The Athens community was stunned and saddened Wednesday morning by news of the crash that killed an 11-month-old girl.

Three others were also injured in the three-vehicle crash at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Elm Street. It’s too early to know what caused the crash, as it remains under investigation by state troopers and Athens police. The intersection has seen its share of serious crashes over the years.

While we’re praying for the families of those affected by the tragedy, we need to take a look at our own driving behavior.

The intersection is relatively close to the on and off ramps of Interstate 65. The speed limit at that particular intersection is 50 mph, but it’s not unusual to see drivers who are coming from the interstate fly through it. Speeding is only part of the problem, however. Our commitment to keeping our eyes glued to cellphones seemingly can’t be hampered by something as trivial as driving a 4,000-pound weapon.

Maybe you’ve been driving down U.S. 31, U.S. 72 or I-65 and noticed the driver in the car next to you looking down at a digital device. There’s a law against texting and driving, but it hasn’t been much of a deterrent.

The state of Georgia now has a law against holding a phone while driving or using any part of the body to support a phone while driving. The law says drivers can only make a call using an electronic watch, wireless headphones, speakerphone or if the phone is connected to the vehicle via Bluetooth.

The Alabama House approved a similar bill during the 2019 legislative session, but that’s as far as it got. The bill, dubbed “CiCi’s Law,” was sponsored by Rep. Allen Farley, R-McCalla.

Camryn “CiCi” Calloway was a 17-year-old senior who failed to see a stopped 18-wheeler on I-65 because she was talking to a friend on Snapchat.

According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, 10% of fatal crashes involving teen drivers in 2016 involved a teen who was distracted at the time of the crash. That year, 3,450 people — drivers, passengers and others — died as a result of distracted driving.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nine people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured daily in the United States from incidents involving a distracted driver.

As Limestone County’s population continues to boom, the incidents of distracted driving aren’t going to be reduced unless legal action is taken. If the Legislature approves CiCi’s Law, it then has to be enforced.

We’re not alleging Wednesday’s tragic crash was caused by distracted driving, but in every fatal crash, there is at least one fatal error. Someone was speeding. Someone was distracted. Someone ran a light. Someone ignored a maintenance issue. For now, the only people who know what happened are those who were involved in the crash, those who are investigating the crash and those who witnessed the crash.

Our hearts hurt for those who responded to the scene and for those affected. It’s too soon to know if any lessons will be learned from this tragedy, but we can do our part by slowing down, paying attention to the road, being courteous to other drivers and remembering there may be youngsters in the vehicles beside, behind and in front of us.