First of all, I don’t recommend using a headset while eating Life Savers candy. They make you salivate, which makes you spit and that can clog up your microphone…

I was driving to work this morning and saw a “jerk” driving along. How did I know he was a jerk? Because he was driving fast, then slow, then making sudden lane changes only to change back a minute later. My first thought was that he was drunk, but when I passed him as he exited the highway, I saw he was talking on a cellphone. In other words, he was driving like a lot of us do – not paying attention and causing dangerous situations for other drivers around him.

What’s more important? A phone call or your safety? Most people assume they can talk and drive at the same time because they haven’t had any accidents so far. This head in the sand approach ignores the reality that we are very seldom aware of how our driving affects others in general. I had a stint as a driving instructor in a past life (I like to call it my time teaching “Early Childhood Education”) and most students (and experienced drivers I had to road test) were clueless about their bad habits.

The reality is our attention is mostly occupied by our phone conversation and we have little attention left to focus on our driving. As long as you’re on the highway on cruise control in light traffic, this probably isn’t a problem. In heavy traffic, rush hour or in city traffic, talking on a phone is just asking for trouble.

The cost of an accident can be measured in financial and personal terms. Financial – your car repair costs and insurance rate increases and possibly the time you have to take off work to recover. Personal – injuries, both physical and psychological can take a long time to heal. Especially if you cause injury to someone else. Even worse, your unfocused driving could cause the death of a stranger or someone you love.

In short, get a freakin’ headset if you’re going to talk on the phone!!!!

There. Rant’s done for now…

Man, that was a CRAPPY way to start a Monday morning. Hope you’re all having a better day.