Car Care for the Smart “Driver”
Q: Dear Boomer and X,
My boyfriend is texting while he’s driving and insists that he can watch the road and still reply to messages on his cell phone. He is a very good driver; however, I would rather he talk on his cell phone than text or not at all. I am so nervous when I am in the car with him. What do you two think?
Michelle Ryan
Minneapolis, Minnesota
A: Dear Michelle,
“I’m a good driver,” said Raymond in the movie Rain Man, but he wasn’t on a cell phone or texting Tom Cruise.
Texting while driving has reached some of the same deadly proportions as drinking while driving or talking on your cell phone while driving. Keeping your eyes on the road is the most important key to driving safely, and any distractions inside your car including steering with your knee or applying mascara can cause fatal accidents.
Teens and adults alike, because of today’s technology, seem to think that driving a car is just a byproduct of communicating with the world while being mobile. TWD (texting while driving) made the headline when five teens from the East Coast were killed because the driver was texting while driving. It was a horrific accident, and there are more stories like this one occurring everyday.
If your boyfriend doesn’t respect your life or his own enough to stop, what about the innocent bystanders that could be hurt or killed by his texting or chatting on the phone?
Today’s vehicles are safer, more stable and much faster. In fact, they can feel like they are driving themselves. This take-it-for-granted motoring is a kind of false security that is part of the equation. Many states have already proposed legislature to outlaw texting in cars. Just like hands-free cell phone chatter, another law will need to be set in order for people to stop texting.
As far as what we think? We would tell him if he is going to keep texting while driving, you won’t be driving with him. He’ll stop or you might want to start an organization like GATWD (girlfriends against texting while driving). Be an activist, not just a passive passenger.
Good Luck
Boomer and X
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Boomer and X - Two generations of women offer car-care advice to readers each month. This Mother Daughter team of Cathy and Melanie Droz are automotive journalists and manufacturers “test drivers.” Boomer shares years of knowledge and experience while our generation “X” contributes and shares a trendier, more-technically hip solution to automotive questions.
Send your questions to Boomerand X@GPPPS.com
