Last year, it was about grieving. The Dixit family had just lost their daughter and sister, and the emotion was still raw when they organized the Raksha Walk.

"Last year it was a very emotional time because our daughter had only been gone a very short time," Vijay Dixit said. "Not that that emotion character has gone away. It's still there."

This year, it's about the community.

"We have been able to touch other people who have nothing to do with Shreya, and that's important," Dixit said.

Shreya Dixit was only 19 when the car she was riding in car that hit a freeway underpass, the result of a distracted driver, on Nov. 1, 2007. Less than a year later, to honor Shreya and to raise awareness of the dangers posed by distracted driving, the Shreya Dixit Memorial Foundation organized the Raksha Walk.

About 275 people showed up in Purgatory Creek Recreation Area last year, and Vijay Dixit said he hopes to have 500 this year. He hopes that people who have lost love ones will bring a photograph to share with everyone. They hope it will raise awareness for what some people see as a growing problem: technological distractions in the car.

Sharon Gehrman-Driscoll, director of Minnesotans for Safe Driving, has seen a lot in her 25 years as a victim's advocate. When she began her work it was alcohol, drinking and driving. She sees parallels between that and distracted driving, texting, talking on the phone.

"This is a new course of action on the highway," she said. "Technology has become wonderful, but I don't believe that technology was made to be used in the car."

"One of the most common factors we see in any crash is driver inattention," said Lt. Matt Langer with the State Patrol. Technology only contributes to the problem, Langer said, and although teens might seem like the most obvious offenders, "it's not just a problem among teenagers."

It sets a bad example for children to see their parents talking and texting while they drive, Gehrman-Driscoll said.

"When I drive down the street I don't like what I see parents teaching their children," she said.

In the 50s, Gehrman-Driscoll said, drunk driving was far more prevalent than it is today. People realized the danger and changed their behavior, which is what the Shreya's family hopes will happen through events like the Raksha Walk.

"Even in her passing she is contributing to the community, which is what she stood for."

For more information about the event, visit www.shreyadixit.org.

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