Saga of Cell Phone Accident...

Reality Check wrote:
Not to excuse bad driving.... because it's a pain and it happens a lot and is mostly preventable. And flat out...I have a bone to pick with stupid people, unprepared people, and uninsured drivers.

But....

They call them accidents for a reason...not on-purposes. Everyone of us has had an incident where we screwed up, some small, some large.

Honestly, cops aren't claims examiners. If they 'investigated' every single fender bender (and this was a FB because it was minor in comparison to the rest of life's big issues) they'd be tied up on the road, off the road and in the courts defending and testifying to stupid chit. Be careful what you wish for. There is a reason most of us responsible folks pay extra for un-insured/underinsured additional coverage. You do not want your local law enforcement spending their time taking accident reports, chasing barking dog complaints or ticketing jay walkers. Checking cell phone records? This isn't television and OP's accident was surely not a fatality or serious anything. "It could have been" doesn't qualify.

Reference cell phone use and laws...a couple of comments. First, not everyone that talks on the cell phone while holding it in their hand is a menace. There are people that shouldn't even carry on a conversation while driving...period...with anyone, whether in the car or not. And there are people that can chat on a phone, answer the car radio and check the laptop next to them while driving code to a call and do just fine. The point is, distracted driving, whether eating a burger, tuning the radio, looking at the wildlife or scenery or talking on or off a phone is all 'distracted driving'. Passing silly laws about a specific practice is ridiculous.

Example of passing laws to make people think your addressing a problem ( "We're doing something...!! ) Remember when Car Jacking became a problem/epidemic? All the sheep and politicians screamed that 'we' need to do something. So most states passed some form of a law banning "car jacking". Really? it's called Robbery...law's already on the books. But hey, problem solved. Tools.

Back to OP's issue. Sucks, makes a great story, and is great that his writing it helps us think and prepare for ourselves. i.e. got adequate jack? got insurance covered? practice good defensive driving skills? got sense of humor? Seriously, it's good to think about these things because they DO happen. It's part of life.

Glad OP is ok. Glad he could continue on, glad he has insurance. Glad he took the time to write it up for us all.

toedtoes wrote:
My dad told me once how he was paying $50 a month to have all his home phone calls forwarded to his cell phone. I asked him why he would throw away that $50 every month.

He said he got important calls that he couldn't miss. I asked him what important calls. His response:

The other day, I got a call from the pharmacy that my Rx wouldn't be ready for pickup until the following day. I was at a dog show that day, so if it hadn't been forwarded I would have missed it. That call saved me a trip.

I said "if you were at a dog show all day, you weren't planning on picking up the Rx until the following day anyway, so if you had missed the call, it wouldn't have made any difference."

He had no counter to that. But he still believed every call was a matter of great importance that couldn't be missed.

A co-worker routinely takes calls from her husband, grown kids, and grown grandkids. She will stop a work conversation to answer her cell phone for them. Once her husband called to tell her to call him at 2 pm and wake him up so he could go to his volunteer job. He called her on a smart phone. He isn't that smart since he couldn't just set the alarm on his phone to wake himself up... Her calls are all typical of this type of absolutely unnecessary interruption by her family. And if she doesn't answer, they will keep calling until she does.
She's even taken calls while doing employee interviews and in meetings with executives.

One time, my dad called me on my cell while I was at work at 4:45pm. I was in a meeting and called him back afterwards. He was mad because I didn't pick up immediately and told me I needed to explain to my boss that my dad had health issues and I needed to answer his calls immediately. I asked "so what is your emergency?". I forgot to have your sister take me to the bank. I need you to drive up and take me.

I had to explain that even if I had answered at 4:45 pm when he first called and left work immediately (even though I didn't get off until 5:45), I would not arrive at his house until after 6pm and the bank would be closed before I even picked him up.

Yes, people think their phone calls are all too important to miss. Whether it's because they like to feel important, like to control, or are just lonely, answering that phone is a rush. And they ALWAYS have a loud obnoxious ring so that everyone else KNOWS when they get those important calls.

2oldman wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
Yes, people think their phone calls are all too important to miss. Whether it's because they like to feel important, like to control, or are just lonely, answering that phone is a rush. And they ALWAYS have a loud obnoxious ring so that everyone else KNOWS when they get those important calls.

A voice call is almost always unnecessary. My pharmacy texts me for everything. My doctor texts me to confirm appointments. I prefer it; it's just as quick and effective as voice, and far less likely to be garbled or "what was that..? you cut out." And listening to a voice mail is so slow and annoying.

That said, some of the old-school folks think a voice call is the only way to communicate. Works for them, I guess, but it's pretty 20th century.

free radical wrote:
I always wonder what is so important that people need to answer a call when driving.?
Cell phones are great invention,people just need to pull over,stop then talk.
Btw
In Ontario its 500$ fine nowadays for distracted driving.

toedtoes wrote:
Yes, people think their phone calls are all too important to miss. Whether it's because they like to feel important, like to control, or are just lonely, answering that phone is a rush. And they ALWAYS have a loud obnoxious ring so that everyone else KNOWS when they get those important calls.