Dangerous Driving

On Boxing day last year my mom was in a serious car accident. While still suffering the aftermath, she told me tonight, that she was lucky to have lived. Had the car that hit her not hit another car first, the impact would have killed her and my grandmother sitting next to her.  In this case the driver of  the other car was chasing someone who had nicked his car in a parking lot and drove away.  In the end, he had more than a nick to fix in his car.

It makes me think of all the stupid things we do while driving. Heres a short list: Talking on your cellphone, texting, being someway intoxicated, racing, speeding, applying makeup, eating, getting something from the backseat, checking on a child in the back, playing I spy games and I’m sure there are more.

Texting while driving has been getting a lot of attention. In Ontario, you cannot use your cellphone while driving unless it is hands free.  However, Whitehorse has no such rules.  I think there are different degrees of guilt. On an Ontario road, I would pull over to use my cellphone, the roads are very busy and require my complete attention. In Whitehorse, depending on where I am, I may feel comfortable driving and talking on my phone.  I’ve actually even sent a text while driving. I was stopped at a red light and only texted ‘ok’. But I am guilty of it.

I’ve been looking at the advertisements recently posted by Chief Medical officer of the Yukon saying ‘Where’s your stupid line?’  The intent is to promote safety in the workplace but can be expanded to promoting safety in your lifestyle.  The point is where do you draw the line of what is stupid and what is ok?

If texting requires the use of both thumbs, and you have to look down to do it, you are not looking where you are going, and how are you steering your vehicle? If you wouldn’t want your pilot texting in the air, don’t text on the roads, they are a lot more dangerous.  Car accidents have been the leading cause of preventable death in Canada for the last 8 years.  Maybe we should all consider where we draw the stupid line when it comes to driving.

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