When Late for Work, Do You Put on Your Makeup in the Car? Or text?

[Danno]

Suppose this driver was in a hurry? Paying close attention to the road? Or texting or putting on makeup or . . . what?

This morning, NW of Denver. Nine children in the bus, three injured. Bus driver okay. Car driver will be late to destination.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Danno

[High octane]

A couple years back we had a woman putting on nail polish while driving and ran over a motorcycle killing the driver. Guess she didn't have time to do it at home, so somebody lost their life because of it. My truck got rear ended one time and the driver was stupid enough to tell the cop that he was tying his shoes. I told the cop that I tie mine at HOME.

[charlie8575]

Suppose this driver was in a hurry? Paying close attention to the road? Or texting or putting on makeup or . . . what?

This morning, NW of Denver. Nine children in the bus, three injured. Bus driver okay. Car driver will be late to destination.

Hmmm...I'm thinking the driver of that car is now simply "late," as in the "the late (insert name)."

Charlie Larkin

[Lunajammer]

Topical. There was texting sting in our town yesterday where cops rode around in a school bus and could see down into cars to see everyone texting. 90 stops and 44 citations. Even still, police said eating while driving tops the distracted driving incidents by far. I'm gonna go with "late" too.

[Old Buckaroo]

From the other side

Edited April 18, 2014 by Old Buckaroo

[disabled modeler]

Maybe the car driver will learn a lesson from this?...there lucky to be alive. The accident I was in that made me disabled the other driver was playing with the radio and speeding 60 in a 30 zone...got a slap on the hand for it.

[Agent G]

Many moons ago I took the then wife on a fairly lengthy motorcycle trip. At the end of day one she remarked that from her perch on back she saw other drivers performing countless tasks while at speed. I informed her that was the norm and the reason why i issued so many tickets while riding a bike in the Traffic Safety Division.

Scary, it really is.

This morning on the way in some brain dead, late for work, me first azz howl committed at least four violations in the span of twelve seconds. Yes I timed him, force of habit you know. Neat thing was he did all that in front of a NHP officer. I'm sure the cop wrote 'til he ran out of ink. I would.

G

[mikevillena]

I wonder how the accident rate due to texting compares with other countries. I also wonder how "educated" or disciplined our drivers are compared to other countries. I know for a fact that it's incredibly tough to get a driver's license in England where it's the norm to fail the road test two or three times before you pass. Compare that to the ridiculous ease that we are cursed (or blessed) with here in the U.S. where you'd have to be a complete and utter moron to fail short of ramming another car during the road test. I also shudder at the joke of a licensing structure for motorcycles (as I am a rider myself). Most states you only need to complete the BASIC RIDER COURSE (which involves riding around the parking lot and weaving through plastic cones) and you can get an "M" endorsement. I've seen way too many young newbies go out and get 600cc super sport bikes and barely make it through a few months before crashing

Edited April 18, 2014 by mikevillena

[1930fordpickup]

When the money crunch hit Michigan in the early eighties you could get an endorsement with only a written test. I should have gotten my Cycle endorsement then.

One guy that rode said that they should make you go up with cc by how long you have rode . That way you can not start out with a 1200 cc bike at 18.

[SSNJim]

I was on the Dulles Toll Road a couple of years ago on my motorcycle following a newer Cougar in the fast lane. It was driving at a leisurely pace. When the car moved over a lane, I pulled along side to look at the driver. She was eating Chinese food from a dish. With chopsticks. I got past her pretty quick, but I never did quite figure out how she was controlling her car.

[Harry P.]

I tend to put my makeup on before I hit the road...

[charlie8575]

I was on the Dulles Toll Road a couple of years ago on my motorcycle following a newer Cougar in the fast lane. It was driving at a leisurely pace. When the car moved over a lane, I pulled along side to look at the driver. She was eating Chinese food from a dish. With chopsticks. I got past her pretty quick, but I never did quite figure out how she was controlling her car.

