I was driving home the other day when I was stopped at a red light. I looked over to the person next to me, and noticed she was talking on the phone. Now, I'm not a very big advocate of such actions while driving, but what am I going to do? Yell at her to hang up the damn phone. I mean, we are stopped at a light.
Well, the light turns green and I havn't gone more than a block when I notice that this woman just about nearly crashes. Could this have happened because she was on the phone? More than likely, and I come to realize, maybe I should tell her to get off the damn phone.
You see, I enjoy driving in its purest form. No distractions, such as the phone, texting, eating and drinking. Nope. Just me, and the car. I like rowing through the gears, and flicking my car into corners as fast as legally possible. Hell, sometimes I don't even listen to the radio. You get to learn all of the little creaks and sqweaks your car makes.
Then again, I probably don't multi-task in my car because it is a manual, and it is painfully slow. But that wouldn't be the truth, either.
I find multi-tasking behind the wheel incredibly dangerous. I knew a kid in high school who wrecked his new car into a tree while texting, and while we all laughed, we should have slapped the hell out of him, because that tree could have been a kid. I've also witnessed with my own eyes, many accidents, which is kind of creepy to me. Think about it. If I were in that other lane, or that person turning left, I could have been the victim of those accidents.
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have a problem if using the phone behind the wheel became against the law. Most people don't drive very well to begin with. Our licensing program sucks, you don't get taught shit unless you go to a driving school, and to pass the stupid test all you have to do is drive around a parking lot. Big deal! Do you know what to do when your tail comes out from behind you at 40? Probably not. Especially when you are 16, and havn't been driving for more than a year or two.
You may be reading this, and saying, "Meh, I'm a 'good' driver. I can talk on the phone, eat a burrito, and drive at the same time." Well, my friend, you have a very different definition of "good" than I do. Oh, and try not to spill that mild suace, it stains horribly.
While it's obviously logical that people drive better with no distractions i.e. eating, texting, talking, listening to the radio, but personally without those things I still feel distracted. When I'm not texting I'm wondering why people aren't texting me, and when I hear my text beep not looking at it is even more distracting because the suspense kills me and I drive faster and more recklessly until I can look at it. Also I hate the sounds my car makes because it's not in great condition to say the least and the sound of the radio is actually comforting. Anyway, while I agree that logically and in reference to actual data driving without distractions is definitely safer, I feel that it actually inhibits me.
ReplyDeletewhat kind of car do you drive? just curious lol. Well i HATE HATE HATE people who use thier cell phones behind the wheel. Now this is extreamly hipocritical becasue my girlfriend is always telling me to put my phone away whenever we drive, but i consider myself a good driver ha.Sure i use my phone for the ocasional text or quick phone call behind the wheel but thats as far as it goes. I have driven with people that are on the phone from the time the car starts till they reach their destination. Scary. they are paying no attention to vehicles in other lanes, to pedestrians, to street lights or anything else. Behind a 2 ton vehicle you have the responsibillity of not only your life but the life of everyone in the car and on the road in your hands and i hate when people divide thier attention between that responsibility and talking to someone on the phone as they are on the way to that persons house!. Thank god for these new cell phone laws.
ReplyDeleteHaha, a beater truck. But its stick!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have a problem with that law being passed either. I thought it was in the process of being passed? Too many times I find myself driving near some idiot only to get beside them and see them texting. I lost a friend my sophmore year of high school to a car accident. He slammed into a tree and died on impact. I'm not sure if he was trying to multi tasks, but thank god your friend is still here and like you said it was a tree not a person.
ReplyDeletelol! i really enjoyed the details of your article and how you kinda brought it to life. however, i must say that i think the driving on the phone situation will only get worse. cell phones are jus so addictive and people are to anxious when it rings or vibrates from a text to wait til they get home to respond. especially if you have a girlfriend or something. if she calls and i don't answer there is no way i could tell her that i was trying to be a safe driver as an excuse.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a few weeks since I read your post on talking on the phone and driving. Since I am a commuter, my awareness to the of drivers around me has increased, it seems that everyone is in hurry. In doing some complicated (not really) math, the person who drives 35 miles distance doing 65 MPH opposed to the one driving the speed limit of 55 MPH, may only arrive 5 min and 49 seconds sooner, if there is no lights. Does it payoff to exceed the speed limit, especially when it affect other drivers?
ReplyDeleteI usually catch up at the next light as they sit there and wait or pass people two or three times, because they are trapped behind someone slow.