12-09-2008, 04:40 PM
Brian, I've only smoked crack cocaine twice and I didn't find it that addicting:?
Folks....I own a consulting business that has required me to drive between 35-50K miles a year for the last 12+ years. I have seen it all. There is no doubt that people go into "autoplot" while talking. If I had a dollar for every person I came up upon in the left lane who was on the phone, or for every person who did somethiong erratic as a result of talking on the phone, I could afford another track day AND one of George's T-Shirts.
BTW, I am an offender too. While hands free is definitely better, it is not entirely safe. For me, it is not necessarily a lack of skill required to "dial and drive", it is simply the fact that you become disengaged when talking on the phone. Suddenly I find myself at the end of the PA turnpike and I wonder where the time went.
I, like many of you, like to think that I am a slightly more talented and observant driver than your average Joe (including Joe the Plumber), which allows me to get away with a few things that others may not. But really, it is defensive driving and a little skill that keeps me out of trouble. For those of you who drive motorcycles, you understand this all too well....defensive driving is the key. The real killer, I find, is when you see 10 people stacked up in the left lane, 1/2 car length apart, going 70-80 mph. The other day I witnessed this in the rain...unbelievable. I can't believe there are not more mulyi-car pile-ups. Then there is someone like me, who leaves a 2-3 second buffer, and some smack-ass pulls in front of you to take it away. Oh well....thank God for SIRIUS radio and a cell phone (?).
Folks....I own a consulting business that has required me to drive between 35-50K miles a year for the last 12+ years. I have seen it all. There is no doubt that people go into "autoplot" while talking. If I had a dollar for every person I came up upon in the left lane who was on the phone, or for every person who did somethiong erratic as a result of talking on the phone, I could afford another track day AND one of George's T-Shirts.
BTW, I am an offender too. While hands free is definitely better, it is not entirely safe. For me, it is not necessarily a lack of skill required to "dial and drive", it is simply the fact that you become disengaged when talking on the phone. Suddenly I find myself at the end of the PA turnpike and I wonder where the time went.
I, like many of you, like to think that I am a slightly more talented and observant driver than your average Joe (including Joe the Plumber), which allows me to get away with a few things that others may not. But really, it is defensive driving and a little skill that keeps me out of trouble. For those of you who drive motorcycles, you understand this all too well....defensive driving is the key. The real killer, I find, is when you see 10 people stacked up in the left lane, 1/2 car length apart, going 70-80 mph. The other day I witnessed this in the rain...unbelievable. I can't believe there are not more mulyi-car pile-ups. Then there is someone like me, who leaves a 2-3 second buffer, and some smack-ass pulls in front of you to take it away. Oh well....thank God for SIRIUS radio and a cell phone (?).