First of all, she was holding her phone with her shoulder when she turned her little red Cavalier onto the main street I was on. I could tell she was arguing with whom ever she was speaking to onto the phone because of the wide hand gestures and angry facial expressions she was giving out when I viewed her through my rear view mirror. Next thing I knew, she had moved over to the middle lane and sped past me. I don't know. Something about these kinds of drivers makes me a little mad. I look forward and she stops, not even at the light. She's about 40 feet from the turn, which I found she had been close to missing and stopped in the middle of the road to move over quickly. I was too close to wait for her to move over so I go ahead and pull in. She decides she would get in behind me and I see she stalls mid-lane, 2 or 3 cars behind her. She's still arguing on the phone, maybe a little more mad because of her current situation. She turns on her emergency lights as she fumbles for the key and starts it back up again so she could pull up behind me to turn.
Okay, to wrap up this vent, we really need to watch what we do on the roads, guys. I'm talking "techies", Generation Y's, Millennials. This girl was so close to being hit so many times today. We've been so wrapped up in the latest technology that we're taking it to places that it really shouldn't be messed with. Scrolling through your iPod or iPhone looking for songs or texting while driving really should not be happening. Too many things go on in front of you and really it kills your response time if something or someone were to jump out in front of you. Trust me, it has happened to me before, several times. In neighborhoods, in YOUR neighborhood, it is the worst. Keep an eye out for children. A short text message, even a tweet, is not worth a child's life.
So to end on a better note, there is hope for us! Haha. Remember bluetooth headsets? Yeahhhh. Those still exist and they still WORK. They might not be the fanciest looking thing ever but they are a great investment so we can keep our eyes and hands focused on driving. Holding a phone with your shoulder is dangerous. It limits your eyesight. Even just holding a phone with your hand is dangerous. We need to make sure we can have full control of the car. Are you looking to buy a new car? Check into bluetooth enabled cars. In the Fiesta, I a phone pad and the phone call will play through the speakers. It even has a little mic on the roof by the console light. It is extremely handy. If you're not looking into getting a car anytime soon, look into bluetooth enabled GPS's. Before I had the Fiesta, I would use my Garmin to answer calls.
Also, answer text messages when your car is stopped, whether it be at a light or at your destination. Texting is terrible to do when driving because you are staring at something other than the road.
It's really a great investment to look into bluetooth enabled devices. We need to do whatever we can to keep the roads safe. It's not just children's and other's lives we're saving. We are also saving our own.
3 comments:
I understand completely. It seems like 1 in 3 of the people I see on the roads here in Indy are on their cell phone. I suspect the proportion is higher, though. I personally don't make or take calls while driving, though I do listen to podcasts.
People really need to remember that when they are behind the wheel, they are responsible for everyone else's safety, not just their own. We live in an environment different from everyone else and we are going to have to make up new rules for this stuff.
I was hit by a car this past June 1st by a girl on her cell phone. I was on my motorcycle. Ive been off work for 5 months with injury's. Its going to cost her and her insurance company a lot of money. You would think that the insurance companys would take a greater interest in getting cell phones banned from cars while driving.
That's why legal driving age should be raised and the amount of training given to the 'new' driver at driver's ed should be increased. I also consider that being careless with a 'machine' is equivalent to manipulating a weapon in and against public. It's more dangerous to operate a car than to operate a whole wood workshop...at most you can cut your hand off with a saw, but you can kill people in a stupid 'car' call.
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