I believe when you get three similar nudges from the universe, someone's trying to send you a message. Today's third sign for me was seeing the term "distracted driving" pop up as the number one search phrase on Yahoo's home page. This week I've been pondering distracted driving, because I've been the victim and the perpetrator on that front.
I was the victim when a driver swerved into my lane while I was riding my motorcycle. I didn't crash because I was able to avert her car. But, when I looked over, she was holding a cell phone and looking at it. She didn't even know she'd sent me careening over to the other lane -- she was too distracted. I've been complaining to my husband lately about what I see car drivers doing while I'm on my motorcycle. They put on make up, adjust their car stereos, hold their cell phones to their ears or in front of them. It's not like driving the streets and freeways of Los Angeles isn't tricky enough, now all these yahoos have decided to make driving a hobby instead of their primary responsibility when they're behind the wheel.
Holding a phone while driving is now illegal in my home state of California. There's a good reason for that. The California State Automobile Association says that between 4,000 and 8,000 crashes occur every day related to distracted driving.The use of cell phones is a big part of what constitutes distracted driving.
So, the exact same day I was complaining to my husband about seeing people using cell phones in cars, I got pulled over for doing just that. That's what you call karma, baby! I was driving down Hollywood Way in Burbank, California and the temptation came. My mother-in-law called. I thought, well I haven't talked to her in a long time. I'll just keep her on speaker phone and hold the thing with one hand and it'll be fine. Well it wasn't so fine with the Burbank motorcycle police officer watching me. He pulled me over. But, he did tell me the citation wouldn't cost me any points on my license.
What? I thought to myself. I ought to be jailed, because I'm the person I have to watch out for all the time when I'm on my motorcycle. Well, apparently the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, thinks I ought to be severely punished as well. He told a group attending a two-day summit on distracted driving that this week he's announcing new federal crack downs on distracted drivers. That's the reason the topic has hit number one on Yahoo's search list.
We're all afraid of distracted drivers, and the distracted drivers are us.
One thing riding my Ducati motorcycle has taught me is that Italians make great bikes. But the other thing it taught me is that not paying attention to what I'm doing at every moment while driving can have grave consequences. On a motorcycle there's no temptation to fiddle with the stereo, talk on a cell phone, or yell at your kids in the back. It's only you, the vehicle and the road.
For me, the third time's the charm. In three days I've complained about being the victim of distracted driving, I've been ticketed for being a distracted driver and I've seen that lots of Yahoo users are searching the topic. I've now searched my soul and decided to put my cell phone away for good while I'm in the car.
Here's the joke I made up to remind myself:
What do you call a cell phone ringing in the car?
Hell's bells.
It's a temptation to leave my cell phone on and out when I'm on the road. But I'm not going to take the bait. I've had my three signs from the universe, which I consider warnings. I'm now going to listen and act responsibly before I get into some serious trouble.