From Seattle comes word that a 53-year-old man was paying too much attention to his BlackBerry while “driving” his mini-van to notice that traffic was at a dead stop in front of him. Angels apparently prevented this story from becoming a tragedy because no one was injured when he set off a chain reaction that included three other cars and a Seattle Community Transit bus.
Using a cell phone or hand-held device like a BlackBerry is No. 5 on the Washington state list of driver distractions to look for when investigating accidents. The list also includes drunken driving, excessive speed and drugs, so you have some idea of the level of weight the state troopers place on this particular distraction.
How many times have you seen it, even in cities where this kind of activity is prohibited?
Someone is zipping down Lake Shore Drive glancing down at the numbers on a cell phone, fooling with an iPod, adjusting this, preening or leaning into the rearview mirror to make certain the eyeliner is going where it belongs.
These are frightening experiences because they reflect the fact that the driver in question really doesn’t understand what a couple of thousand pounds of steel going at, say 45 m.p.h., can do when it hits a stationary object, perhaps stalled traffic ahead.
The police have enough to do already so we’re not advocating a new “ban distractions” campaign in Illinois.
But as long as we’re taking seriously our responsibility to teach children how to drive safely, we should understand that we teach best when we set an example.
Put your makeup on at home. Make the call later. Maybe even pass on sipping coffee at 50 m.p.h., as ghastly as that sacrifice might seem in the morning. If your steering wheel were a clock, your hands should be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., all the time, even as your eyes should be on the road.
After all, there is no guarantee that angels will be at work when your own particular distraction puts you and everyone else in harm’s way.
