FEARING she would forget her friend's birthday, Fanny Jacobson picked up her mobile phone and called him as she drove through Rostrevor.

That single, reckless decision in 2012 caused a horrific crash that resulted in a motorcyclist losing a leg and has Ms Jacobson, 52, facing a maximum 15-year jail term.

Now, the former artistic director of the gay and lesbian event the Feast Festival is telling her story to the Sunday Mail to plead for South Australians to concentrate on the road - and not on their phones - while driving.

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She is also fulfilling a promise to her victim (who asked not to be named) that she would publicly admit her guilt and apologise as part of the restorative justice process.

Ms Jacobson's story is an historic first.

Never before has an offender consented to a public interview at the request of their victim.

"People tell me, 'I use my phone while driving, everyone does it', but that's no excuse; it's not my excuse and there is no excuse," she said.

"The consequence is not a $300 fine and some demerit points, it's changing someone's life forever - I know that because it's my experience.

"I made this mistake, this hideous mistake, and I urge people to reconsider ever, ever again texting or speaking on their phone in their car."

In 2012, Ms Jacobson had a job as a counsellor, a girlfriend and the usual pressures faced by middle-aged professionals.

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Just before 11am on March 8 that year, Ms Jacobson drove her manual 1993 Ford Festiva east along Montacute Rd toward her girlfriend's house.

"As I was driving, I suddenly remembered it was a friend's birthday (and) I knew he was very depressed," she said.

"I knew that he thought no one was going to remember his birthday and I thought, 'If I don't phone him now while I remember, I'll forget and no one will remember his birthday'. That was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

Because it was a clear, sunny day with little traffic, Ms Jacobson thought nothing of reaching into the car's console to retrieve her phone.

She dialled her friend with her left hand while steering with her right, switching hands once the call connected.

"I knew it was illegal, that people had been caught using phones in their cars, had been stopped and busted, had been fined $300," she said.

Ms Jacobson had to make a U-turn to enter her girlfriend's driveway, and so tucked the phone between her head and right shoulder while she changed gears.

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As she made the turn, her car collided with a motorcycle coming the other way.

"I was still on the phone and there was a crash," Ms Jacobson said, fighting tears. "I've a recollection of the bike and the victim flying through the air . . . I was in 100 per cent shock.

"I stopped the car and tried to get out, but I couldn't get the door working properly.

"I was hysterical, I was screaming, 'Oh, my God, I'm sorry', and the victim was lying on the road going, 'Call an ambulance'."

Ms Jacobson said she was so panicked shocked, she forgot what number to dial - and had to be told by the victim to call 000.

"I told them, 'I've had this terrible, terrible accident, I've hit someone on a bike, quickly, quickly'," she said.

"The victim was conscious.''

She added: "His leg was at a very unnatural angle."

A passing motorist who knew first aid stopped and provided help until the ambulance arrived.

"After the victim left in the ambulance I went and looked at the site (of the crash) and saw massive amounts of gore, blood and guts," she said.

"Even then, I still did not comprehend the severity of the injury . . . I thought he would be in a cast for a long time."

Ms Jacobson told police she had checked the road before turning - a memory that she now concedes is wrong.

"The victim and the witnesses all say that I never looked and I accept that because I have to," she said.

"That's been really, really hard to accept. But I do."

However, she did not tell police she had been on the phone - an omission about which she remains ashamed - and later confessed through her lawyer.

Ms Jacobson said she and her girlfriend repeatedly rang the hospital that night, seeking updates on the victim's condition. At first they were told he had broken several bones in his leg. But eventually, they learned his leg had to be amputated because of the severity of his injuries.

"I was devastated," Ms Jacobson recalled. "I'm a Buddhist; I don't even kill ants.

"I hated myself, my shame was overwhelming."

Months passed before police charged Ms Jacobson - a period she said she'd spent "immobilised" by guilt and grief. Her relationship ended and she was unable to return to work.

"I relived the incident often - I still do - and I kept seeing the expression on the victim's face," she said.

Ms Jacobson pleaded guilty to causing serious bodily harm by dangerous driving and told the District Court she wanted to meet her victim face-to-face and atone.

A meeting between her, the victim and his family was facilitated by the Centre for Restorative Justice.

"It was generous for him to agree to meet with me," Ms Jacobson said. "He's very, very angry and I understand that. she Ms Jacobson said. If I hadn't been on my phone - because that's all it was, not eating or smoking or driving fast - none of the rest of this would have happened."

Her victim's family asked Ms Jacobson to make a public statement to the media, which led to the Centre contacting the Sunday Mail.

Ms Jacobson said she was "passionate" about rededicating herself to driver education.

"It's a no-brainer that doing something else while you're driving reduces your capacity but people still think they're invincible," she said.

"People aren't thinking, 'This is against the law'. They are being part of the great big whirl of instant communication. Our society has become a place where, if you don't answer the phone straight away or call someone right back, you've ignored them. I was part of that too but that it doesn't mean I resile from my personal responsibility. I'm completely responsible for this and I want people to learn from my experience."

The District Court will sentence Ms Jacobson on a date to be set.

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