Driving While Distracted

You might be aware that I can pontificate about fools behind the wheel all day. Back in my day, we were taught how we might identify a drunk driver:

1. Driving very slowly
2. Weaving in and out of the lane

We were taught to hang back and get away from these people. Of course, I always preferred to pass them up, if at all possible. Whatever.

These days, if someone is driving very slowly and weaving in and out of the lane, take a look. I actually counted and of the last 10 times I have seen a clearly distracted driver, eight times the driver was talking on a cell phone. One was an old man that literally had oxygen tubes coming out of his nose. The last was just a middle aged guy in a BMW.

MSN has reported something we all knew..it doesn't matter if you are hands free or not. Although the reporter calls cell phone drivers out for speeding. Hm. Anyway, here was the point:

We should be shocked and appalled that a seven-year-old recommendation by National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration that drivers not use cell phones — not even hands-free — only surfaced Tuesday.

She is blaming the "long reach of the cell phone industry", for the fact that the safety advocates are getting nowhere.

So please, please do your part. Put down the phone and drive the car.