Fork truck + Texting + Concrete Wall

Legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog made this powerful short documentary on the horrific cost of texting while driving.

 
I have chosen to live near enough to work to be able to walk or ride a bike as a daily routine for the last 18 years. Every day on my way to the shipyard I watch people act inconsiderately about my safety as I dash through the lighted crosswalks and driveway approaches. Apparently, being a pedestrian makes me a peon whose life isn't worth lifting a heavy foot off of the accelerator for. I think that 1 in 5 drivers I see are doing something with their phone. The combat vet part of me wants to punch through the window and wedge those smartphones somewhere uncomfortable, somewhere where it would take surgery to remove. Yet I smile and refrain, and walk my ridiculously vulnerable self across the zebra stripes as quickly as possible. Please drive safely.
 
Before smart phones came out, people were crashing their cars while they were fiddling with the radio, drinking, eating, brushing hair, putting on make-up and yelling at their kids. When I took drivers ed, one of the things we had to do was to use a map to navigate to a destination - does anyone else remember how much fun it was to use a 24"x36" paper paper map while you were driving? Good times!

Blame the workman, not the tool.
Yep, I remember back in the 70's, in Chicago area, not sure if it was the state, or Chicago, but they had a big debate over outlawing radios in cars. Too many teenagers messing with the radio, and causing accidents.

I understand all states have distracted driving laws, Why not enforce them? I don't have a problem with a driver using a cell phone on the highway with no traffic around. Why should that be an automatic ticket, yet another driver talking like crazy on the CB is ok?

20+ years of driving truck, I may have not seen it all, but nothing would surprise me anymore.



Yea, I see the police on their phones, and laptops all the time.
About ten years ago, the city I lived in in Pa, passed a law banning cell phones while driving, but also specifically exempted police. Several of the council members asked what special training the police received that made them better, they never got a response. Another asked ordinary citizens could not get the same training, to be allowed to operate a cell phone while driving.

I'm so glad to be away from the East coast, and not driving truck every day.
 
We're in Saigon at present. You'd be surprised seeing Mom on a motorcycle, with 3 kids hanging on, a baby between her legs, texting in this crazy traffic. I've been coming here almost 20 years, and still haven't figured out which are the red lights you run, and why you can run those lights.
 
Sounds like it hasn't changed a whole lot since I was there in '69 (wearing a funny green "suit").
 
Thanks for your service! Just more traffic. Less bicycles, more motorcycles, Bentleys, MB,BMW, Porsche, Ferrari added to the mix. Oh - did spot a (really nice) '68 Mustang.
 
A slightly different take. Today, it is too easy to drive a car. Its simple to drive down the freeway with your knee steering or a one finger operation. Maybe we need to eliminate power steering, automatic transmissions, and all the other "convenience" features. Keep the safety features (seat belts, air bags, unibody design), just remove those features that make the car "easier" to drive, forcing the drive to stay focused. Yeah, that's gonna happen. Oh, well........
 
A slightly different take. Today, it is too easy to drive a car. Its simple to drive down the freeway with your knee steering or a one finger operation. Maybe we need to eliminate power steering, automatic transmissions, and all the other "convenience" features. Keep the safety features (seat belts, air bags, unibody design), just remove those features that make the car "easier" to drive, forcing the drive to stay focused. Yeah, that's gonna happen. Oh, well........


I recently read that someplace in Europe, the local authorities have decided to remove all the stop signs, lights and other signs that regulate
traffic flow, which FORCES the drivers to pay attention and think about their driving. The result has been a significant reduction in traffic
accidents. What a concept: expecting people to be responsible for their actions.
 
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