How Important Was It?

I assume you've all seen the "It Can Wait" campaign commercials about not texting while driving.  Well, I almost became a part of a commercial yesterday.

I know I can't even talk and walk at the same time without finding myself tripping over a small crack in the sidewalk, ending up face planting on cement and breaking my phone (It's actually happened!) so I don't even attempt to TALK on the phone in my truck.  I know a lot of people talk on the phone in cars every day and even though I don't think that's all that safe, that doesn't require them looking away from the road to read and type while still trying to navigate through 75 mph traffic.

SO, to the mother in the white Audi...REALLY?

I was driving home from my mom's house yesterday when a white Audi next to me swerved into my lane.  I hit my brakes to avoid hitting her.  The woman driving was holding her phone in her right hand, texting.  She looked over at me as she overcorrected, went over the rumble strips and raised her hand with her phone in it as an apology.  At this point I see the two carseats in her backseat with the two smiling faces of young children.

Instead of hanging up her phone when she almost ran another vehicle off the road, she just switched lanes in front of me and slowed down to five mph BELOW the speed limit...as if slowing down will make it all better, as if when you run someone off the road at a slower speed maybe you won't kill someone just severely injure them?  AH YES...that's better...now I get it!

Since I was pinned behind her now, I watched as she hit the rumble strips on this side, overcorrected and almost hit the little Accord that was now next to her as they laid on their horn.  STILL, she didn't put her phone down.  SERIOUSLY?  Two near accidents and you still think your text is important?

Now if you want to text and drive out on some rural road when nobody else is around and the only things you could possibly hurt are wood fences, some trees and YOURSELF, have at it.  When you're on a major highway through a largish city with two children in carseats in your backseat and the black truck you almost ran off the highway is carrying a three year old, a three month old and a mother that's currently giving you a death glare...put your damn phone DOWN!

Whoever you were talking to about whatever you were talking about better have been REALLY damn important for all the lives you put at risk!

I could even understand that you don't know me and therefore don't care about my life or my children that you put at risk but next time you need to decide whether or not to answer that text, please do me a favor and glance in your rearview mirror.  Those two children riding in carseats in your back seat, putting all their trust in you getting them wherever you're going safely?  They're only safe right now because the drivers around you were paying attention.  Maybe next time you can't look up from your text you'll be next to someone else that's also texting!  Don't let your TEXT be more important than your KIDS!