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Dave Booth Interviews, Podcasts, and Media Appearances
Used To Be's Do Count | I Used To Be...A Cop
From the Fast Lane to a New Life. In this gripping episode, David Booth sits down with Dean James to reflect on his decades-long journey as a traffic cop in Atlanta, Georgia. A career marked by high-speed chases, close calls, and the everyday grit of keeping the roads safe. But everything changed in an instant. A catastrophic accident not only ended his time in uniform but left him fighting for his life. What follows is a story of resilience and reinvention. David opens up about the physical and emotional toll of recovery, and how he found new purpose beyond the badge. Today, he’s channelling his experience into educating the next generation of drivers and training motorcycle enthusiasts for Harley-Davidson. It’s a powerful conversation about identity, impact, and the road to rebuilding.
Other People's Shoes | SMS
How many of us have texted while driving? Be honest. Maybe it’s a quick reply. Maybe you’re changing a song. Maybe you glance down for just a second. But what if that second changes someone’s life forever? This week on Other People’s Shoes, I sit down with Dave Booth, whose life changed in an instant when a teenage driver slammed into him at nearly 75 mph while traffic was backed up. This conversation gets real. We talk about phone addiction, distracted driving, and the hard question most of us avoid asking ourselves: Is that text message worth someone’s life? Dave shares his story of survival, forgiveness, and why he now uses his experience to educate others about the dangers of distracted driving. We also talk about: The crash that changed everything Oregon’s hands-free driving law. The power of forgiveness after tragedy. How something as simple as a duty belt helped hold life together And yes… how the song “Soft Kitty” played a surprising role in healing The truth is simple: Every time we get behind the wheel, we’re responsible for more than just ourselves. This episode might make you think twice the next time your phone buzzes.
The Road Taught Me: Finding Purpose After a Near Death Crash
How do you rebuild your entire identity after a texting driver shatters your body, abruptly ends your career, and leaves you fighting for your life in a three-week coma?
David Booth dedicated nearly two decades of his life to being a police motorcycle officer until a distracted driver traveling at 75 miles per hour changed everything. Thrown 500 feet and left with a shattered pelvis and failing organs, David woke from a brutal three-week coma to find his body broken and his career completely erased. The physical recovery was agonizing, but the psychological toll of losing his identity pushed him to the absolute brink, forcing him to confront profound anger and the temptation to just give up.
Instead of letting bitterness consume him, David engineered an audacious pivot. He made the radical choice to never learn the name of the driver who hit him, refusing to let hate take up space in his healing process. Today, David is back on a motorcycle, coaching new riders, teaching driver's education, and sharing his survival story through his platform, The Road Taught Me. His journey is a raw look at what it actually takes to survive the unthinkable and forge a completely new purpose out of the wreckage.
Forgiveness is a survival tool: Choosing not to hate the person who destroyed your life isn't about letting them off the hook, it is about protecting your own peace.
Identity is not your job title: When your career is forcefully stripped away, you are forced to discover who you actually are beneath the uniform.
Action precedes motivation: Sometimes recovery doesn't start with a surge of inspiration, but with accepting the hand you were dealt and forcing yourself to take the very first step.
The lethal cost of a glance: A single second spent looking at a phone at 60 miles per hour covers 88 feet blind, a choice that can effortlessly destroy lives.
David Booth dedicated nearly two decades of his life to being a police motorcycle officer until a distracted driver traveling at 75 miles per hour changed everything. Thrown 500 feet and left with a shattered pelvis and failing organs, David woke from a brutal three-week coma to find his body broken and his career completely erased. The physical recovery was agonizing, but the psychological toll of losing his identity pushed him to the absolute brink, forcing him to confront profound anger and the temptation to just give up.
Instead of letting bitterness consume him, David engineered an audacious pivot. He made the radical choice to never learn the name of the driver who hit him, refusing to let hate take up space in his healing process. Today, David is back on a motorcycle, coaching new riders, teaching driver's education, and sharing his survival story through his platform, The Road Taught Me. His journey is a raw look at what it actually takes to survive the unthinkable and forge a completely new purpose out of the wreckage.
Forgiveness is a survival tool: Choosing not to hate the person who destroyed your life isn't about letting them off the hook, it is about protecting your own peace.
Identity is not your job title: When your career is forcefully stripped away, you are forced to discover who you actually are beneath the uniform.
Action precedes motivation: Sometimes recovery doesn't start with a surge of inspiration, but with accepting the hand you were dealt and forcing yourself to take the very first step.
The lethal cost of a glance: A single second spent looking at a phone at 60 miles per hour covers 88 feet blind, a choice that can effortlessly destroy lives.
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