Raksha Walk to spread awareness about distraction-free driving

In the case of operating a vehicle, one moment of distraction is all it takes to make a sometimes fatal mistake.

Vijay and Rekha Dixit, an Eden Prairie couple, felt the pain of such a moment last year, when Shreya Dixit, their 19-year-old daughter, was killed in a car accident in November.

Shreya was returning from college last November when the car she was a passenger in lost control and turned over. 

The driver of the vehicle had momentarily reached for something then lost control, according to Vijay.

Now, they are holding an event to raise awareness and promote distraction-free driving. 

“Because I don’t want anyone else to feel the pain I’m feeling for a young child’s death,” said Rekha.

The Raksha Walk, around Purgatory Creek Park, will be held at noon on Aug. 17.

 The event will include the walk, a silent auction and vigil that ends with a promise to protect other drivers “by keeping eyes and mind on the road,” according to the event’s brochure.

The day coincides with the Hindu Festival of Raksha Bandhan, which means “bond of protection,” explained Vijay.

Participants in the event can tie a ceremonial thread around another's wrist and make a promise to protect.

Those interested can register for the event by visiting www.shreyadixit.org or register the same day of the event by 11 a.m. The event is hosted by the Shreya R. Dixit Memorial Foundation, which is working with Minnesotans for Safe Driving to promote driver safety.

Vijay said they just want to “keep people aware,” and “make them think while they’re driving.”

According to the Minnesotans for Safe Driving Web site, the top three main contributing factors in vehicle crashes in 2006 were first, speed,  then driver inattention, and thirdly, chemical impairment.Rekha originally was connected to Minnesotans for Safe Driving when she first contacted Police Chief Rob Reynolds and told him she wanted to do something more.

The simple idea that they want to spread is to stay away from anything that anything that distracts you while driving.

The Foundation will work with Minnesotans for Safe driving to help spread such awareness, possibly by making education DVDs that could go to classrooms and different ethnic communities.According to the Raksha Walk brochure, another partner in the event is the “Children’s Cultural Connection,” a non-profit with a mission “to help people develop an appreciation for other cultures, to foster cultural awareness within our multiracial communities and to help at-risk children throughout the world.”

Prevention

Bridget Roby was a friend of Shreya and is also working to help organize the event.

“One of the biggest things is just raising awareness about the mindset we have [toward] driving,” she added.

She said people tend to think, if I speed, that’s a risk I'm willing to take.

“Really, it’s a risk that affects everyone around you.”

Shreya lived in Eden Prairie and went to high school at Benilde St. Margaret’s.

“She would have done anything for any of her friends or for anyone around her,” said Roby, who met Shreya in high school.

Growing up, Shreya played violin and like to sing. According to the Foundation Web site, she participated in the Minneapolis Youth Opera/Bel Canto Voices and was a vocal music student at the Macphail School for the Arts.

Vijay said she would volunteer at to tutor children after school, would help at a children's hospital and volunteered when the I-35W bridge collapsed. Shreya had been attending the University of Wisconsin to pursue a degree in International Business.

She also talked about trying Peace Corps in India, according to the Foundation Web site.In addition to the campaign for distraction-free driving, the Shreya R. Dixit Memorial Foundation gave out two scholarships this year in her name to two students from Benilde St. Margaret’s.

“Because she had such a great time at the school, we wanted to do something,” said Vijay.

For more information, visit www.shreyadixit.org.