Distractions: They Can Be Deadly

While "driving" around the blogoshpere, we found this article on iVillage, by Laurie Yarnell of "Embedded in the 'Burbs". She contemplates life without being able to dial, eat, drink coffee, fuss with her pup, and drive.

She says, "Here in New York and elsewhere, we’ve (reluctantly) gotten used to hands-free cell phone chatting and conversations routinely interrupted by frantic instructions to “oh (insert four-letter word of your choosing here), hold on, there’s a police car.” But these newest restrictions could really put a cramp on the whole multi-tasking car culture as we suburban household CEOs (alternately known as Captains of the Carpools) know it.

Get this: Vermont is considering prohibiting eating, drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an instrument, or (this last one is downright cruel) interacting with pets while driving. Okay, cigarettes make me sick and I am a proud piano lesson drop-out. And I have indeed noticed that reading about Brittany’s latest parenting faux pas while driving really does adversely impact my level of reading comprehension."

Yikes! Ask Patty loves our pets, so trying to drive without dealing with them is a scary thought. And yet we are back to our questions from last week: Isn't a child as much of a distraction? Are we not allowed to interact with them either?!

Laurie continues,"But putting pedal to the metal without a cup of java or "interacting" with my Lab? Whoa. Talk about distracting. Clearly these lawmakers have not seen me handle my morning commute caffeine-free or steer my way through errands while ignoring 85 pounds of panting pet.

The rub is that the Green Mountain State is actually one of my favorite getaway destinations. But I might just have to forgo any road trips there if these new laws pass. Then again, maybe I'll just let my husband drive while I work my way through a cone of Ben & Jerry’s and play my favorite musical instrument, the iPod."

We hear you Laurie! But then again, check out these facts:

Top Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents
-Reckless and negligent driving
-Driving while intoxicated
-Inexperienced and irresponsible drivers
-Inattentiveness to the road and other vehicles (i.e., tuning the radio, talking on a cell phone, or chatting with passengers, etc.)
**The #1 cause for Spinal Cord Injury is car accident.**

Yikes! I guess we better kiss multi-tasking goodbye.