“Driving was not his only priority,” NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said. “No call, no text, no update is worth a human life.”
“Driver sent or got 11 texts in 11 min before crash…” I read it. I saw it. I heard it. This piece of news is the talk of the town. Nobody is bothered to follow the rule and the meaningless cell phone law. Perhaps, discussing the business lunch and lipstick color is more important than the silly law.
Let me share a story that my friend told me about her cousin, Joe.
Joe glanced in the rear view. The driver in the back car was yelling in the cell phone going occasionally hands free; not with the cell phone, with the car steering.
Joe grew cautious because of the driver. He invariably remembered the accident that almost killed him two years back. The reason of the accident wasn’t speeding; not jumping the red light; not a DUI; no automobile failure; not even a cell phone conversation. It was just love for one’s own looks. The beauty in the car didn’t want her lip-gloss to dry, even while driving. She wanted to frugally use the time gap between red and green light to dazzle herself. She took care of her lips but drove through the red light causing a four-car collision. The beauty broke the fate of everyone involved in the accident. Joe’s car was the primary victim. He also suffered several fractures over his body and a jawbone displacement which completely changed his looks for lifetime. He physically recovered after nine months but he was still repaying those huge loans that he borrowed from several resources for the treatment. The medical insurance he had couldn’t cover the bills and dealing with insurance companies was another terrifying story.
He once again glanced back; the driver’s conversation on the phone seemed never ending. To reduce the tension the driver was puffing a cigarette. Joe wanted to change the lane and waited for the chance. While he was attempting to change the lane ensuring nobody was coming from behind, the irate car driver suddenly swerved his car and in lightening speed hit Joe’s car from back.
There was no further information about the culprit and I don’t care to know. But do you want to know what happened to Joe’s family? Without Joe, his family is left in the lurch. Joe’s wife, a single parent with three children, toiled to make both ends meet and made a collage of pink slips. Regardless of the compensation Joe’s family got, they suffer an irrecoverable loss for the life time.
Is there a compensation for those children for losing their father forever? Is there any compensation for losing a beloved spouse? And what about a compensation for agonized old parents who lost their young and only son in a brutal crash caused by brainless selfish species!
Can’t the call or texting or make-up wait for another few minutes, until reaching the destination? Well, everyone has an option of pulling into the nearest parking lot and taking care of all these activities, in case it’s an emergency and must be done immediately.
Is it not time to do the right thing – saving our lives and others, too? Nothing is worth than our lives. What if we aren’t there to enjoy the fruits of the call we made or to get admired of the make-up we did put on!
Humans are mines of knowledge and innovation. For sure, we’ll make it to Mars and beyond and reach the pinnacle of success in every field we step in. But these revolutionary changes also give us a complimentary baggage of concerns and perils.The red, orange, and green light system – Stop, Look, and Proceed – is not only good for traffic control but is essential in everything. I think the term “Slowing Down” is gone or going out of fashion.
I want to say so much. Pour my heart out. I want to share many stories on such accidents that left families devastated and ruined beyond repair. But sometimes less is more.
Everything Matters In Life 
Comments on: "“Is better to lose one minute in life… than to lose life in a minute”" (5)
How sad, Priya. My friend in CA actually got ticketed for putting make-up on in the car! You wouldn’t believe the driving in Korea. People can have small TV’s or watch movies on their GPS while driving! And in smaller towns, they don’t even pay attention to the traffic light. So I do NOT drive here. Praying for your family to keep safe!
Priya,
Every post was an experience I already had in my life.
One of my friends told me “when you drive, whatever happens just focus on driving only” I don’t know how to say in a creative way but, only thing I understood is, when you drive, just only drive………….I never forget the rule. Esp with kids, we easily gets distracted.
Thank you so much Priya for choosing this subject.
It is very important and helpful,
Love you,
Chaitanya.
I am one of those people who owns a cell phone but never has it ON unless I want to make a call. But while driving? No way. I know myself and know that my driving cannot withstand even the distraction of answering an incoming phone call. Not even hands-free.
But that some people text while driving is too scary. We are on the road with these drivers.
What a sad story about Joe. Thanks, Priya, for writing about one of the scarey problems in our culture. I can’t imagine trying to text while driving, and could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve talked on my cell phone while driving. We live in a time of strange priorities in many ways.
After reading your post I must say that I will also think twice about texting while driving. I must admit, I am guilty but I usually do it at a red light. Listen to me, trying to justify it as I write. Very inspirational and informative as always. Please keep me posted every time you post.