Cell Phones and Driving: A Crash I Witnessed

Cell Phones! Remember the days of no cell phones? We could take showers without interruption, eat a meal without watching our kids texting, and grocery shop without someone calling to add to our list! Also, remember the days of not being able to call for help to change a tire on that shortcut back road?

Who ever thought that our grandparents would become savvy and carry cell phones?

One afternoon this past winter while driving outside of Port Washington Wisconsin on a rural road I noticed that the car in front of me was driving erratically. I watched as it sped up, then slowed way down - and occasionally weaved across the center line. I could also see that the driver was talking on a cell phone in a very animated way - laughing - waving the non-cell hand (so which knee was driving the car right?) and also talking to the passenger. There was a car seat in the backseat but I could not see if there was a child in it. We were driving approximately 45 mph., and approaching a curve - which the driver did not even notice! I watched as the car drove straight into a beautiful, large pine tree. It seemed in slow motion (don't they always say that?) -- the car seemed to climb up the tree a few feet before stopping - still hanging in the air - apparently wedged into the tree trunk.

As there were no shoulders on this country road I stopped right in the land and ran to the other car.

There were two young ladies in the front seat - and the driver was STILL ON THE PHONE!!! In the back seat was a child - approximately a year old - crying and rubbing his little eyes. Finally - the driver hung up the phone when she saw me on mine - calling 911! Immediately I heard her say that they had not been speeding and she had no idea what had happened! Apparently she had no idea that the distraction of the cell phone had probably caused the accident. The woman in the passenger side had hit her head on the dashboard and had a nasty cut - the driver had apparently bruised her arm on the steering wheel - or perhaps broke it. The air bags never deployed! (Never heard that Ford recall did you??)

As the police arrived, waiting for an ambulance, I stood back and listened while they gave their statement. I was tempted to leave - not get involved - not tell what I had witnessed. If I did that - how long would it be before this driver caused another accident and possibly hurt or killed an innocent person/family? Ok. I decided to stay and tell my version.

While I was talking to the officer I was able to watch the reactions of the two ladies - and could see they were aggravated, no - MAD - at my telling the cell phone part of the accident! When I was through the officer took a moment to tell all of us a few statistics regarding cell phones and accidents. The ambulance attendants were examining the child - and stabilizing the passengers head injury while he talked. We were told that each year over 2500 deaths are caused by cell phone use related accidents. Over 350,000 injuries are caused by same. The reflexes of these mid 20 year old ladies are comparable to a 65-70 year old when driving while using a cell phone.

I was shocked by these numbers, -- but it was apparently the girls were not impressed. They were both on their cell phones before the officer completed his lecture - and I could hear them complaining about us "old people" yelling at them and not understanding. I found out that they were friends from college and the child was the son of the lady on the passenger side - an unwed mom.

They had no thoughts of what could have happened in that moment when they hit the tree. No concern for the child in the backseat. I heard no "what-ifs" - such as another car coming from the other way, or if they had hit an icy patch in the road, as it was winter... no remorse at all.

Maybe I am an old person because I believe in driving with both eyes on the road.

Oh - yea - let's not forget text messaging while driving! I don't even want to get started on that! I tried it once and I was a road hazard to be sure!

What did I learn from this experience? You can teach an old dog new tricks - from now on if I must take that call - I will pull over. Perhaps others will learn this same lesson without suffering a loss.

Somewhere north of Milwaukee Wisconsin there is an older model Ford with a tree-shaped dent in the front end. Head the other way if you see it coming towards you - the driver is an accident waiting to happen!

Blue