The more I think about it the more I wonder if banning cell phone use within the confines of an automobile would actually make the roads safer. We have grown so accustomed to being able to instantly address issues that arise. Within minutes we take care of problems, answer questions, change schedules, check the stock market, and complete Scrabble moves. Implementing preventative measures will not teach us the lessons we need. A cell phone ban in cars is a proposal that would do wonders for our society only if people viewed it from the proper angle - whatever it is, it can wait. Truly it can, no matter what situation might come up. I doubt that patience will be the lesson learned from the ban. Our roads will not be any safer unless people remember how it used to be.
Can you imagine driving from Oxford, Maryland to Key West, Florida without a cell phone? I did it many times. From the time I was 16 until I turned 27 or 28 I drove a few heaps of junk up and down the east coast. More than few times I had to sit on the side of the road and wait for a good samaritan or a police officer to swing by and offer some assistance. I cannot recall exactly how many times this happened but I do know that many a quiet moment was had.
There isn't much to do on the sides of I-95, Route 29, and some off-shoot back roads but watch the world go by. The world has plenty to offer if you just sit back and watch it rotate while waiting for a tow truck. I used to be able to exhibit some patience. Watching a pine tree sway in the wind fascinated me. I also know for a fact that if you stay quiet and look close enough you might see an owl sitting in the nook of a tree. It is better to witness some rarity in the natural world than placing a "j" on a triple letter score isn't it?
When was the last time you stopped on the side of the road and asked someone if they needed assistance? I think it has been over 8 or 9 years for me. Every time I see a car broken down on the side of the road I say to myself - 'it's okay, they probably have a cell phone.' I wonder if I have ever been wrong?
Any voicemail or email with the message 'get back to me right away' should just be erased. I've said it and I've heard it and I hate it. It has barely been a week since I sent an "urgent" message to my friend Lesley. Sorry, Lesley, the dog picture with the Packers' helmet could have waited until Saturday. It is the implication of 'or else' that creates unnecessary drama, tension, and work in the life of the sender and recipient. The ability to wait has become a lost art. Just a reminder, the great epic "Ben Hur" was filmed without cell phones. How it was filmed I haven't a clue but it was.
For years problems were solved, even bigger problems than moving movie extras around, without the use of cell phones. Whatever the issue is it can wait until you drive through a work zone on the highway to be addressed. How ugly is it that we aren't willing to ensure the safety of others when directing our attention to non-pressing matters? Then there are the pressing matters...like the health of our loved ones.
This can be solved by re-prioritizing what is most important in our lives. Of course economic pressures often do not allow us to do the things we should. I'm sure most people would rather take care of loved ones who are ill but how will bills get paid and food be put on the table if jobs are lost because family came first? There are still some bosses that allow employees to attend to family matters but those stories are rare and I think they mostly take place in Europe...
When my stepfather passed away unexpectedly in 1992 I was living in New York City. That day I went to work then headed over to a friend's house for dinner. At the friend's house I called home to check in about some travel plans and that is when I found out. It was several hours after he died. I had to get home, pack, go to Brooklyn, and meet up with family. By the time everything was taken care of in New York it was too late to get on the road and drive to Fredericksburg. We finally made it to the house late in the afternoon the next day, almost 24 hours later. It was tough not being able to be home right away. Yes it was sad, but everybody did the best they could and you know what, it was all fine. Friends filled in where family could not. People stepped up to fill the voids and attend to what needed to be done. I am so glad I did not have a cell phone going off the whole time I was en route to the destination I need to get to. There was a calm and a peace within the family that was never interrupted by some stupid ringtone.
I just paid my cell phone bill this morning. Verizon got 63 bucks that I need to use for Christmas presents and that isn't even for an Iphone. 63 bucks for a flip phone that I hate to use because it is such a pain to operate. On Tuesday I was driving home from Assateague and sent four text messages from that phone while on Route 50. On three of them I was fine but on one I swerved over onto the shoulder. I'm definitely not as good at texting and driving as I once was. Not one of those texts dealt with a matter of any urgency. What a stupid idea it was to even pull the phone out of the glove box.
Remember when all you had was a landline? I do. It was fun coming home at the end of the day and retrieving messages. People understood that life did not revolve around the call they were making. There was always a day or two grace period to get back in touch. If someone lost their patience and called you a few too many times in one day that person was considered a stalker. Waiting wasn't always easy but it certainly was good exercise...
I think it might be time for me to downgrade even further. Even though I think a landline would be an upgrade from my present cell phone situation. I would definitely get rid of my cell phone if the ban wasn't just for the inside of an automobile but extended to say city limits. And how about on public transportation, on sidewalks, in lines at the grocery store! People might learn how to be considerate, helpful to others, and patient if we just made phone calls within the confines of our own homes. Imagine that, the way it used to be...
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