Cell Phones and Driving

I used to be of the mindset that as long as a person would watch the road, it would be perfectly alright to use a cell phone and drive. Well, I had a sudden change of mind during a recent trip to New York.

While driving along I-95, I noticed people slowing down, swerving in and out of lanes, driving way too slow in the passing lane (the lane farthest to the left for those who drive in that lane and chill) and just doing some wacky driving to be on the interstate. On the way back home, someone almost sideswiped my truck. I was not sure if it was because of cell phone usage or sleeping because it was late when we returned.

After the first couple of occurances, I was sort of shocked. The car in front of me slowed down and the speed limit was 65 mph. As I passed and peered into the car, the driver was talking on a cell phone. The next occurance was a car full of people in a car in the passing lane driving around 45 mph. Once again, I peered into the vehicle and to my naive, surprise, the driver was on a cell phone. I began to notice a pattern.

I believe that we drive to get to our destination, so when I am behind the wheel, I drive. I use my cell phone, but I do not engage in long conversations, and I really focus on driving. I may even pull off to the side of the road if necessary, but I have come to realize that DRD (driving while distracted) can be a real problem, especially on the interstate.

Several states are enacting laws for this very reason. Distracted drivers can present a real problem and wreck a quick trip, or family vacation, or kids on their way to school.