District attorney's office drops charges against Michael Waltrip
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – NASCAR team owner/driver Michael Waltrip said he spoke to several schools about driving safety as part of a deal to have the charges dropped from a motor vehicle accident during the Easter weekend last year.
Waltrip hit a utility pole and rolled over his vehicle in the April 7, 2007, accident. He walked home. In a statement at the time, Waltrip
said that he fell asleep at the wheel.
The Catawba County (N.C.) district attorney’s office dropped the charges of reckless driving and failure to report an accident in early
February with the reason listed as “best interest of justice,” according to court documents.
“What I did was really beneficial for me,” Waltrip said. “I went and spoke to high-school and grade-school children in the Catawba County area and explained to them the importance of operating a motor vehicle safely and how being tired or distracted is the quickest way to have an accident.
“Kids are so handy to text these days, and driving while texting is a bad deal, so I just really worked my hardest at being entertaining and to let them know that somebody who knows what they’re doing behind the wheel can make a mistake, and that mistake can be tragic.”
Waltrip said the talks averaged about 30 minutes to “eight or 10 schools” over a month-long period.
“I look at it as just an opportunity to change one child’s life forever with their decision-making … is what makes me proud,” Waltrip said. “I got a lot of positive feedback from it. I’m very thankful to turn something that was an unfortunate accident into something could be positive for many people for many years to come.”
Phone and email messages to Catawba County Assistant District Attorney Eric R. Bellas were not returned.
