I do it rarely and berate myself for it when I do.
Here’s a reminder, your car is a deadly weapon.
PS 55mph = 81 feet per second
(That turns out to be about the length of five average vehicles.)
Distracted Driver Dies (seconds) After Posting On Facebook About The Song 'Happy,' Taking Selfies http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/28/driver-dies-happy-song-facebook-_n_5223175.htmlOK she was Facebooking… no difference.
I feel for the driver of the recycling truck. One of my friends in California was involved in a fatal accident when a girl driving a Honda Accord crossed the center line and hit his Ford E350 head on. He had nightmares for years and cannot forget the fleeting eye contact they made right before she died.
I drive to meet my friends for lunches, etc. during the day about four days a week, and it’s amazing to see how many drivers are on their cell phones or apparently texting.
Occam
Couple weeks ago a kid in a 10-year-old Cadillac swerved into my lane on a 65 mph four-lane highway near my subdivision. He flipped me off when I honked at him (I had to run onto the shoulder to avoid an accident), then followed me into the parking lot of the corner store and confronted me about my road rage. When I told him to put his damned phone away and pay attention to his driving he denied having been texting even though I clearly saw his thumbs moving about his iPhone’s screen. One of the locals I see in the store frequently came over to see what was going on and advised the kid to keep his mouth shut and leave. The kid glanced at his cap which read U.S. Army Ranger - Retired and decided discretion was his best option. Haven’t seen the kid since but the retired Ranger and I are now on first-name basis.
I feel for the driver of the recycling truck.You know I thought the same thing when I heard a reporter say "the driver of the on-coming truck was uninjured" Bull poop she was uninjured ! :down:
I’ve been without wheels for a few years and using mass transit which can be aggravating at times, but it’s stories like this and Darron’s account of a young man accusing him of exactly what he was guilty of that makes me not regret not driving now. I constantly see people doing unsafe things like talking/texting on the phone, backing up on busy main streets and pulling U-turns that put them right in front of oncoming traffic. The movie Death Race often comes to mind as I travel through Edmonton.
Just yesterday some doofus in a Ram 2500 Diesel pulled right in front of me on that same four-lane highway. He didn’t even wait until the end of the acceleration lane, much less pay any at ten to the Yield sign. Luckily the left lane was empty so I moved over and went past. I don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear he was talking on his cell phone.
Unfortunately, it’s not just cell phone stupidity. As I drove home from lunch I saw that the left turn lane green arrow was on. Cars were in the standard lane, and a huge new Cadillac Escalade was stopped just far enough back that I couldn’t get into the left turn lane. I waited through the entire pretty long cycle, then as traffic began to move, I was able to get into it. I looked over, saw there had been a full empty car length in front of her and decided the woman driving the Cadillac appeared so blank and out of it, she wouldn’t even know how to use a cell phone. 
Occam
I do talk on the phone when driving (to be honest, I’m a chatterbox and I talk all the time, period. lol) but I do not txt. I pull over if I feel the need to respond right away.
While I think talking on a cell phone while driving takes more attention that talking with a passenger, so I’m not particularly for it, if you use a mounted one set to speaker, rather than holding it to your ear, that’s not so bad.
Oh oh, Lee, did you just admit to reading text messages, even if you don’t send them, while you’re driving? Naughty, naughty. :lol:
Occam
According to the Mythbusters driving while talking on the phone is as bad as driving while drunk.
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/cell-phone-vs-drunk-driving-minimyth.htm
That’s when you’re still able to watch the road. People texting while driving are taking that one step further in the wrong direction.
And imagine what it would be like for a drunk driver deciding to call someone on his cell phone.
Occam
And imagine what it would be like for a drunk driver deciding to call someone on his cell phone. Occam"Yah baby it's me, I know you told me to never call when I was drun.....CRASH!"
Perhaps they should do as they have with smoking and drunk driving. Show the aftermath of texting in traffic in all it’s gory glory and publish it widely.
While I think talking on a cell phone while driving takes more attention that talking with a passenger, so I'm not particularly for it, if you use a mounted one set to speaker, rather than holding it to your ear, that's not so bad. Oh oh, Lee, did you just admit to reading text messages, even if you don't send them, while you're driving? Naughty, naughty. :lol: OccamNo, not while driving, while waiting: some stop lights but mostly trains. LOL, if you knew anything at all about Claremore, OK you'd know you can't drive 5 blocks without crossing a train track. I used to love trains before I moved here... now, not so much. :-P
Couple weeks ago a kid in a 10-year-old Cadillac swerved into my lane on a 65 mph four-lane highway near my subdivision. He flipped me off when I honked at him (I had to run onto the shoulder to avoid an accident), then followed me into the parking lot of the corner store and confronted me about my road rage. When I told him to put his damned phone away and pay attention to his driving he denied having been texting even though I clearly saw his thumbs moving about his iPhone's screen. One of the locals I see in the store frequently came over to see what was going on and advised the kid to keep his mouth shut and leave. The kid glanced at his cap which read U.S. Army Ranger - Retired and decided discretion was his best option. Haven't seen the kid since but the retired Ranger and I are now on first-name basis.The kid may well be dead by now. Lois