Put the phone down and drive! (Kansas City, Maryland Heights: home, high school, live)

[Dreadnought]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people out there don't have hands free devices, and drive all over the place holding a phone up to their ear. Two incidents today alone -

#1 I am in the county driving through Maryland Heights and the speed limit is 45 MPH. A work van for a plumbing company is in front of me and he is literally doing 20 MPH. I pass him and look over to see what is going on and he is looking down at his phone texting

#2 This afternoon I was walking through a parking lot when a lady who is driving down the aisles (phone up to her ear) damn near runs over a woman in a crosswalk. So the (almost) victim motions to the driver to get off the phone and drive. At that point the driver gets PISSED and jumps out of her car screaming and cussing ready to fight. It was ridiculous.

The second incident I saw the exact same thing happen in the same parking lot a few months ago.

When will the madness end

[glamatomic]

Yup, I agree that it's ridiculous!

I was stopped at a stoplight a couple of years ago and I noticed the car approaching behind me wasn't slowing down (the driver had his phone up to his ear, of course). I took my foot off the brake to lessen the impact if he hit, and sure enough, he did! I was lucky he didn't push me too far into the intersection!

Mind you, this happened in NC, so people are idiots about being distracted by their phones everywhere.

[flynavyj]

Try riding a motorcycle, the phone/texters are pretty easy to spot as you're approaching them...there's normally a very slight weave to one side of the lane or the other, and the correction is done rather late...from the bike you can see down into about every vehicle and 9/10 they're texting someone. The other action that looks funny are all the people holding a phone to their chin and talking into it...not sure if they're writing a memo, or doing some type of voice recording stuff, but it looks STUPID...


I'm also a firm believer that we've regressed in phone design recently...

1980's - Phones had huge batteries and short life and they were the size of a brick
1990's - Battery life increases, reception increases, phones decrease in size
Early 2000's - Phone's are getting smaller and thinner at an alarming rate, service is better, and battery life is great
Last 5 years - Smart phones rules, battery life be damned!
Currently - I want the largest screen phone, my battery life still sucks, my phone takes better pictures than my camera, and the phone is the size of a brick again...plus, because of the short battery life, I have to plug it in. It's not much different from the original car phones, or the land line. LoL.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

It never ceases to amaze me how many people out there don't have hands free devices, and drive all over the place holding a phone up to their ear. Two incidents today alone -

#1 I am in the county driving through Maryland Heights and the speed limit is 45 MPH. A work van for a plumbing company is in front of me and he is literally doing 20 MPH. I pass him and look over to see what is going on and he is looking down at his phone texting

#2 This afternoon I was walking through a parking lot when a lady who is driving down the aisles (phone up to her ear) damn near runs over a woman in a crosswalk. So the (almost) victim motions to the driver to get off the phone and drive. At that point the driver gets PISSED and jumps out of her car screaming and cussing ready to fight. It was ridiculous.

The second incident I saw the exact same thing happen in the same parking lot a few months ago.

When will the madness end

I live down the street from a local high school and get to watch the kids drive to and from almost everyday. I'd say a vast majority of the kids drive by with their eyes down on the phones. I know it's not just kids but I especially see it with them, which is scary.

[Okey Dokie]

Glad to see Kansas City does not have the monopoly on idiot cell phone drivers in Missouri.

Although I'm of the age that would probably say "HANG UP and drive" vs. "put the phone down" although how long has it been that we actually had a phone you hung up?

[attrapereves]

I firmly believe that it's the conversation itself causing the distraction and not the fact that the driver is not using a handsfree device. Mythbusters tested this theory and found out that driving drunk is just as dangerous as driving while talking.

[breeinmo.]

Just as dangerous as a drunk driver, imo. I wish they'd make something that shut the dang phone off when the car is moving. How did we ever get along with a phone on the wall at home with a party line?

[Hazel W]

Today, they are called black ear rings. :-) And it isn't just driving. They get out of their cars and have to dig out the "black ear ring" before they even get to the store. I watched a man do his grocery shopping that way. No list in his hand. He was going aisle to aisle as whomever he was talking to (his wife?) directed him around and told him what to get. He'd say 'which aisle?'. Then, 'do you want the 6 ounce or the 12 ounce?'.

But then, remember your parents yelling "Get off that phone!" Now they take them outside and you at least don't have to listen to it.

But, while driving, yes. That is dangerous and why hasn't anyone passed a law against it yet? I suppose someone would scream "freedom of speech" and head for Supreme Court.