Proof....that Washington is full of morons!

Charlie Larkin

[PappyD340]

Well guys it would take me more time to open the bottle of nail polish or open a tube of eye liner or get the chop sticks out of the wrapper than it does for me to get to work, sinse I work from home my commute is only about 25 ft and purtyfication is not on my agenda ( it wouldn't help anyway ) Makes you wonder how some of these folks even hold a job, cause if you can't get up in time to get the makeup on and breakfast eat and have to drive like a bat out of hades to get there, chances are you don't make it on time either!

[southpier]

I've made it a rule never to text while driving.

it's the iPod that's going to get me killed . . . .

[Guest]

Don't get me started.........................................................

[mikevillena]

When the money crunch hit Michigan in the early eighties you could get an endorsement with only a written test. I should have gotten my Cycle endorsement then.

One guy that rode said that they should make you go up with cc by how long you have rode . That way you can not start out with a 1200 cc bike at 18.

Andy, they do have "tiered" licensing in Britain. You are restricted to a certain amount of displacement at every tier. But that will never happen here in the U.S. because we Americans don't want anyone telling us what to do. So the carnage continues. Besides, the economy here is driven by automobiles and it's attendant support industries. Imagine what would happen to the economy if we pulled all of the morons off the road? Gasp, that would be at least a third of the country's population!

[Danny Lectro]

I worked the night shift at my previous job, getting out at 2AM. The company provided us with car service home. One night, while merging onto I-95, we passed a car whose "driver" was busy PLAYING A FLUTE WITH BOTH HANDS!

[High octane]

When "cell phones" first hit he market, the ads said that the phones would be handy in case of an emergency. Today a LOT of cell phones cause emergencies. I've seen people crossing the street while playing with their phones, riding their bikes and talking on the phone, roller blading (today) on the street and talking on their phones, walking in a parking lot on their phones, and the list goes on and on.

While a LOT of people are "computer savvy" today, it also seems like a lot of people are senseless and either don't realize or don't care that they can be injured for life or even killed just because they were to busy on their phones. It also seems like a lot of people would be completely baffled if they lost their phones and wouldn't have "a clue" what to do without one. I mean some people even take their phones to bed with them, c'mon!!!

[Ace-Garageguy]

For the past several months, I've been driving an old friend back and forth to work. This adds about 350 miles of interstate travel to my week, both in the afternoon and late at night. I've noticed a LOT of folks weaving all over the road like they're drunk, and almost invariably, when I pull past them, if it's dark, I can see there's a little glowing screen held up in front of their faces.

I'm surprised the State Patrol hasn't stepped on this yet...hard..., as the corridor this occurs in is one of the most heavily enforced speed zones in the metro area.

I guess it's okay to not bother looking at the road, so long as you're under 70mph.

[Harry P.]

In Illinois it's illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving, you have to have a hands-free unit.

[Ace-Garageguy]

In Illinois it's illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving, you have to have a hands-free unit.

Texting was banned here in 2010, but it's not being enforced very vigorously. Just look around at any traffic light, or next to you in moving traffic.

Hand-held phone-while-driving-use legislation has been repeatedly defeated.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[High octane]

It may be illegal Harry, but MANY drivers STILL talk or text and drive. NOBODY cares.

[mrindy77]

Perhaps we need a cell phone deactivation device upon entering your motor vehicle. Automatically shuts them down before your car will start.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Perhaps we need a cell phone deactivation device upon entering your motor vehicle. Automatically shuts them down before your car will start.

Generally I'm opposed to more laws and more government meddling, but I think this is a GREAT idea.

[Harry P.]

It may be illegal Harry, but MANY drivers STILL talk or text and drive. NOBODY cares.

I think you're right, many just don't give a you-know-what.

It's up to law enforcement, but it's impossible to pull over everyone jabbering away (or texting) on their phone while driving.

I like Cal's idea of building some sort of circuit into a cell phone that deactivates it while inside a car or truck. The question is... how?