Mad And Showing It–Cell Phones And Cars
Posted by: From Arkansas in It's A Rant on Sep 26 2008
Welcome back!
I admit it, this is a rant, pet peeve of mine. Before I get too far into this rant, I also will admit that I have done this a couple of times myself. However, since I noticed what I am about to tell you, I have ceased and desisted. What am I talking about? Cell phones in the hands of someone driving down the road. These people have no clue how dangerous they have become. No clue whatsoever. There was a time when I thought the ugliest thing on the planet was someone with a cigarette in their mouth while driving. And now, I have a new one. Sigh
Before I get hate comments, just hear me out. Every time I go out in the car, I see someone with a cell phone up to an ear. There are so many things wrong with this practice. Want a list? Okay, here ya go:
1) People who are on cell phones drive as if they had not ever learned how to drive. Case in point. A woman with a cell phone in her ear was trying to park next to me at the grocery store. This is not difficult. Drive FORWARD. She could not get her big pickup into the space because she was too busy talking…and talking….and talking on her cell phone. She apparently cannot turn the wheel of the truck while using her other hand to hold a cell phone. She had to back up and try again almost hitting our car.
2) People who are on cell phones drive slower than they usually do. How hard is it to figure out that they are distracted with the oh-so-important call that they are slowing down but are unaware of the fact. Older people are even worse about this than younger ones.
3) People who are on cell phones drive as if they have no idea where they are headed. Case in point. A man who was on a cell phone seemed to be trying to find a place to park or turn around. He looked quite confused and drove off the street, cut back onto the street in a rather violent fashion. Eventually, we were able to get around him without getting in an accident. I have no idea if he survived the day.
4) People who are on cell phones have no clue about emergency vehicles. They are too distracted to listen or see such vehicles. Hopefully, a cop will pull them over before they kill someone in the emergency vehicle or someone trying to do the right thing by pulling over, something the cell user does not do.
5) People who are on cell phones do not look in the rear view mirror. If you combine the slow driving, the distracted attitude and the fact that they do not look in the rear view mirror, they do not know another car is there who is in a bigger hurry than they are. This is a recipe for an accident.
6) People who are on cell phones do not look when they pull out into traffic. Case in point. Today, I was headed to the doctor’s office when some jerk with a cell in the ear did not stop at the stop sign, pulled out in front of my car and slowed down because he was too busy talking, talking, talking. I had to swerve to avoid him. He had no idea.
7) People who are on cell phones are in a hurry so they drive too closely behind cars. It’s called TAILGATING and it’s illegal. It is also dangerous but what the heck. One more dangerous practice won’t hurt, right? WRONG! It can kill.
8 ) People who are on cell phones cause road rage. Due to the stupidness of driving with a cell phone in the ear, the other guy who wants to drive safely gets angry when the cell user drives in a dangerous manner. The strange part of this is that, often, the road rage guy is just as guilty of doing the same thing but gets angry when someone else does it. That guy is usually the arrogant jerk who thinks he is the only one who can safely drive with a cell phone in his ear. Yeah right.
And I do not even want to talk about those blasted phones in the ears that keep your hands free. Those are actually worse because now you can’t even see that the person is being dangerous because you can’t see the stupid phone in their hands. It’s bad enough to feel stupid and foolish when you come across someone talking away in a store and react to that thinking they might be talking to you, then find out they weren’t talking to you at all but to a cell that you can’t see. It’s stuck in their ear. Yes, it brings a new meaning to stick it in your ear. However, I am ready to tell every single person who practices the extreme STUPIDITY of driving with a cell phone stuck to their ear what they can do with the phone and themselves. It’s a dark, dark place where that cell phone and the jerks with them should go. There is NO EXCUSE for this. I do realize that sometimes people are going to find reasons why this is okay but it is not. It is stupid, STUPID, STUPID and dangerous.
There are more things but you get the idea. If this is you, SHAME ON YOU!!! You are endangering the lives of yourself and others while you are talking on a cell phone. In some states and cities, it is illegal to do this practice. In others, it should be illegal. I am furious that people have so little regard for human life that they think it is okay to endanger other people for their own selfish needs. And it SELFISH. All you have to do is PULL OVER and STOP. Then talk away. Who cares? But when you endanger my family, you are causing me to go against you. It’s that simple.
Now, if you happen to be one of those people who think that this is all about someone else and not you since you are the exception, you are lying to yourself. You are not the exception. You are the jerk I was having to swerve away from today. You are the idiot I had to stop short behind because you were too distracted to notice me. You are the moron who tailgated behind me risking my husband’s life and mine. You are the stupid woman who’s truck almost crashed into my car because you can’t drive and talk at the same time. If you are not getting the picture, that’s sad. Just understand this. YOU ARE NOT THE EXCEPTION. YOU ARE A LOUSY DRIVER WITH A CELL PHONE IN YOUR EAR. Get a clue!!! NOW before you hurt or kill someone.
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4 Comments
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I agree with you. I, too, have had to avoid the person who should not be driving. There is one time when I kept the cell phone at my ear. There was an extremely old woman driving very erratically down the road. She almost pushed other cars off the road and did not stop to check it out. I followed her and talked to 911. I explained what she was doing, where she was going. I explained that I was driving, and at that moment, they did not say any thing except to ask me to give her license number and car description. Otherwise, I do my best to get off of the road or hand the phone to the other person in the car until I am off the road. Yes, cell phones can save lives, or the stupidity of those using them at the wrong time can take lives.
Yes, perhaps in an emergency that works. I wasn’t really thinking of such a time but you are right. That would be appropriate but I cannot believe that most of the people I have seen with cell phones were dealing with an emergency such as you described.
I did talk on a cell phone a couple of times when I was in the car going down the road. Since I started thinking about this and noticing how different people drive when using a cell phone, I have stopped doing that myself. My husband is with me almost all the time. He does the talking on the phone when we are in the car.
Thank you for pointing out one time that it would be right to be on the phone while moving. Other than that, it would be very rare for anyone to need to be on the phone.
And thank you for your comments!!
I thought it was against the law in almost any state to drive and use the cell phone, what gives?
Tillys last blog post..Stoup
Actually, I have not looked that up about the laws in all states but I would be willing to bet that many states or cities do have the laws for that.
What gives is that most people are too interested in their own selfish needs to worry about laws and people’s lives.
Thank you for your comment and question.