You think Spooky World is going to scare you this Halloween?
As a Boston Massachusetts distracted driving accident lawyer, I can tell you three frightening stories of what happens when you practice distracted driving on the road. Texting and driving are two words that should never, ever be spoken together – and certainly never practiced in tandem. It’s a recipe for disaster. The Massachusetts Anti-Texting Law, otherwise known as the “Safe Driving Act,” also prohibits drivers from texting, emailing, and reading from handheld devices such as Smart phones, and devices such as iPads, when on the road. That should be enough warning for us all. But for some people, it’s not. For some shock value, consider these three horrific stories of how some people think they can “drive safely.”
My wife Debbi Kickham has told me three absolutely true horror stories about people she has met in her lifetime, who told her about what they do when they drive. Each story is so unbelievable, that Debbi never forgot them. And when I heard them, my jaw dropped.
An old friend of Debbi’s, who was in medical school, once drove from Massachusetts to California. Care to know what this obviously bright person did as he drove? He propped a medical textbook in his lap, and glanced down from time to time to read, to break up the monotony of driving from one coast to another. This dangerous behavior goes beyond the pale. He probably ended up in a Hospital Emergency Ward – horizontally, and long before he thought he would.
Another one of Debbi’s colleagues, who owned a bridal shop on the side, told her that when she drove home after working 9-5 every day, she did something that made her feel like the ultimate multi-tasker during her commute. She sewed hems on bridal headpieces as she was driving. We are not kidding, folks. She told this to Debbi with pride, and with a laugh. It’s unbelievable.
And here’s the kicker: A story so terrifying it will curl your hair. One of Debbi’s friends recently told her that her Mom has an unusual beauty routine: She curls her hair with her curling iron, plugged into the cigarette lighter, as she drives. (No, not as a passenger.) Now that you’ve picked yourself up off the floor after hearing that, can you believe how shocking it is? And you thought that women putting on makeup as they sat in the driver’s seat was bad. While these stories might seem like they take the cake, there are even worse stories of distracted driving out there.
We don’t know if those terrible driving stories ever led to a Massachusetts car accident — and we hope that they never did. But practicing such distracted driving is like playing with fire.
I am urging everyone who reads this blog post to stop, pay attention to the road, and never, ever, do anything else while driving except keep your eyes glued to the road. Driving and being out on the road is already dangerous enough – Reminder: You’re driving over one ton of steel and glass – which can kill at just 5 MPH, never mind typical road speeds. Use your head: Don’t do anything that could ultimately kill you – or any number of innocent victims.