You Can Do It - Put the Phone Down

I might be a bit more old-fashioned than the average person when it comes to cell phones in general. First, I must admit that I don't have a smart phone. Yes, still. I do understand that new phone technology is amazing and entertaining, but I'm still surprised to see two (or sometimes more) people at the same table in a restaurant on their cell phones - neither one interacting with each other, but instead, the invisible person at their fingertips. Granted, it's probably easier for most to stay connected than it would be for me on my stone-age cell that might as well have a rotary dial compared to all of the things Siri can do.

I may think it's strange, but ultimately, it's your own choice if you want to sit in a room full of people and talk to someone else. But there's one phone offense that I'm becoming more fed up with by the minute: using it while you drive. It doesn't matter if you're texting, talking or checking your email, I am of the opinion that it's not safe. I'll admit I'm guiltily of talking and driving on long stretches home, but I've come to the conclusion that (at least in my place of residence) both hands are required. So, if you call or text me and I'm in my car... be prepared to wait. You'll have to wait until I get to wherever I'm going or until a nice, long stop light.

When I tried to look up statistics on phone use while driving, I was actually surprised that the vast majority of sites and articles are directed at teens. It makes sense, I guess. Teenagers are notorious for texting in general, and many of them are also learning to drive. It's important to establish safe driving habits from the beginning; I get that. My surprise comes from the fact that, when I get cut off by someone in traffic and then pass that person, they are almost always on the phone and almost never a teenager. They are adults. Commuting to or from work, taking their families to games, meetings, appointments. They look like they're texting, but if I had to guess, I would say it's email. Either way, I think they should know better.

There are lots of websites offering facts and figures on how texting and driving isn't safe. It slows your reaction times, it makes you less aware, it's even compared to drunk driving. I understand that most of these sites are biased - dedicated to keeping people from talking or texting while driving (someone should really address the email issue...) but no one could convince me that it's safe. I still can't believe it's not illegal in more places. Right now in Texas, the only place you can't text and drive is in a school zone. I could be wrong, but I'd guess kids are more likely to be vulnerable to cars playing in their own neighborhoods, where texting and driving is just fine according to the law.

Next time you think about picking up your phone while you're cruising down the freeway, ask your self this question: Have I ever chosen to avoid someone on the road because I saw they were on their phone? I sure have. If I need to get into another freeway lane, and I see the person that would be behind me is texting, am I going to get in front of them? Not a chance. So what makes you any safer under those conditions?