Arrive alive. Don't text and drive.
A SLOGAN AGAINST DISTRACTED DRIVING
Recently, my state enacted a law mandating hands free driving. It began with warning tickets but now will cost people fines and points off of their licenses. I wholeheartedly support this law and pray that the cops enforce it vigorously. I thought most people would share my opinion on this, but I was wrong. A glance through the combox comments on articles and videos announcing the new law shows a litany of idiots crying and whining about the "injustice" of the law. These fools believe they have a God given right to play on their phones behind the wheel and endanger everyone else on the road including themselves. It truly boggles the mind.
This country has a serious problem with smartphone addiction. Before my accident, I drove a truck for my day job. From that perch, I could see down into the interior of every vehicle that passed me on the left side. I calculated that every third driver had a phone in his or her hand texting and driving. I would blow the horn at these people, but it made no difference. They just keep tapping away at the screens at 70+ miles per hour.
I remember driving to work one day and glancing in the rear view mirror at the driver behind me on her iPhone. It was directly in front of her face. All I saw was that Apple logo and prayed that God would spare me my life. She never dropped the phone, and I was thankful to get away from her.
The idiot who hit me and put me in the hospital was almost certainly playing on his phone. I suspect he was in a rush to score some opioids from his drug contact that he was texting with on Facebook messenger. He used his Facebook page to declare me at fault despite the testimony of the two witnesses he almost killed before he hit me. I estimate he was flying along at 90 mph while texting and eating Chick-fil-A. A year or so later, he posted a meme on his Facebook account making fun of his distracted driving habit. Gentle Reader, these are the sorts of idiots who are sharing the road with you and your family members. Somehow, we are supposed to respect their "freedom."
You can Google the stats but distracted driving has been blamed for 8% of all traffic fatalities last year. I suspect the actual number is higher because people lie, and it is difficult to prove distracted driving especially when law enforcement doesn't care to investigate. Additionally, law enforcement are some of the worst offenders when it comes to distracted driving. I remember reading a story recently of a cop that ran over a woman on the beach and killed her while playing on his phone. His life is ruined.
I consider distracted driving to be worse than driving under the influence. The drunk driver still has his eyes on the road and is trying not to get caught. I don't know what it is going to take to make this country embrace common sense on this matter. We are at the point where stupidity has taken on deadly consequences. The smartphone needs to find a place alongside alcohol and tobacco as a dangerous thing. Until then, I do my part to raise awareness on this. My life has already been ruined by one of these idiots. I pray that the idiocy stops.
End Distracted Driving
