If U Txt While U Drv U Dserv A Tckt

True Story:

The year was 1988, and then I was working as a pharmaceutical sales representative for the now defunct Upjohn Company. As my territory was the greater Hartford, CT area, I would spend a great deal of the day in my car, circumnavigating Routes 84 and 91, the two major highways that intersect in the capital city. One morning when the traffic on I-84 was particularly jammed, where cars were crawling along at a 5-10 mph clip for several miles, I glanced over at a car to my right. In the car was a guy who was professionally dressed in a suit and tie. However- no word of a lie- in his lap he had a tv tray that had a plate with his breakfast on it (scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc.). He was eating his breakfast and taking sips of his commuter-mug coffee in between bites. But best of all, with the same hand he was using to steer, he was also holding up a half-unfolded Hartford Courant against the steering wheel, reading its contents! I initially laughed out loud after seeing such a freakish sight, but the more I reflected upon it, I was disturbed. How could someone show such reckless abandon toward attentive driving? Never in my wildest dreams could I ever envision a scenario where such distraction would become commonplace.

Flash forward 22 years to last night. I was in my hometown, picking up some take out food for the family. I was parked on Main Street, and I needed to cross the street to get to the restaurant, thus I made my way to the crosswalk. As I started to cross in the walkway, a car sped by, not appropriately yielding, and it missed me by 5 or 6 feet. I looked at the driver and affixed to this young man's ear were his hand and cell phone as he was deep in conversation, seemingly oblivious to me on the well-lit road.

The sad reality is that this is definitely NOT the first time that this has happened to me, a member of my family, or a friend. The amount of distracted driving that occurs is downright staggering. There is not a single day that while I am heading home on Route 95 that I don't see a scene that looks like this:

It is common to see a driver with the cell phone nestled at the top of the steering wheel, so the driver can attempt to text and steer simultaneously. Others try (unsuccessfully) to be more clandestine, so they text with their phones on their laps, occasionally looking up to survey the road. I've seen this in all walks of life: teenagers, adults, truck drivers- you name it. Sadly, I'm sure all of you reading this posting can attest to the same.

So I believe it is welcoming news that Massachusetts became the 30th state this week to enact a law banning texting while driving. If caught by police texting and driving, the driver will face a fine of $100 for the first offense. If the driver is under 18, the ban is applicable to not only texting but also cell phone usage. For these 16 and 17 year old drivers, the first offense will result in not only a $100 fine, but also loss of license for 60 days and attendance at a mandatory retraining course.

It is a shame that we must legislate what should be common sense. With statistics like nearly 6,000 deaths resulting in the US and 400 crashes in Massachusetts in 2008 due to distracted driving, sometimes some folks need to be saved from themselves....