As the title of this article suggests, I am probably "beating a dead horse" when it comes to the subject of talking on a cell phone while driving. Unfortunately, the problem is spreading to other fun activities beyond the cell phone. Here's a short list of some things I witnessed as recently as last week on my way to and from work:
A driver doing 50 in a 35 zone during morning rush hour, in the rain, swerving in and out of his lane, and barely missing the side of the car next to him. Why? Because of the important cell phone conversation he was having ( for about 12 miles).
- A self important kid ran up on the median and regained control of his vehicle, but kept text messaging away!
- Another pillar of the driving community, had his laptop open in traffic, and blew through two red lights.
- Even though this doesn't relate to cell phones and gadgets, I feel the need to include it: While approaching a busy intersection this woman had a newspaper spread out on the steering wheel of her minivan, and she was obviously captivated by whatever she was reading because she came to a screeching stop when the light turned red. When the light turned green, she continued reading until the next light change.
- I wish that I could have someone drive me around so I could shoot some video of all of this stuff, but this one was great: I was driving to work and the speed limit on the road I take is 60mph for about ten miles. Then it drops to 40, and in "town" there is a 20mph school zone. The driver I am going to describe here was driving a high dollar 2008 BMW (yes I'm jealous because I WORK for a living). He had passed me in a No Passing zone doing about 80+ miles an hour (in a 60mph zone), and when he got into town, he hit the school zone at about 40 to 50. A cop pulled him over, and the guy was still on the phone when the cop was asking for his license and registration.
- This is another beef I have: I almost had my bumper removed by a guy who appeared to be playing a game on his phone. This was another case of weaving in and out of his lane.
I'm pretty sure we have all seen similar feats of driving expertise, and people wonder what causes road rage. I spotted a bumper sticker a few weeks ago that read "Get Off The Damned Phone And Drive," and I thoght - what a cool idea for a song. Here's what I came up with: Get Off The Damn Phone and Drive. The song was kind of done "on the fly," so I'm working on it.
Now I know most of us have been guilty of yaking on the phone while driving, but it's as bad as driving under the influence in many cases. Of course, with all of the neat little gadgets vehicles come with, there is even more stuff to take your attention off the road. Gps units that sit on the dashboard, radio buttons on the steering wheel, the radio, the 5000 CD changer, and more. We are certainly a society of "luxury beats safety." Just how important is a phone call to warrant placing lives in danger? I'm done now. We've heard it. The "horse is still dead." Now get off the damn phone and drive!
