Dear Straight Talk: I don’t see what the big deal is about “Mr. Social” who uses his cell phone while driving. I make calls and text while driving, too. I can be texting in tons of traffic, looking for the fastest lane, and watching out for cars in front of me. Sometimes I slow down when a part of me realizes I’m going too fast because I’m not concentrating on the pedal, but I never drift or anything like that.
I don’t feel I’m in any particular danger. It’s not that I feel invincible, I just don’t think I could get in an accident and I think that belief helps me through. In other words, if you aren’t thinking about how dangerous it is, it’s highly unlikely it will be dangerous.
I think older drivers are a greater detriment behind the wheel as they don’t even know they’re doing something dangerous when they are. At least I know, so I’m super aware of what I’m doing.—19 and an excellent driver
Dear Excellent: Your description of how you’re “not” invincible is priceless! I’ll read it whenever I need a good laugh and good cry at the same time.
You’re going to love this: Research shows that young cell phone users drive exactly like the elderly. David Strayer, psychology professor at University of Utah, says, “If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone. It’s like instantly aging a large number of drivers.”
I’m hoping you’ll set the pace on excellent adventures and switch to a hands-free system. Whatever you do, DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE.
——-
