Defining distraction just isn’t easy
Almost everything we do in the cab of the rig diverts our eyes from the road
New York, the Empire State, has been at the forefront of a lot of world history. Specifically with the individuals who’ve lived and worked there, particularly in the worlds of big business and politics.
Rockefellers, two them in fact, come to mind as former New York governors, while a third Rockefeller was a vice-president of the U.S. More recently, Hillary Clinton, a shortterm senator from that state wanted the highest office, failed, and is still in denial.
Now there is another New York legislator out to make a name for himself. Terry Murphy has introduced a piece of state legislation calling for the introduction of a new technology that he calls the “textalyzer.”
You guessed it. It’s a whizbang equivalent of a breathalyzer, designed to allow police, when arriving on the scene of an accident, to scan a suspected driver’s cellphone. It would show if that phone owner had been texting or updating Facebook, or maybe even buying something on Amazon in the moments leading up to the traffic crash.
I’m not going to get all high and mighty about phone use while driving. I admit to having answered a call or two while at the wheel. I do have Bluetooth, and even though I’m ‘hands-free’ I find myself very distracted while chatting away.
Recently I downloaded an “app” that shuts off the receiver on my cellphone while I am driving, and I am glad I’ve done it. Peace and quiet again. I no longer have to fumble around to pull the phone out of whatever pocket it’s in, or use my earpiece to accept that call.
But, that brings up a couple more thoughts. Ever since I first started to drive any motorized vehicle, I’ve had a great radio system. The more speakers I can cram into that vehicle, the better. Probably one of the many reasons why I wear hearing aids today.
But to fully enjoy that radio, I had to take my eyes off the road to switch stations because the radio is usually in the middle of the dash. In the rig, it usually is up on the ceiling, above the windshield. Eyes off the road again.
Almost everything we do in the cab of the rig, our eyes are diverted from the road. Checking out the dash gauges requires eyes off the road. I have 19 gauges on my dash. Scary thought isn’t it, especially if I’m coming at you, while checking my dash gauges?
How about eating a burger while you drive? Is that dangerous? Is that distracting? It is if a blob of mustard or relish drops on your lap as you are heading back to work where you do NOT have a change of clothes.
Looking down is as dangerous as looking up, so what’s really the true definition of distraction? We all have been driving ‘distracted’ since the dawn of motorized transportation.
Want one more thought about being distracted? It is a normal human function, regardless of race, colour or ethnic background, that when you sneeze, you close your eyes. Travelling at 100 km/h on a busy street, and if you are following a little too closely, and you have a series of sneezes in a row, that’s a lot of ground you’ll cover with your eyes closed. I wouldn’t want to be involved in that traffic situation and or the resulting court case. But yes, you were distracted.
How about a screaming kid in the back seat? That’s a big time distraction.
So, with all those thoughts about what is distraction, that gizmo that Terry from the Empire State wants made into law seems to be a device that will prove you innocent as well as prove you guilty of distraction.
I personally think life itself is more of a distraction while driving than any electronic gadget. It’s just you don’t get fined if your kid screams while in your vehicle. But you do get fined if you hear that scream on your cellphone you’re driving.
You just can’t win!
I could fill a newspaper with stories about life on the road, but why not share yours? Send them to Driving editor Andrew McCredie at amccredie@postmedia.com.