cell phones can be a hazard

 Every time I see folks here in East Tennessee talking or texting in their cars I shake my head in amazement. What’s so darned important that it can’t wait until the driver gets to his/her destination? Is anything so urgent that it justifies putting the lives of others in danger while you struggle to push the tiny buttons on the tiny phone?

Just last week, I was headed to Knoxville on Chapman Highway when a small pickup truck jumped from the left lane to the right lane right in front of me. Now, I was doing 45 mph but had to slow down to 30 when the truck pulled in front. I figured maybe the driver was lost, so I pulled into the left lane to avoid this nuisance. But then, amazingly, the truck pulled in front of me in the left lane, still driving at 30 mph. I thought I’d go around him on the right, but by then traffic had so built up that the line of cars was zooming, by making it impossible to move over.

I stayed in the left lane, figuring I’d switch as soon as that lane cleared a bit. By then, the guy in the truck was becoming even more erratic, pulling into the turn lane and back out. I looked to the heavens and asked, “Why me?” Then came the topper. The big shopping center with the Kroger came up, and the pickup truck signaled for a left, only he couldn’t get into the lane because other cars were already in the turn lane.

So what does this driving genius do? In the left lane, he pulls in front of the waiting truck, halfway into the turn lane, and just sits and waits, bringing the left Lane to a complete stop.

I finally had the chance to eye this careless driver. He was a middle-aged guy, with his middle-aged female companion chattering at him. But that wasn’t the problem, I think. The problem was that his other ear was attached to a cell phone. No wonder he wasn’t paying attention.

You might say that the state has no business telling people what they can and can’t do in their cars. You probably also don’t think seat belt use should not be legislated and motorcycle helmets are really not necessary.

I think the restriction on cell phone use for texting or talking while driving is a good measure that will cut down on the carnage on our roads. We Americans already do a pretty efficient job of playing highway bumper cars without adding the distraction of the cell phone.

As for our kids, who have discovered that texting is a good substitute for talking everywhere all the time, I would not be adverse to having police arrest any kid caught with a cell phone in his/her car. Period.

For the record, it’s just not cell-phone users who pose a road hazard. There’s also the mascara-appliers, the coffee guzzlers, the newspaper and novel readers, etc. I was once behind a driver who was shaving while driving.

Cell phones are a good addition to our arsenal of modern conveniences, no doubt about it. They keep us connected and help us as we juggle the complexities of modern life. We just need to be more careful about where, when and how we use them.

What do you think of using cell phones will driving? E-mail Calderon at editor@seymourherald.com. Just don’t text him, please.