Two days this week, the drive to work was nightmarish, to say the least. Sleet, freezing rain, fog, and slippery roads made for some scary moments since I set out before dawn. The conditions were horrid so extra caution was in order for a safe journey. The fog made seeing traffic and traffic lights almost impossible until you were almost upon them. And, of course, when the weather and driving conditions are a challenge many drivers lose brain cells and chromosomes forgetting that the speed limit is just that – the LIMIT one should safely drive in optimum road conditions. I was almost broad sided by a scrawny bitch shouting into her cell phone apparently unaware that she was in a skid on black ice. Thankfully I saw her coming and was able to get out of the way as she careened into the curb inches from my trunk still screaming into the phone.
Two days later, under the same conditions I was nearly rear-ended (and not in a good way) by an old man in a huge Cadillac something-or-other, who realized almost too late that there was a red traffic light and traffic just ahead. The look of terror on his face probably matched mine as I inched forward and to the side just in case his brakes locked up and he slid. He managed to stop about two feet from my tail and for a moment I thought he might have a heart attack. He was breathing heavily, visibly shaken. I thought, that’s as it ought to be. As the light turned green and traffic began to move the geezer moved forward slowly keeping a vast distance between his vehicle and the one in front of him – me. He remained overly cautious until he made it to his destination. I watched him closely and was very relieved when he got off the road.
Both incidents left me rattled for a few hours as I went about setting up the store.
For years I have said that cell phones should be banished from the hands – and ears – of those operating a vehicle and that older drivers should be required to take a road test with an examiner present before being issued a new license.
With everything else happening in the world this isn’t that a big a deal…only it is. Roads are dangerous enough without people like this making things worse. I’ve been the victim of my share of automobile accidents; the victim of a hit-and-run driver as a kid, and accused of being an overly cautious driver ever since I got my first license. Whatever.
And so it goes.
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We were hit on Monday in a snow squall. I do not think she was on her cell, but she was certainly lacking in the snow skills department and probably going a bit too fast for conditions. When her insurance guy called me (she was definitely at fault and is paying), he asked *me* if I were on my cell phone! (I was not and I do not drive and talk.)
ReplyDeleteLast week Bill and I were driving down Hudson Road to visit Big Bob. We saw a Mustang smashed and over on the side of the road. Apparently it hit an ice patch on the road. When I got to work Monica told me that the 26 year old ex-paratrooper who was driving the Mustang died. Dangerous roads out there. Be VERY careful.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean to story top you with my previous comment. I just wanted to make the point that the 26 year old was apparently going too fast for the curve in the road where he slide and hit the tree. Who knows if he was talking on a cell phone.
ReplyDeleteI would like to go one day without seeing someone hold a cell phone with one hand while they're using their other hand to make a turn, usually a left turn. One day. What is so damn important that the phone call can't wait until they stop driving? Selfish, inconsiderate people. That's bad enough but by their actions they are a real danger to everyone else. Where are the cops?