From my high perch on the highway, the biggest problem from my perspective remains our addiction to our “smartphones.” They present stuff so compelling that we are willing to risk our lives and the lives of others to stay “connected” at all costs.
I was driving in the city recently, using navigation, when the audio cut out and I had to look at my device to see where to turn, etc. It was challenging and my abilities were compromised. On Friday when I was in freeway stop and go traffic, I was amazed at how many people were able to juggle their device while going from zero to 70 and back to zero over and over again without crashing. And yes, I was distracted checking to see who else was distracted in this carbon ballet.
The percentage of folks with a phone in their hand was stunningly high. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that more than 3,300 fatalities and 290,000 injuries in 2022 were directly linked to distracted driving.
On the NHTSA website they note “it’s cell phone use — specifically texting, talking and social media use — the most common distraction. Texting, which includes messaging, is considered the most dangerous type of distracted driving because it combines visual, manual and cognitive distraction.”
I was driving recently and got annoyed with my passenger who had been staring at his phone forever. OK, I was a little jealous but I could have used a little conversation. I tried everything I could to pull his gaze back to reality, going as far as to say that I was seeing a UFO but I couldn’t get him to look up. I was distracted by his distraction.
Distracted Walking: A Growing Problem
Walking is just as bad. People are walking into street lights and traffic because they can’t stop looking, down, down, down. It all looks very important. A recent trend that I’ve seen is Supermodels in Spandex Distractedly Walking on City Streets While Gazing at a Smartphone (SMISDWOCSWGAAS). Cruise any city street and you, too will see SMISDWOCSWGAAS for yourself. Maybe you are a SMISDWOCSWGAAS, I don’t know.
The Idling Car Phenomenon
Another trend I’ve noticed recently is a parked vehicle, idling away, with a gazer in the front seat staring at the phone in air-conditioned comfort. I recently saw five people, crammed into an idling car, everyone texting and staring. The dude in the passenger seat was on a different level, his fingers were flying furiously, maybe playing a game or writing code. I have never seen anyone move so fast while sitting so still. When I walked by 15 minutes later it was still going full blast. I can’t go a block without coming across an idling car with a gazer in the front seat. What about the climate?
The Dangers of Distracted Driving: A Lack of Discrimination
It’s the distracted drivers that are the most dangerous. They do not discriminate. They do it in the rain, the sun, the snow and the wind. Single lane. Four lane. Highway or street. Makes no difference. Glenwood Canyon. Highway 82. Downtown Aspen. Highway 133. Interstate 70.
Who Are the Most Distracted Drivers?
Statistics say the 25- to 34-year-old demographic is the most distracted and accident prone. I believe it but the other demographics are doing their best to keep up.
The Road Rage Factor
And anger? People are pissed off out there and many are willing to use their multi-ton vehicle as a weapon and a teaching tool. Yes, keep right, except to pass but if you are on a four-lane highway and traffic is solid, don’t expect everyone going with the flow in the left lane to just clear an aisle for you. We all want to pass! Zigging in and out of lanes like a crazy person while the rest of us are staying in our lane and staring at our phones seems dangerous. Getting on someone’s bumper does not help. Stay back a few feet!
The Diesel Pickup Truck Menace
People driving large boutique diesel pickup trucks with gun racks, offensive stickers and metal balls hanging off their trailer hitches and tailpipes bigger than your head seem disproportionately guilty of acting like they own the road and all the people on it. They want to gas you. They tailgate and coal roll. They despise electric vehicles.
These are the same fools that leave the rig running while filling up, making sure no one gets a breath of fresh air while they are around. And while they waste fuel for no good reason they complain about the price of gas, blaming everything on Biden, even though we have the cheapest gas in the world and so much freedom that they are free to be complete entitled jerks, 24/7. What is the world coming to?
It's Not Just Guys
Like I said, I’m sure you are a great driver and commiserate with my sentiments. It’s the other guys we are worried about. I guess it would be inappropriate to single out guys, although I’m sure they represent the vast majority of offenders. But my anecdotal observations are finding plenty of soccer moms, female supermodels and senior citizens doing the distraction dance.
The Need for a Distracted Driving Checkpoint
I was traveling through New York recently and I came upon a state patrol seatbelt checkpoint. They gave my passenger a ticket because he had his shoulder strap tucked under his arm. The officer said there was “no tolerance.” Seatbelts save lives, but when it comes to distracted driving we need a checkpoint for that. I’m sure that people will pull right in, cellphone in hand ready to be snared in the dragnet before returning to business as usual.
Put Down the Phone: The Time to Act Is Now
I don’t know about you but I’m setting the phone down. I don’t want to be the one who runs over any SMISDWOCSWGAAS. They are distracting enough as it is.
