...the phone in the car contraversy...

Blah, blah, blah...

Look folks, it's all good with me if you want to talk on your cell phone while driving, just remember you are doing it WHILE driving. This means DRIVING is what you are doing. There are folks that can not listen to the radio while driving, carry on a conversation while driving, or futz with the temperature controls. Folks, if you can not handle driving and doing something else then do not try to do so.

SAFETY comes before comfort, fun, relaxation, you friend's latest tragic story about the guy that dumped her yesterday (5th one this week)... you get the point.

Now for those of you about to bash me as anti-phone-in-car... My little sister is capable of driving while talking on a cell phone. I am if equiped with the right headset in advance of starting the engine. It is all about ensuring your priorities. We want to live, that is priority number 1, that there's a fire in a building where a friend works at somewhere I can not get to in time to do anything helpful - priority 2. I'll end a conversation before I end a life.

I can't change radio stations except - When doing a constant speed on a straight stretch using cruise control and having the right amount of car lengths in front of me and the radio has a scan/seek option OR at red light that I know I have at least 30 seconds to press the scan/seek button on the radio. Priority 1 - Staying alive. Priority 2 - Listening to the right station.

--WHILE I'M ON MY SOAP BOX--

The beautiful state of Maryland has a wonderful law about crosswalks. ALL TRAFFIC on ALL SIDES must stop if someone is in the crosswalk. This means the second Jane steps into the crosswalk, the motorist in the far lane is legally obligated to stop until Jane has finished her crossing of the street. Let us say that Joe is crossing a street with 4 lanes of traffic (numbered one through four), and there is a car in lane two that comes to a stop. That car in lane 2 can not merely choose to go after Joe crosses the double gold into lane 3, it must wait for Joe to get to the other side. The car in lane two can not merely accelerate to get past the crosswalk while Joe is still in lane one. The law says all vehicles on either side, excepting in instances where there is a raised or 'protected' median.

As a person that enjoys walking I do not appreciate the flagrant disrespect that many motorists are showing to our law makers and pedestrians by breaking this law repeatedly without care or concern. On a daily basis I see more near collisions (vehichle into pedestrian) than I care to discuss. If you see a human in the white lines, STOP.

Now, everyone who hasn't done sone in the past, thank your lucky stars that I am a law abiding citizen and not some maniac that would try to do something violent about your actions. Think about this for a bit... There are more criminals out on our streets than we really know about, and many of them carry firearms. Your zipping along and decide to cut off a pedestrian, they jump backwards out of your way and let off a few rounds into your car, possibly hitting you, do you want to take that chance? Neither would I.