Your attention, please: It just might save your life
We’ve all done stupid things.
That time I “won” a hot-sauce eating contest in the sixth grade? Yeah. Really happened.
But since this is supposed to be a transportation column, let’s talk about the stupid things we’ve done while driving.
Me? I eat while driving nearly every day. I listen to podcasts on my phone sometimes. They play through the car’s radio, but I still have to hit pause or fiddle with the volume now and then.
That isn’t on the freeway, mind you, but I still do it.
You?
I’ve seen you shaving while driving. I’ve seen you putting on makeup while driving. I see you talking on your phone while driving every single day.
I’ve even seen you talking on the phone and eating and drinking coffee while driving, all at the same time. While driving. A car. On the public roads. That’s not cool.
Which brings us to today’s topic: The arrogant big shot.
The particular arrogant big shot I’m talking about here is a guy named Rob Ford. He got himself elected the mayor of Toronto, somehow.
A couple weeks back, this guy, Ford, was driving a big, black Cadillac Escalade on the freeway up there in Toronto. He was holding a handful of papers in his right hand and steering with his left.
He was reading the papers. While he was driving on the freeway. Which means he wasn’t watching where he was going.
I know that because someone snapped a photo of the arrogant big shot doing it. Then the photographer tweeted the picture.
Which of course went all over the place. It’s all over the Googleverse. No one can hide these days.
The Toronto media rightly asked the arrogant big shot about that while he was blathering on about trade policy or something. Here’s how the Canadian media reported it:
Reporter: “Sir, there’s a picture that went out on Twitter this morning of you reading while still driving on the Gardiner (Expressway).”
Ford: “Yeah, probably. I’m busy.”
Reporter: “So you read while driving?”
Ford: “Yeah, probably, yeah. I’m try(ing) to catch up on my work and you know I keep my eyes on the road, but I’m a busy man.”
Reporter: “You don’t see a problem doing that on the Gardiner?”
Ford: “Well, I’m busy. I got to be – I don’t know what that has to do with a trade mission, but anyways. Ridiculous questions sometimes, seriously.”
Yeah. Ridiculous.
That guy has already been caught on his cellphone while driving. He simply doesn’t care.
(I talked to Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman about this, by the way. She swears she never reads while driving, and can barely operate her cellphone.)
Distracted driving is what the transportation policy wonks call that sort of thing. It is not only incredibly dangerous and downright stupid, it is illegal.
Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Loy Hixson said a driver caught reading a sheaf of papers while driving here could be cited. In Clark County, there is an ordinance specifically targeting drivers who aren’t “giving full time and attention” to their driving.
That should be employed more often, no?
That guy doing 50 mph and weaving on Summerlin Parkway because he’s trying to juggle coffee and a bagel? Bust him.
The dude who’s fiddling with his phone so he doesn’t notice when his light turns green, thereby forcing all those poor souls behind him to miss yet another light? Sick ’em, trooper.
That stuff is serious.
Here are just a couple stats from the U.S. Department of Transportation. If they don’t scare the crap out of you, it’s probably because you’re not listening.
In 2010, more than 3,000 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver. More than 400,000 were injured. Nearly one out of every five crashes involved a distracted driver.
That isn’t just texting, either. Distracted driving also includes eating, looking at maps and fiddling with your music player.
One study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ranked eating while driving as more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving, though dialing that phone or reading while driving were still way more dangerous.
So, OK, we’ve all got room to improve here. The Road Warrior included.
It’s not just the obvious, texting or talking on the phone. And it’s not just the arrogant big shots.
It’s you and me.
I promise to do better.
How about you?
If you have a question, tip or tirade, send an email to road
warrior@reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.
■ From 7 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday, and from 7 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday, some ramps between the airport connector and Interstate 215 will be closed due to construction. Westbound traffic will not be affected. Eastbound traffic will be detoured to the Warm Springs Road exit and back onto the westbound interstate.
■ From 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today, expect delays on Northshore Road in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area because of cyclists participating in a triathalon.
■ Through Jan. 1, expect delays on Jones Boulevard between U.S. Highway 95 and Sahara Avenue for road widening.
■ Through Sept. 20, expect delays on Shadow Lane between Charleston Boulevard and Alta Drive. The work includes street widening, replacing sewer lines, and upgrading traffic signals and crosswalks.
■ Through Sept. 22, expect delays on Vegas Drive between Decatur Boulevard and Michael Way for gas line work.
■ Through late October, expect disruptions along Buffalo Drive between Lake Mead and Charleston boulevards for road improvements. Most work will be done between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. during the week, but there will be some daytime activity.
■ St. Thomas Road in the Lake Mead recreation area near Overton is closed until further notice. The National Park Service reported that storm damage has left some backcountry areas with debris on roadways and, in some cases, has washed out roadways.
■ Through Sept. 21, Christy Lane will be closed to through traffic between Washington and Owens avenues for sewer work. Construction hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents in the work zone will have access to their homes.
■ Through April, expect Bradley Road to remain closed at Interstate 215 for bridge construction.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average price of gasoline Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $3.68 per gallon; the state average was $3.77; the national average was $3.81.
Las Vegas Review-Journal
