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From the complaints department:
Recently in Washington State, a law went into effect making it illegal to drive while talking on your cell phone. (unless you are using a hands-free set or you are reporting an emergency) The law is such it is a secondary offense. The police can't pull you over for doing that but if they pull you over for something else and also catch that -they can cite you.
Not the best law (because the police can't stop people for just that action) but still I am really really glad it is the law. What gets me is I still see people on the phone while driving. Such arrogance.
I suppose there are some who may disagree with me (and that is your right, but you are wrong. But that is okay. You are allowed to be wrong) but no one ever needs to drive and talk on the phone at the same time. No phone call is that important. None. If you really need to communicate with someone you can pull over/get off at the next exit. If you claim being short on time? I am sorry that your poor use of time management and ego thinks that you are above the law. But you aren't. I just wish people would truly grasp the responsibility that they hold when driving a car. It is a very powerful machine that can cause so much tragedy. To employ a Motherly tone, How would you feel if you were on your phone having your very important phone call and you hit someone? Or how would you feel if someone who was on the phone and didn't react quick enough while driving hit someone you love. Imagine the anguish. The raw emotional pain of a potential loss.
Christ, a couple of years ago I was a pedestrian at an intersection. I waited. The car stopped and I crossed the street. The driver was on her phone and apparently wasn't entirely engaged with the business of driving and she hit me. I was lucky she wasn't going very fast and I wasn't really injured. I ended up on the hood of her car with a few bruises. I did use a few choice phrases to tell her what I thought of her and her driving skills.
There are some things you can't entirely control while you are driving. It is sometimes in someone else's hands. But you can choose to not drive and talk on the phone at the same time. So please. Wait to make that phone call.
On a slightly more upbeat note, a family friend is taking on an exciting journey. My friend Dahti is a hilariously amazing person. She has done all kinds of interesting things. She is a musician, spent years being a Library wench, is the one person I have met who accidentally graduated from college. It can happen. Let her tell you. She also became an athlete after the age of 50. Yeah. She has done triathalons, a marathon and bike tours. She is one fit lady. She is up there with that one Olympic Swimmer who is over 41 and kicking ass. She is about to embark on a 1,000 mile bicycle ride. She is going to bike from Port Townsend to Portland, OR -where she will stop to do a duathlon (because what else should a person do a 1,000 mile bike ride) and then will continue on with her son Nick (also known as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pseudomammal) down to Monterey California.
This is a memorial bike trip in honor of Nick's fiance Julia. As long time readers of my LJ might remember. Just over two years ago, Julia was killed in a car accident. She and Nick were driving to Tennessee where she was about to begin PhD studies working with songbirds.
Dahti said,
Julia's parents, Robert and Anne Orth, have endowed a memorial
scholarship fund in her name to New College in Florida where she
graduated for anyone wanting to study in the same field. So Nick and I
are trying to raise awareness and funds for the scholarship fund (90%
of what we receive will go to this fund) and the Nature Conservancy
(the other 10%).
Check out Dahti's website. You can see how she is doing when she is on the bike trip. Send her emails or comment on her journal. So many options.
( If you want to contribute to the memorial fund )
Recently in Washington State, a law went into effect making it illegal to drive while talking on your cell phone. (unless you are using a hands-free set or you are reporting an emergency) The law is such it is a secondary offense. The police can't pull you over for doing that but if they pull you over for something else and also catch that -they can cite you.
Not the best law (because the police can't stop people for just that action) but still I am really really glad it is the law. What gets me is I still see people on the phone while driving. Such arrogance.
I suppose there are some who may disagree with me (and that is your right, but you are wrong. But that is okay. You are allowed to be wrong) but no one ever needs to drive and talk on the phone at the same time. No phone call is that important. None. If you really need to communicate with someone you can pull over/get off at the next exit. If you claim being short on time? I am sorry that your poor use of time management and ego thinks that you are above the law. But you aren't. I just wish people would truly grasp the responsibility that they hold when driving a car. It is a very powerful machine that can cause so much tragedy. To employ a Motherly tone, How would you feel if you were on your phone having your very important phone call and you hit someone? Or how would you feel if someone who was on the phone and didn't react quick enough while driving hit someone you love. Imagine the anguish. The raw emotional pain of a potential loss.
Christ, a couple of years ago I was a pedestrian at an intersection. I waited. The car stopped and I crossed the street. The driver was on her phone and apparently wasn't entirely engaged with the business of driving and she hit me. I was lucky she wasn't going very fast and I wasn't really injured. I ended up on the hood of her car with a few bruises. I did use a few choice phrases to tell her what I thought of her and her driving skills.
There are some things you can't entirely control while you are driving. It is sometimes in someone else's hands. But you can choose to not drive and talk on the phone at the same time. So please. Wait to make that phone call.
On a slightly more upbeat note, a family friend is taking on an exciting journey. My friend Dahti is a hilariously amazing person. She has done all kinds of interesting things. She is a musician, spent years being a Library wench, is the one person I have met who accidentally graduated from college. It can happen. Let her tell you. She also became an athlete after the age of 50. Yeah. She has done triathalons, a marathon and bike tours. She is one fit lady. She is up there with that one Olympic Swimmer who is over 41 and kicking ass. She is about to embark on a 1,000 mile bicycle ride. She is going to bike from Port Townsend to Portland, OR -where she will stop to do a duathlon (because what else should a person do a 1,000 mile bike ride) and then will continue on with her son Nick (also known as
pseudomammal) down to Monterey California.This is a memorial bike trip in honor of Nick's fiance Julia. As long time readers of my LJ might remember. Just over two years ago, Julia was killed in a car accident. She and Nick were driving to Tennessee where she was about to begin PhD studies working with songbirds.
Dahti said,
Julia's parents, Robert and Anne Orth, have endowed a memorial
scholarship fund in her name to New College in Florida where she
graduated for anyone wanting to study in the same field. So Nick and I
are trying to raise awareness and funds for the scholarship fund (90%
of what we receive will go to this fund) and the Nature Conservancy
(the other 10%).
Check out Dahti's website. You can see how she is doing when she is on the bike trip. Send her emails or comment on her journal. So many options.
( If you want to contribute to the memorial fund )
