It is a five-mile drive home from work. I nearly killed three people. Four, counting the baby I must assume was in the hooded pushchair. You can imagine the headlines, “Mother and baby killed by careless driver…”
Few would look beyond the surface. The driver would be condemned, punished, ostracised… and would live crushed by a burden of indelible grief and guilt.
Who would really have been at fault? The driver already halfway through a manoeuvre on the road? Or the heedless pedestrian, too busy talking on the phone to check before pushing their child into the path of a moving car?
In the case of this particular mother, she didn’t even turn her head or pause her conversation when I slammed on the brakes, mere inches from tragedy. Nor did the young man singing soundlessly to the music from his earphones… or the middle-aged woman in mid-business call, apparently haranguing thin air through headset and mic. All of them stepped into the road without a pause, without a look and without any thought for oncoming traffic or possible danger.
And it annoys the hell out of me.
Drivers who cause accidents by using mobile devices whilst driving are severely penalised. There are laws against it. But pedestrians can, apparently, cause accidents whilst using mobile devices with impunity… and no thought for the anguish of the driver.
No matter how careful you are, on foot or behind the wheel, accidents can and do happen. But they should be just that… accidents. Not the result of the blasé self-absorption that blinds us to where we are or even our own safety.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
I completely agree!
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Oh! Sue I totally agree, runners too wearing headphones are a danger too. I hope you are okay after such a nightmare drive! I have seen this all too often especially the mum with pushchair on the phone! Take care 💜
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I was annoyed rather than upset, I have to say.
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I agree with you, Sue. It is another example of Joe public being exonerated from taking responsibility for their actions and lives.
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That is one thing none of us can escape.
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Agreed, Sue
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Even if they are only listening to music, these phones are turning people into mindless robots.
Or is that the plan?
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Quite possibly…
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Reblogged this on Campbells World and commented:
A post with which I absolutely agree.
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Thank you for sharing, Patty…
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Well agreed they are stupid and bloody annoying. And they’re banned in Lithuania, Honolulu and they trialled a ban in Manchester so action is coming. It won’t be in a hurry though as the people who usually suffer most are the perpetrators (I’m not denying the psychological impact On the driver who hits the pedestrian, it’s just that, physically they’re not at so much risk). This is similar to the debates about constraining poor cycling behaviour because again the injured parties tend to be the cyclists themselves as they are the ones who are hit. Clearly rules are needed and ideally enforced but personally, and being entirely pragmatic, I’d prefer more of the limited time and precious resources were spent on motorists first who use their technology while driving as they cause much more severe injuries. Once that’s under control then turn the fire on recalcitrant pedestrians.
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Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists all need to be protected from dangerous or careless drivers, but I do think drivers deserve equal protection and not automatic blame.
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I don’t disagree, not at all.
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it is so scary, and a needless scenario
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It is.
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Perhaps this is God’s way of weeding out the species? I like it!
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I don’t. Not one bit.
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You’re absolutely right. I have seen them and it is remarkable how little they value their own safety or that of others.
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Needlessly heedless.
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Exactly! Engrossed in a world of their own and totally disconnected with the real one.
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And missing such a lot too…
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So right!
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Stupid remark above, apart…..I do agree. ‘Grown-ups’ shouldn’t act like children when they are supposed to be in control.
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Not good. This does happen all too often these days 😦
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I know…
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Parents on the phone while being out with a child are the same as a parent that leaves a child unattended. It is irresponsible. How upsetting for you.
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I wonder if they would be able to live with themselves if their children were hurt because they were on the phone?
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A thousand thumbs up! We have a law about texting on your phone while driving but that hasn;t stopped anyone from chatting away. And because everyone is in their own little world with ear buds or head phones, a driver has to be extra cautious! These people were lucky YOU were driving.
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We have the same laws, and they should also apply to pedestrians and cyclists as far as I am concerned.
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I’m with you on this one, Sue. Too many times the pedestrian assumes he/she is safe and completely unaware of their surroundings. And yet, as you said, the driver will get severely punished and the true cause will not. Laws must be modified…
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A little equality would not go amiss.
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With you on this too Sue. Always the motorist at fault…… glad we invested in a dashcam.
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It quite often is… but not always and blame should not be automatic.
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Totally agree, Sue.
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With you and sharing, Sue…
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Thanks, Bette.
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It is an addictive epidemic and happening here for at least the last 8 or so years with increasing frequency. Where will it end? Does it enhance our life that much? Are we in that much of a rush – we miss out on some much stimulus from the environment around us. It is perplexing.
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I agree… there is enough in th eworld to engage our attention without being permanently set apart by technology that is supposed to connect us.
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How ironic technology is – along with the advent of computers that were supposed to be such a time-saving device. They save time in some ways but create so much more work and consume our time in other ways.
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It is up to us to decide how to use technology, not let it own us 😉
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Good point. We control it, or we should control it.
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We should…
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Silly humans … did you at least give ’em a blast on the horn and possibly startle them into paying attention to their environment for, possibly ten seconds, depending on the scroll-speed of their ‘device’?
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Only one of them… Oddly enough, I don’t like scaring children…
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😀 … me either.
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Terrible. Worse than terrible. What is the matter with people? And I am being forced to bring more technology into my preschool classroom… it is wrong, and will only exasperate the problem as children grow older. ‘Nuff said. 😥
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I know… my two little grandaughters needed tabletsfor pre-school… 😦
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Oh, no! 😢
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…at two years old…
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Even worse. 😢
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I fear it’s only going to get worse. I think even people not absorbed in their own worlds are increasingly at risk from one of our technological advances in pursuit of environmental protection – the electric car.
I’ve just spent a couple of weeks driving one while the garage has my own car, and it’s unsettling and alarming – a soundless car is an accident waiting to happen. It’s already causing major issues with frightening horses being ridden along the road – how long before someone gets killed because they didn’t hear one coming? I realise we need to make changes – not only are fossil fuels polluting, but they will run out sooner or later – but someone needs to give some thought to the implications of a vehicle that you can’t hear coming.
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While I am glad to see lowered pollution, both from the fuel source and the noise levels of cars, tis is something I have heard and thought a lot about too… and I agree, someone needs to think on it .
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Silly people … did you at least supply ’em a blast on the horn and perhaps startle them into paying interest to their surroundings for, perhaps ten seconds, relying on the scroll-speed of their ‘device’?
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No…it never occurred to me to do so… though I would have liked to say a few words…
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This is a sad fact in today’s society. Sometimes the worse are the one’s with headset while riding a bike. Great post and thanks.
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Sadly many of the bikers are now delivery drivers and need the headset… a dangerous situation.
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