The agony a parent goes through when a child dies is somethingPete Collins has seen too much of in his life, and he hopes thetime he volunteers will help save a few.

Collins, a retired Mississippi Highway Patrol captain, visitedLincoln County Schools recently to deliver his message of theimportance of making smart decisions behind the wheel.

“There’s something about life: you get very few chances,” hesaid. “If you’re in a car with somebody acting a fool, just say’let me out, I’ll find a way home.'”

A gym full of Bogue Chitto junior high and high school studentsfixed their eyes upon Collins, who worked with MHP for 25 years, ashe described some of the horrible accidents he worked during hiscareer.

“In my career, I walked up and knocked on 184 doors,” he toldthe student body.

Collins talked with students about the responsibilities ofdriving and how a slip of immaturity can cause a lot of pain in thelives of those who love them.

He encouraged students to take every trip, whether short orlong, seriously because it only takes a second to make the wrongdecision behind the wheel.

“I don’t want to ever see your dad take your picture off thewall and punch his fist in the spot where the picture was, thenroll in the floor praying God would let him take your place,”Collins said, recalling some of the emotion he has witnessed whenhe had to inform parents’ about the death of a child.

He urged students to understand why their parents want them homeat a certain time every night and to see why their parents stay upuntil their children return home safely.

“You think your momma and daddy are just trying to be bossy andmean. No, they just want you to live,” he said.

Collins told students, some of whom were brought to tears, abouthow many times he has heard parents scream when doctors talked tothem about organ donation.

Alcohol was a factor in nearly every fatal accident Collins’ hadto work during his career.

He recalled how one night three teenagers were heading to theirschool’s homecoming football game when a drunk man, with his wifeand child, crashed into their Toyota truck, killing the twostudents in the front seat immediately.

Collins found the third student, a 14-year-old girl, alert andtalking, but pinned in the back seat of the truck.

He talked with the girl a few minutes while trying to get herout, but when he realized he couldn’t move her, Collins turned togo to his patrol car to call for assistance.

“With the only free limb she had, she reached out and grabbedme,” he remembered.

The girl asked Collins to not let her die, and he looked in theeyes and promised to help her, then went to get more help.

“When I walked back to the Toyota, those eyes of hers werestaring into the sky, and I didn’t keep my promise,” Collinssaid.

Bogue Chitto Principal Bobby Allen thanked Collins for coming toshare his story, and thanked the students for being so attentive,hoping they would remember to drive safely and responsibly.

“We love ya’ll and we want to see you live,” Allen told studentsbefore dismissing them.