High point of my day..heck, week.

[Ozz]

I was behind a girl in a small car, could tell she was texting, weaving, speeding up a little, slowing down. The snow plow didn't clear the left lane real good, she plowed right into the snow pile, slowed her down, the snow went over the car in a big cloud, probably scared the heck out of her. I bet she watches where is driving now.
Didn't hurt her, she kept driving.
Bet she lost the phone in the floor somewhere.

[mlh]

Come on Ozz she isn't going to watch where she is going. It's her daddy's car or he bought it for her.
Lynwood

[Ozz]

Ha! you are probably right on.

[jimcol]

I'm wondering if a blast from those air horns would stop a texter????? Jim

[CORattler]

Today a snowbank, tomorrow a motorcycle or a pedestrian in a crosswalk. It's just a matter of time I'm afraid. No need to pay attention when you're bullet proof, right?

[HamRad]

quote:Originally posted by CORattler

Today a snowbank, tomorrow a motorcycle or a pedestrian in a crosswalk. It's just a matter of time I'm afraid. No need to pay attention when you're bullet proof, right?

CORattler,
You are so correct! The fact that she didn't stop means she was still on texting or whatever! It is so scary to see so many so distracted from their driving! I have always been a very defensive type driver but there are simply getting to be way too many "distracted" types out on the road. So let's all be careful out there! To quote one of the characters from "Hillside Blues". I think that is what it was called.

Travel safely, Dennis

[washley1]

Hamrad, it was Hill Street Blues...one of my favorite shows in the day.

[firetrucker]

Hillside strangler, Hill Street Blues

Bob

[HamRad]

Bob,
Hill Street Blues! That's the one. Thanks Bob. After I posted the note to Bob I saw that you also posted the same information. Thanks to you too.

Bob how are the kids? Did I hear correctly that you folks are not coming to the Jackson gathering? I hope I heard wrong. Later, Dennis

[sgtpp214]

Let me rant a little. Cell phone use while driving is irresponsible and as far as I am concerned criminal. I have tried to get our legislators to prohibit it, but they don't have the intestinal fortitude to do it. We have all seen the idiotic use of cell phones and texting while driving and wondered what God is looking out for these people and their potential victims. Just one true story confirmed by phone records and the person on the other end of the call:

Women was driving with passenger in a snow storm, talking to her son on the cell phone. The last he heard was a scream and silence. The head on collision when the women lost control and crossed the center line and struck another car head on. She and the other 73 yo driver were killed and her passenger ended up in the hospital. Just imagine what this young man will live with the rest of his life. He heard his mother as she entered her death ride.

It is time we the responsible traveling public put pressure on our state legislators. And I mean strong pressure.

Rant done. Thanks for putting up with me.

[Art-n-Marge]

I've got some bad news Dave and Carla. You need to keep up the rant.

California instituted an anti-cellphone law (earbud or mic/speaker are okay, but no at the ear use" a couple of years ago. DW and I don't drive around very much because we are retired and don't go too many places, but what little we drive we see people breaking this law ALL THE TIME during our short trips. In fact, this year they actually had to put in a specific additional law to make texting illegal. No difference, all kinds of drivers are still on the phone or texting (it's easy to tell most times).

Of course, this hazard is doubled with the yellow/red light runners.

People just don't understand the driving privilege. Seems like the attitude, "they gotta see me and catch me" runs rampant in too many places.

It's very disturbing. I am ready to pass the ranting baton now.

[Sky]

Connecticut has a ban on cell phone use while driving but the drivers still do it all the time. Drivers pay no attention to the law and do it like there is no
tomorrow - and in some cases unfortunately there just may not be a tomorrow. The cell phone use is bad enough but the one that got me the other day was a man
driving his vehicle on I-95 North bound at 60+ mph reading the morning newspaper and every now and then he would pull it down to see out the windshield. I'll bet
he does that every day and will do so until he dies....or someone else does.

[Bill-N-Donna]

I don’t like the government dictating our daily lives by passing so many laws when it comes to driving; however, with the way people are today they have no choice. I wonder what the statistics are on accidents from the use of a cell phone.

[Ozz]

It will come to a device that 'locks out' a phones transmission while the engine is running, I can see that coming.
Enforcement is almost impossible.

[Waynem]

Ozz,
I hope you are correct with the engine running - phone off.

Many, many years ago (like 2000) I had a 1993 Lincoln Mark VII. It has, for it's time, a very sophisticated phone system. The phone was in the console, and could be used by picking up the handset, but why bother. The driver's column had a button that could be pushed when the phone rang and you would be on a very intelligible "hands free" system. Clear as a bell. To call, you pushed the button and in a normal voice said, "Call home." it would call whatever number you had voice recognized as "home." However:

Many a time I would leave work, press the button and tell it to call home. Earlene would answer (I was checking to see if a male voice would answer) and we would chat for 10 or 15 minutes. When I disconnected the call my mind would notice where I was at that time and then it started thinking, "I know how I got here, but I don't remember anything around me while I was traveling." I was driving entirely on instinct.

Now when my phone rings and I'm driving, I hand it to Earlene. When I'm alone I still use the phone speaker system, but I'm not real comfortable with it and keep my conversations short, like, "I'll call you back." Or, I'll let it go to phone mail.

[Ozz]

Wayne, good post.
When we are towing, I always give the phone to Sue, most of the time when we are not towning and I am driving also. Good idea.

[Art-n-Marge]

Waynem.... that does happen. I don't like to use the cellphone and I'll tell whomever is on the other side "I'm driving and will not be on long!!!". It's not right, that how you got miles down the road and not realizing how you got there? My wife, the copilot does all the talking. When I'm alone the calls are REAL brief and with an earbud.

I used the old fashion way of driving and using the cellphone. I plan ahead! It helps keep the need to be on the cellphone down to a minimum.

[Champ_49]

And then there was the day of no cell phones. What did we do then? Sometimes I would just love to toss them and forget we even have them. But, it is todays world isn't it? lol