Not paying attention

The other week I was driving down Baseline Rd. The light in front of me went from red to green so I kept at my same pace of 45mph without having to slow down or stop. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a young boy start to cross the street, but there was a truck to the right of me so couldn't tell if he stopped at the light or continued crossing. It wasn't his turn to walk, he just did, not paying attention to the oncoming cars. He was in his own world just talking on the phone and listening to his Ipod. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pass the truck and had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting him as did the other cars to my right and behind me. He just stopped, looked at me and continued walking like nothing happened. His lack of regard to his surroundings could have caused a major wreck. Luckily it didn't.

Just goes to show that whether you're behind the wheel or walking in the crosswalk, to always be aware of what's around you. Had I just been looking straight ahead in front of me, something catastrophic most likely would have occurred.

If you've had experiences you'd like to share, post back.

Teen Gets Jail Time for Texting...and Driving

Apparently the British are a bit harder on drivers who text than the US. Just recently, 19-year old Rachel Beggs was driving AND texting when she rear ended 64-year old Maureen Waites, almost killing her. The crash caused Waites' car to spin out of control and hit a barrier. The crash was caused by Rachel's repeated use of her mobile phone (9 times in the 15 minutes leading up to the accident) while driving 70mph in the dark.

It was her irresponsible behavior that sentenced her to four long years in prison. Looks like she learned the hard way...to keep your eyes on the road (not on your phone) at all times.

Do you think the US should enforce this on all drivers who are caught texting or talking on the phone and cause crashes?