A Society Driven to Distraction
Department of Census photo
It was about four years ago that I got a call that a good friend had been killed while riding his Harley on a two-lane road in Maryland. He had been hit head-on by a pickup truck that had swerved into his lane. He died instantly.
According to witnesses, the driver of the truck – a young woman – was dialing her cell phone and not paying attention.
Since then, this sort of story has been repeated over and over and over … thousands of times … in the U.S. And, I wonder whether we, as a society, will ever connect the dots between cell phone usage in vehicles, and the rapidly escalating rate of traffic crashes.
Some states ban using a cell phone in a moving vehicle unless it’s with a hands-free earpiece. But, enforcement is spotty. I returned from New York a few weeks ago on one of those low-priced buses, Vamoose Bus, and the driver, who told me he was a former cop, used his cell phone regularly while driving through New Jersey, a state where such use is banned unless used with a hands-free device. The bus driver did not use hands-free. Each time he tried to dial with one hand while driving with the other, the bus swerved. Damn, I thought, and there are no seat belts in the bus.
I know some guys with one of those infamous Washington lobbying firms who brag that they killed an effort in Virginia to ban the use of cell phones in moving vehicles unless used with a hands-free device, especially on the densely traveled I-95 corridor. I thought they had no ethics.
Cell phone use in moving vehicles is banned in Washington, D.C., but not enforced. Everyone knows the cops are the biggest violators so, friends say, why should anyone else abide by the law?
According to the online site, Cellular-News, cell phone use is banned and enforced in most other countries around the world. But, in the U.S. … well, just watch out for that pickup truck headed straight at you in your lane …
Category: Personal notes
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I’m a frequent traveler with Vamoose and I know that their policy is that drivers are not suppose to talk on their cell phones even in states that have not imposed cell phone bans yet. They’ve actually fired a driver for refusing to stop talking on the phone.
If I’m a passenger on that bus, I would go up to the driver and ask him to put down the phone or I would call in to complaint. I’ve actually had once that the driver stopped chatting 2 minutes after I called the office to complaint…
Kevin,
Thanks for your comment. You make a good point. I was sitting directly behind the driver in the first row, and probably should have said something. But he shared with me that he was a former cop from New York and was actually quitting that night, saying he didn’t like the way he’d been treated. I thought it wise not to protest or engage him further in conversation.
David
Hi David,
Cellphone use should be banned when one is driving; including the use of headphones. The point is one gets distracted by the conversation, not the phone itself.
I worked for this company a while ago. They treat their employees very well but they are firm when it comes to safety standards, which includes the use of cellphones by the drivers. I don’t know who this driver was, but perhaps that is the reason he was leaving. I guess if he cannot abide by the law, it is best that he does not continue in this line of work.
I believe cellphone use was allowed in certain counties in MD but that might have changed.
Lawrence,
Thank you for taking the time to write. I completely agree with you … that cell phone use should be banned when driving.
David
On July 31st, my Father was run over by a truck backing up in a parking lot behind the Balducci’s on New Mexico Avenue close to AU in Washington, DC. My Father was walking to his car. There were other pedestrians in the parking lot including elderly and a women with her two small children. When my Father walked past the truck the truck was stationary. The helper of the truck got in and joined the driver. He backed out (against the arrows, he took a short cut and the backed out instead of driving forward). His speed upon impact was about 4 mph. Fast for a truck that size. I tried it in a car and it felt uncomfortable for me. When he struck my Father he went under the truck and started to scream for the truck to stop. The screams were heard everywhere. A person INSIDE the building more that 85 Ft. away heard the screaming and was the first to call 911. The Detective told me the driver didn’t hear anything. He said he just felt a bump and thought it was a pot hole. He didn’t stop until they saw him in front of the truck.Something was distracting that driver. I asked the Detective if he had pulled the cell phone records. He said that he asked the drivers lawyer for the records but she said that she wouldn’t give it to him. The District Attorney closed the case. My Father is dead and the driver is out there as if nothing happened. Not even a blemish on his drivers record. I know that I can get the records if I sue, which I will probably have to do since my Father was the primary care giver for my Mother who is disabled. But that’s not the point. It should be part of the criminal investigation if its part of the law. It’s possible that he wasn’t on the phone and he’s just a negligent driver. But if he was it is an example that needs to get out there so people are aware of the repercussions of cell phone use in a vehicle. I need whatever help I can get. If you have any suggestions for me please let me know. I am my Fathers only voice. Sincerely, Angela Samii