You’ve seen them: Motorists oblivious to the traffic and people and immovable objects around them, chit-chatting on their cell phone, as they blow through a red light, as they nearly take out the stopped car in front of them, as they awkwardly arch their heads to hug a tiny cell phone to their face when they’re forced to use both hands on a tough turn.
That’s why God gave us two hands, people; to safely control the steering wheel of automobiles — well, OK, one of the reasons God gave us two hands.
It’s about paying attention. It’s about devoting all of your awareness to the road ahead, behind and beside you. It’s a vitally important full-time job, and one that shouldn’t be impacted by unnecessary distractions.
Maybe the real lesson here is that cell phones and driving don’t mix, or shouldn’t mix. It’s no secret that texting and driving is a dangerous practice that far too many drivers are taking part in.
Just this week came word of a recent government survey telling us what we already suspected: More than half of high school seniors admitted they text while driving.
In North Carolina, if they do that — or any motorist — they are breaking the law. It’s a good law.
Texting and cellphone use behind the wheel is “a national epidemic,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday.
“We need to teach kids, who are the most vulnerable drivers, that texting and driving don’t mix,” LaHood said at a Washington news conference.
Multitasking is better left for times when you’re not behind the wheel of a metal chassis that weighs 4,000 pounds and is capable to exceeding 100 mph.
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