I listen to talk radio on the way home from work. Usually, if the host doesn't interest me within a minute, I'll switch to another show or listen to music. Today, one host inspired this post.
The host was explaining that some polling company had polled around 1000 supposed voters and asked the question: "Should anyone caught texting, while driving, lose their license for a period of time." Of the people polled, half felt they should and the other half felt they shouldn't. The demographics showed that age played a big part of the data. The majority of older folks felt they should and the younger felt the opposite. So, after the data was crunched, it was half and half.
My opinion is that this is horse manure. First, how can they determine if the respondent is actually a voter? The poll was by telephone, so the only thing they could depend on was the honesty of the person they talked to. The same goes for age. Otherwise, the data is horse manure, yet the host was using the data as if it was authoritative and correct.
Another thing that bothered me was the fact the issue of texting while driving was considered a subject that merited attention. While I'm sure there are people that are involved with accidents while texting and driving, I'm not convinced it's a big problem like the media would like me to believe. My personal experience in driving - and I have over a million miles behind the wheel - tells me that driving too fast and following too close is a much bigger problem. So, what are we going to do about this? Mandate governors on cars? Mandate radar detection systems that slow a vehicle down to prevent following too close to the car in front? Take away licences from those that drive this way? Lobotomy for repeat offenders?
Anyway, I'm tired of the talking heads of the media, pollsters and the horse manure they peddle daily. If they really want to talk about something important, talk about the fact that inflation, sorry fiscal policies and lying politicians have just about ruined this country. Expand this subject to include the millions of derelicts that milk the public tit and are never punished for their complete disrespect for law and lack of decency. That's important, in my opinion. The rest is mostly fluff and an obvious effort by the media, pundits and politicians to bask in their self-importance.
Blech!
I've got an entire expressway to myself for 30 miles. I might dial, I might find a talk show on my phone. Yes, I'm distracted. I might drift into another empty lane for a 2 second period. Sue me.
ReplyDeleteEd: Were you driving the blue F-150 that rear-ended me in Indy last April 1st? If so, I NEED to find someone to sue.
ReplyDeleteThis has happened more than once on my way to work.
ReplyDeleteHere I am cruising the speed limit on the outskirts of San Antonio and see a care taking up a lane and a half. Sometimes they're straddling the shoulder line and other times they're splitting the zipper.
I can usually time their oscillations to pass when they're on a right side swoop, and sure enough they're staring at a bright screen on their steering wheel.
In cow country- where the deer appear magically in the highway and 2,000 lb. black steers get out on not rare occasions.
Well, sure texting and driving is dangerous. I hear a loud and sarcastic "Duh!" resounding through my brain. So is eating and driving, changing the radio station and driving, so is putting on mascara and driving, so is talking to your passenger and showing them exactly how big the one that got away was while driving, so is having a coughing fit and driving, so is yelling at little Johnny and Emma for fighting over who gets to eat the fuzzy year old french fries found wedged between the carseat and the backseat while driving instead of pulling over and stopping the car as you always threaten to do. Oh, and simply breathing and driving is probably dangerous, too.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't we all just face the facts, driving is dangerous. Life is dangerous because we all do dumb things sometimes, and even when we are being safe other people may be doing dumb things around us. Ridiculous laws prohibiting stupid actions won't make life less dangerous until you can make human nature less stupid.
But I think the real issue I have with the media "coverage" on this issue is that they are trying to distract us with idiotic issues so we won't notice the real problems and heinous crimes being perpetrated against our country and against our constitution by the people we have hoped would lead us and protect us.
But, that's just my soap box opinion, one I no doubt got from thinking while driving instead of paying attention to the road.