By Princess B. Abuluyan
While I was driving this morning, I could not help but notice in the rear view mirror, the woman driving in the car behind me. She was a car’s distance away from me, but she was also happily chit-chatting away on her cell phone.
I glance at the time, it shows 8:32. Who is this woman talking to? Who knows?
There are cars everywhere—that’s for sure. It’s the usual blanket of cars that cover the streets traveling through slow bumper to bumper traffic to their destinations.
I’m thinking, “Woman, this is not the time to be talking on your cell phone…pay attention.”
I’m approaching a red light, so I begin to gradually press my right foot on the brake. I also glance in the rear view mirror to check whether or not this preoccupied woman behind me noticed my brake lights.
I am shocked at what I see?
Not only is she still talking on her cell phone with her left hand, but she is also reaching her right hand over to the passenger seat beside her, perhaps rummaging through her purse in search for something.
I was at a complete stop now, and seriously, this woman’s eyes stayed glued towards the passenger seat beside her, her hand still moving around in search of that something, and her mouth was still talking into the cell phone that was still in her hand.
I was thinking, “Woman, you better stop—bring your car to a stop soon or else you’re going to end up rear ending my car!”
The light turned green and I pressed on my gas to move away from a close call.
The woman behind me changed lane to the left, she passed me, and I let out a sigh—relief.
Often, perhaps too often, people are seen talking, or even text messaging, on their cell phones while driving.
A car may be seen swerving a bit out of lane…oh, that’s because the driver is talking on a cell phone and is not concentrating on the road.
A car may be traveling too slow…oh, that’s because the driver is sending a text message and all eyes are on a cell phone and hands typing away at the key pad.
Obviously, cell phones and driving is a dangerous combination. And to know that, is common sense. Using a cell phone while driving is a distraction, and drivers forget too easily that it causes car accidents.
But hey, perhaps common sense goes flying out the window, gone with the wind. Drivers will still use their cell phones anyway.
It has become so common, it happens every day.
Well, with that said, some Californians may be glad about Senate Bill 33, which will take effect July 1, 2008. It will be illegal for Californians to use their cell phones, or any kind of electronic communication device while driving. Even hands-free devices will be illegal.
And here is the part that stirs up a level of controversy—the bill will only apply to 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
Is it fair to only target teen drivers under age 18?
Teens are not the only drivers who use cell phones while driving. Adults use them too. What is the difference?
Using a cell phone is using a cell phone, regardless of a person’s age.
What depends is the level of common sense that drivers have to make responsible decisions while driving.
If the cell phone starts ringing in the car, can the driver manage answering that phone call and still drive safe at the same time?
Perhaps, the driver should wait for a red stop light, because it’s possible to check missed calls or voicemails sooner or later. Perhaps, even just for during that red light period.
Drivers should have a sense of what they are capable of doing while driving, and know the appropriate times to use a cell phone.
Recall the woman who was driving behind me this morning. That’s right, she was a woman. She definitely did not look like a 16- or 17-year-old driver to me. And I didn’t mention the first time that she also wears glasses!
So, if this woman were to drive in the same accident prone manner as she did this morning on the day Senate Bill 33 is set into motion, the bill would not apply to her?
But if a 16- or 17-year-old were to drive like that, it’s a violation and that driver would have to pay a $20 fine at the lowest cost.
Where is the fairness in that?
Senate Bill 33 should apply to all California drivers.
Usually, it is the older people who are supposed to set a good example, and younger people will hopefully follow.
It’s like “Monkey see, monkey do.”
But driving laws do get broken. Some drivers run red lights. But if nobody sees it, is it a violation?
In some cases, it’s a matter of being caught in the act.
Who knows if Senate Bill 33 will reduce driver distraction and car accidents?
Drivers under age 18 will probably still use their cell phones while driving.
They could still talk on their cell phones, set on speaker and placed on their laps. On the outside, it wouldn’t be certain whether or not they are talking on their cell phones. They could just be singing along with the radio. Right? It’s a possibility.
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1 comment:
This column suffers what "I" disease, and could be pretty effective, should virtually every first personal pronoun be yanked out and replaced with diffferent phrasing.
For example, instead of:
"While I was driving this morning, I could not help but notice in the rear view mirror, the woman driving in the car behind me. She was a car’s distance away from me, but she was also happily chit-chatting away on her cell phone.
I glance at the time, it shows 8:32. Who is this woman talking to? Who knows?"
Instead, how about this, which takes out three "I" references and gets to the point.
"It was 8:32 this morning - rush hour - and the woman in the car right behind me was chit-chatting away on her cell phone."
The column topic - a couple of pending laws - is a good one, but the intro might have been too long to get to the punch line.
A very good choice of topic, however.
Here is what I wrote in my Writing for Money website in February. It applies to column writing, too.
"SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The first batch of stories from my magazine class this fall will invariably have a few people who write their articles in the first person.
What's wrong with that? Well, the biggest problem is that relatively few magazine pieces are written in first person, relatively few of the students writing these pieces have authorative voices to speak on the topics of which they write, and beyond that, well, it's just darned annoying to look across a 25-paragraph story and see "I" cropping all over the place.
The record in my teaching came several years ago when a writer used "I" 47 times in a 500-word story - and complained that the 500-word limit was too restricting. No disagreement here, so when his paper was returned to him, my note pointed out that he had 47 more words to work with right away. He wasn't amused.
In byline writing, the reason to avoid referring to yourself is that it's redundant. Your name is already attached to the article. So to say, "I saw the room was full of cats," is unnecessary. Instead, the writer should simply say, "The room was full of cats." (That would save two words.)
The cure for "I" disease is simple: don't use "I" unless there is absolutely no way around it.
But what about a first-person story? OK, a few first personal pronouns are ok, but very few."
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