When I use my phone to play music, I’m at home. I don’t think my car fits in the lift…
AH! I know you’re joking but this reminds me of one of those horror stories I can’t forget. Out west, guy sets his cruise control to 80 and then falls asleep. He hits a jackknifed tractor trailer which of course takes the top off of his car, him, and his front passenger. A friend is lying down sleeping in the back and survives. I just can’t imagine being that guy, waking up stuck under the trailer with half of your friends in the front.
Dad? Wait - Do you also stick your head out the car window to look straight up at passing planes? (Yes, while driving. D’uh! You can’t get a good look at them if you’re sitting still. :rolleyes:)
I spend any time I’m a passenger in a car with my dad providing a constant narration on road conditions and his driving. And praying. Swearing and praying. He doesn’t text though…
My Grandma seemed to have decided that stop signs were somewhere between “just a suggestion” and nonexistent a full 20 years before she died. Then there was the time she forgot to turn her headlights on… Luckily I only visited her about once a year.
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, and not screaming in terror like his passengers. 
How else can you hit them with a laser?
Half a friend + half a friend still = one whole friend!
So I am bumping this thread to report on yesterday. Driving up the northway at around 70 mph I saw no less than THREE drivers texting while driving.
The first one was in the far left lane, going about 68 mph or so. He veered gently into my lane (I was in the middle), corrected, then veered again, further this time. I gave him a gentle tap on the horn but he didn’t react at all, so I decided I’d feel safer if I passed him. Got up level with him and in the 3-4 seconds that I passed him I could see he was driving, in the left lane, with one hand on the wheel, his cellphone in the other hand, and all of his attention on the cellphone that he was busily texting on.
As I passed him, the woman behind him dropped into my lane, clearly also irritated with his lack of predictability. A few miles later she dropped into the far right lane to take the exit. She caught up to me and as I glanced over - yup, texting! Again eyes not even budging from the phone in the few seconds I saw her.
Last guy was a guy in a van, in the middle lane, doing about 60, also texting. I didn’t get much of a chance to look at him as I passed him (I usually set my cruise to 70 on the 65 mph highway).
I guess the point of my story is a)it’s ubiquitous, and b) people be crazy, yo.
Why would you feel safer with an obviously dangerous driver behind you?
Because then you can just drive away and they’re no longer your problem? I’m confused by the question. I presume she didn’t hang around with him right behind her.
I cycle to work every day along a busy but slow (due to traffic) road. There is a painted cycle lane. The last three times a car has veered into the bike lane have been because the driver was texting. The last time I caught up to the woman in traffic and wagged my finger at her. She wound the window down and asked what the problem was. I told her she had missed me by inches. She didn’t even know. From her accent she was from Western Europe; probably Dutch. She admitted she had been texting and was almost in tears because she said she was pro-cycling and she was so upset at what she had (nearly) done.
That is so bad that I love it.
Plus the texters I’ve seen leave lots of space in front of them “to be safe” - just like drunk drivers. Being in front is a lot safer.
I actually only leave something like two feet between the car in front of me and myself, so it’s in my peripheral vision. This is in stop-start traffic going at a maximum of 30 kmph. And yes, I do read pretty crappy books while driving.
Yeah this. I stayed in the middle lane and no longer had to worry about him veering into my lane. There was traffic, but everyone was moving, so I was able to drive away.
Thin gruel man, thin gruel.
Then again, since apparently you believe your behavior and statement are all you need to fight ignorance, you may glean exactly zero information from reading the linked article.
I must tell you, the mindset of " I do it and I’m right so therefore it is right and you are wrong because you don’t believe I am right and I am allowed to do what I think is right" is not at all how ignorance is fought around here.
And, welcome to The Straight Dope.
:smack:
Sincerely,
Cartooniverse- retired NYS Emergency Medical Technician who has likely pulled more people out of car wrecks than you have. Nitwit.
“Keep right except when passing” is codified.
“Bright lights and tailgating” is illegal, and will get you pulled over by the police if any happen to be around.
Tennessee is all over it
Public Service Announcement:
"Craig Settler, 27, of East Loser was killed in his car yesterday.
The crash happened at 13:23. According to his cell provider, the following texts were sent by Mr. Settler in the preceding 5 minutes:
{date/timestamp, sent/received flag, actual text that was damned important that he died to send/receive}".
Screw privacy: this is a Public Health issue.
Maybe, just maybe, one or two kids will get the idea that the “Is this all THAT important?” question embedded in their minds BEFORE they get behind a wheel.
If we end up with a generation which considers quiet a sign of extreme distress, we should probably allow these idiots first dibs on self-driving cars - as long as the “cars” are pods which cannot harm people in real cars (which will be restricted to people who CAN live without constant chatter).
I thought I was about to be proved a genius one day last week. On my way to work I came up behind a woman driving just under the limit in the fast lane. As I passed he in the center lane I saw that she was looking down at her lap. I was indicating to change lanes in front of her but changed my mind and stayed in the center lane. She went zooming off toward the stationary cars in front of her with no sign of any braking. I was getting my story ready to tell at work when she slammed on her brakes and screeched to a halt. She at least had the sense to get off the road to complete her call/message.