs, and soul, your children always remain an integral part of you, forever inseparable. Your kids, on the other hand, must disconnect from you and develop their own lives. Although they love and are influenced by you, they become separate and independent. They can survive and flourish without you. It is the natural order of things, The new must let go of the old.
“The pedals on my bike are the same ones that Eric used when he was killed. A police officer friend recovered the pedals from the carnage for me. For the entire length of the country, my feet will be connected to the last thing that Eric touched when he was alive. It is a comforting arrangement for me, because like all parents I need that connection.”
Doing his best
Okerblom is taking time away from the family physician practice in the small California town of Guadalupe to make the bike tour. He told the San Diego Union Tribune:
“My mantra in all this is: When I get up each morning, I say that I will try to be the man my son, my other children, will be proud to have as a father. You know, I have to think about it. Maybe it is not a bad thing to have to think about it.”
Okerblom has met with California legislators to try to increase the fines for texting while driving (now $20). He also spoke with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who is known for a his campaign to stop distracted driving.
Cell phone distractions
The year that his son was killed, 20 percent of the injury highway crashes involved distracted driving. Of the distracted driving crashes that year that caused a death, a cell phone was the distraction in 18 percent of them, according to figures at Distraction.gov.
We certainly hope that Okerblom has success influencing people about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. He could succeed by inspiring state legislatures to enact laws banning cell phone use in cars, or by encouraging motorists — on a person-to-person basis — to ignore that ringing cell phone when they drive and to call back or check the message after they pull off the road.
You can follow along at his EOFoundation blog.
See also: Cross country bicyclist's son featured in “Faces of Distracted Driving”
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