Hang Up and Drive

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that automobile drivers are far less attentive to the road when talking on a cell phone. Study after legitimate study has proven it. It is common logic that our driving is impaired when engaged in a conversation with a wireless companion.

Yet, when I find myself honking at another vehicle slowly drifting into my lane, or weaving from the center line to the side marker, or slowing down and speeding up erratically, 80 to 90 percent of the time, they are on a cell phone, oblivious to their surroundings.

I have followed them for miles, driving well below the speed limit in the passing lane. I've seen them travel for long distances with the turn signal flashing monotonously, endlessly, until they turn the opposite direction. I've witnessed workmen hauling a trailer behind their pickup trucks, shifting gears, munching on a bag of fries, and talking on their cell phones.

Wake up people! The verdict is in. Lives have been lost. Millions of dollars of damage has been done. And yet, the cell phone talk goes on. We see it daily, often minute by minute while driving to work. Why do we allow it? Recent studies have shown that talking on a cell phone causes as many accidents as falling asleep at the wheel.

I applaud those who pull over to a shoulder or a parking lot to talk. They deserve our thanks for not putting our lives (and their own) at risk for something that can be put off for a few minutes, if not a few hours. Remember the days when we kept change in ash tray and looked for a pay phone, if we really needed to call home to retrieve messages? We waited minutes, and sometimes hours. We scheduled our time accordingly. Is it so hard to wait another five minutes to make that call?

I'm fully aware that there are other serious distractions to driving, such as eating, adjusting the radio, reaching for an item in the passenger seat, and talking to the children in the back seat. But seriously, do those activities carry on for miles and miles? Rarely. A cell phone conversation can cause you to think about previous encounters with your connected party. Maybe it was personal, maybe it was a business order. Whatever it was, it can wait to be recalled when you are not driving a two ton killing machine.

As a society, we seem to have adopted the attitude that it's our God-given right to use our cell phones whenever we want to. After all, we pay the monthly fees, and that endows us with the power to use them in car, in the checkout line, walking down the street, and in the classroom. I dare say that many use their cell phones, often and in public, to look and feel more important than they really are. To that minority I say, impress me by getting to know yourselves. Then maybe you won't need to pump yourself up with busy, busy phone conversations.

There is even another theory that divides cell phone users (and society) into two categories - single task people, and multi-taskers. The multi-taskers claim that it's the single task oriented folks on cell phones that are the problem, that they have trouble concentrating on more than one thing at a time. However, most multi-tasking personalities can only handle three to four sensory inputs before losing efficiency with the primary task at hand. What it really boils down to is that no matter which category you fall into, your primary job in the the car is driving the car. End of argument.

To those whose lives are so busy that the only time they can catch up on calls is in the car, I say prioritize and re-evaluate what's truly important.

To those who feel that talking on the cell phone is a right because they pay the monthly fees, I say that five dollars a month in pocket change to check home messages is a lot cheaper than forty dollars a month tied to a two year contract.
($40 x 24 = $960) = (2 or 3 car payments) = (multiple tanks of gas) = (vacation money)

To those who are rude enough to continue talking when dealing with others, (friends, cashiers, etc,) I say that you need to get over yourselves.

To those who insist that a cell phone is the only way to keep track of the kids, I say that your kids will not be traumatized if they have to wait two minutes for you to pull the car off of the road and talk safely.

Common courtesy and concern for your fellow human being = Hang Up and Drive!