Texting and A Sore Tailed Cat

The other night I was preparing dinner for a few friends and had waited till the last minute to get things started. With less than an hour before my dinner guest were to arrive I started franticly chopping vegetables, boiling water, rinsing chicken, chilling wine, preparing the grill, all while trying to select the perfect dinner music, answer the phone, put groceries away, unpack the dessert and set the table. With these ten things going on and juggling the mental stimulation that goes along with it, my Siamese cat Jasper wanted attention as he chattered and twined about my feet. Then by accident I stepped on Jasper’s tail. What happened next is not so clear, but with the screeching shrill of a cat in pain as all four paws started churning like circular saws to get out of the way the next thing I knew my vegetables lay on the floor amongst a broken bottle of wine.

We all have had the feeling of uneasiness when we’ve glanced in our rear view mirror during rush hour and notice the woman behind us applying her eye liner, or the man who is texting as he drifts into our lane. Astronauts and fighter pilots have been trained to multi task while operating large heavy potentially lethal vehicles. But, how many of us take the task of driving as seriously as astronauts and pilots? Our world has become busy and complex as we try to make the most out of every minute of our day. It doesn’t matter if you are a high powered business executive, county librarian, stay at home mom, the star quarterback of a high school football team, or a healthcare provider. Our lives are busy making multi-tasking while driving seem only natural. However, multi-tasking all too often involves eating lunch, returning phone calls, adjusting the GPS, making music selections, all while reading and sending emails and text messages while driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 80% of automobile crashes involve some form of driver distraction. For this reason the National Safety Council has called for a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving. Unquestionably, driving without distractions and paying close attention to the road and the task of driving safely would save lives and reduce non-fatal injuries. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System in 2008 there were 37,261 automobile related fatalities. Imagine 80% of these deaths could have been prevented by concentrating on driving and a little less attention to our music selections, phone calls and text messaging.

As a nurse I have seen firsthand the tragedy automobile accidents can bring. There is no phone call or text message as important as life or limb. We are all busy and as life takes its twist and turns we realize that sometimes our carelessness has life altering consequences far worse than a sore tailed cat and a bottle of wine. Remember, the most important job you have as a motorist is to watch the road and focus on driving safely. Driving is more than hands on- driving is mind on!

Howard Baker, RN BSN

For questions, comments, or suggestions on topics you want to read about please email me at: howard@howardsbaker.com