Eye on Jacksonville followers…here’s my personal plea—because a tragic news story shook me this week.

I was driving home from Gainesville on 301. Blue-sky day. Music low. My husband—exhausted from three doctor appointments at UF Health —was napping. Suddenly and out of nowhere — a semi filled my rear view mirror like a steel wall. The driver was on me fast, crowding my bumper in the right lane.

I punched the gas, eased left, and he blasted past me like a rocket. My heart was pounding and I was shaking from the encounter. My husband woke up to me white-knuckling the wheel.

Anger rushed in right behind the fear. I was mad as hell at that driver and had a feeling he was one of those I had read about in a recent story. The story was about shortcuts in training and licensing for commercial drivers – especially in liberal states such as California. And now we had experienced the kind of “shortcut” that kills innocent drivers!

A few miles later we caught that same truck at a red light. When it turned green, he launched again, weaving and flying down 301 as if he was the only one on the highway. I prayed nobody would pay for his recklessness.

And this week’s story reminded me of that day. On Tuesday, August 12th, three innocent people in a minivan were tragically killed on Florida’s Turnpike when a semi made an illegal U-turn and the minivan slammed underneath the trailer. The driver—Harjinder Singh—was arrested and now faces three counts of vehicular homicide. Authorities say he entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 and later obtained a California commercial driver’s license; he was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on August 16.

All I could think about when I saw the horrible video of that crash was this…”That could have been us.” And, friends, that could be you next.

This article is written as a personal plea—neighbor to neighbor:

• Give big rigs space. Don’t sit in their blind spots. If you pass, pass—don’t linger.
• If a truck is driving like a missile, do not “teach them a lesson.” Get out of the way. Breathe. Live to tell the story.
• Report dangerous behavior. In Florida, call 911 or *FHP (*347) from your cell to reach the Highway Patrol. Share the direction of travel, mile marker, company name if visible, and a plate or unit number if you can get it safely. FL Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles+1

And here’s my ask of our leaders:

Governor DeSantis, FHP, FDOT—tighten the net. Step up commercial-vehicle enforcement at our borders and weigh stations, verify credentials through federal systems, and yank unsafe rigs and unqualified CDL drivers off our roads—no excuses.

What happened on the Florida Turnpike on August 12 took three lives and tore a hole in the lives of their family members and friends. This tragedy should never have happened!!

It should light a fire under all of us—drivers and policymakers alike.

Please: before you pull onto the highway — do this:

Say a Prayer

Buckle Up

Stay Alert

If you see a semi being driven like a weapon, call it in.

We can’t bring those three souls back—but we can make our roadways safe again by alerting the authorities of madmen at the wheel.