Proof About Texting and Driving

Three years ago, I followed my stepdaughter to her hometown so she could have a ride back after selling her van. Since I was unfamiliar with the area, I let her drive back. I noticed after a few moments that we seemed to be drifting close to the shoulder; I looked over and she had one hand on the wheel and the other on her cell phone, her thumb passing over the keypad.

"Please don't text while driving my vehicle," I requested firmly.

She smiled sheepishly and closed her phone. The rest of the drive went smoothly.

Last Friday, a deadly train wreck occured in California. The cause?

One engineer was texting a train enthusiast and missed his red light, causing him to be on a head-on collision course with another train. 25 people were killed; 130 injured.

My spousal unit has witnessed many people talking on cell phones and plowing into stopped traffic, simply because they were not paying attention to the traffic pattern. I used to drive pre-schoolers to school and had a radio in the car. I was stopped at a red light; received a call; I picked up the mike and for whatever reason, also stepped on the gas and promptly drove through the intersection!

My first thought immediately following was, "OMG...was that light still red?" I finished speaking to my supervisor and checked the rearview mirror. Yep...still red! I was lucky there had been no oncoming traffic! And with five children under the age of 6 with me!

And soon after getting my first cell phone, I was chatting happily with my bff while on a deserted perimeter road around the airport (I was taking a short cut home in the early evening, to avoid the traffic) and doing a pretty good job of staying aware. But, we got on a heavily debated topic and I looked up just in time to slam on the brakes to avoid driving through a stop sign and hitting truck who had the right away. After that scare, I vowed not to talk on the cell and drive at the same time!

I don't have a cell phone at the moment, but the spouse and teens do. And now talking on the cell and driving has been outlawed, and I've cautioned the 16-yr-old about texting! And having seen this train wreck on the news, you'd better believe I plan on showing it to him when he gets home!

Hurricane Ike Arrived
I know; I live in Indiana. So how could we be hit by a hurricane? The wind and rain blew in yesterday, causing power outages and falling tree limbs. None fell on our house, but a couple fell across the street. No damage over here; just two power blips and debris in the street. But a county to the northeast still has power issues and two school systems are on delays because of it.

Everything moved out by 6pm and the weather has cooled considerably:) We'll be heading back to the storage unit later this afternoon.

Anniversary Approacheth
I'm also coming up on the anniversary of this blog. Is there anyone out there who would like a copy of one of my books, or would you prefer a goody package? Let me know, either via the comments or storimom2@aol.com and I'll think up a contest or something. Maybe just a random draw that day.

Monday, Monday...
I'm heading down to sort the laundry and start my day. I'll also be checking in with my friends' blogs in about an hour. What's on your Monday agenda? If I'm lucky, I'll also get some writing accomplished. I'm using Judith's suggestion for the rewrite, and will post it today on the Novel Sisterhood Member Madness Day, to see how everyone likes it.