General News
19 July, 2023
Heartbreaking loss inspires tomorrow’s drivers
ALMOST thirty years after receiving the phone call all parents dread, John Maher was in the south west to remind students how important it is they get home safety.
ALMOST thirty years after receiving the phone call all parents dread, John Maher was in the south west to remind students how important it is they get home safety.
With the support of Terang and Mortlake Health Service, Year 10-12 students from Terang, Camperdown and Cobden joined their peers at Mortlake College on Tuesday for a presentation from Carmen’s Legacy founder John Maher.
Mr Maher, an author, international keynote speaker and road safety advocate, shared his story of the horrors of road trauma with the students; many of whom are currently learning to drive.
Thirty years ago, a then-42-year-old Mr Maher survived a car accident which left him in intensive care with a number of life-threatening issues which to this day impact his physical and mental abilities.
Just 30 months after the crash, Mr Maher’s youngest daughter, Carmen (18), died after she fell asleep behind the wheel and collided with a tree.
In the years since facing the unimaginable trauma, he has dedicated his life to founding Carmen’s Legacy; a book based on his experience and how his family endured such adversity together.
The book would lead to decades of speaking opportunities through Carmen’s Road Safety, sharing the details of his experience in a bid to prevent anyone else going through such pain.
“Two-thirds of all deaths happen on country roads,” Mr Maher said.
“We drive long distances, our roads are damaged due to the weather we’d had over the past couple of years, and people really need to drive to the conditions and stop taking risks on our roads.
“We know there are potholes, we understand the conditions of our roads, so we have to be vigilant and drive according to those conditions.
“When we have a car crash, we often live or die based off nothing more than luck, and no excuses can help us.”
Mr Maher said communicating the message of road safety to younger drivers was important, but so too was reminding them how far-reaching the consequences of a mistake or risk can be.
“These people are our future,” he said.
“They are hearing messages of who they are; that they are the most important person in the world to families who love them so much.
“Our family has been on this journey for 27 years; where we will never be able to give Carmen a cuddle.
“You get one life, just one crack at this, and one mistake or risk on our potentially deadly roads can take your life.”’
Among those in attendance was Warrnambool’s Jo Moon, who lost her son Joel (16) to a car accident less than two years ago.
“We’re heavily connected to Carmen’s Road Safety,” she said.
“(Joel’s) older sister had seen this presentation and was so moved by it.
“It was in those first hours, that first night, that she said mum, can we support this?”
Mrs Moon said the focus Mr Maher places on reminding kids how important their lives are, and how much their loved ones care for them, had resonated with her.
“To sit and see what John does, and the impact he has, he’s an impressive man,” she said.
“It’s showing these kids how important their life is.
“Road safety is so important, the statistics are huge on how many young people die on our roads, but this is also about how important they are, and how important the choices they make on the way are.”
Terang and Mortlake Football Netball Club also hosted the Carmen’s Road Safety presentation at Ridley’s Recreation Reserve on Tuesday evening.
To learn more about Carmen’s Legacy, or purchase the book, visit carmen.com.au.