Distracted

Another reminder why I never answer my cell when it's raining.

I'm a careful driver. Especially in the rain. I don't like tickets, I don't like accidents. I don't want them, I can't afford them. And I have absolutely no luck anyway. Every time I speed even a little bit, I get pulled over. My husband can drive thirty over and never get stopped. I drive seven over and not only get stopped, but get ticketed.

The fact that all of my cars before this one were front-wheel drive also have something to do with it. I haven't had a lot of occasion to drive in the rain. I believe that rain is a great excuse to curl up under a blanket, read books, and drink chai tea lattes. I only get out in the rain if I have to. Which is why I've owned the Jeep for three years or so and have only driven it in the rain a handful of times. It's rear-wheel drive, which is definitely a different experience in the rain than front-wheel.

This is why I'm exceedingly careful. I don't let myself get distracted. I don't answer my phone. I don't play with the kids. I don't do paperwork.

And I guess that has made me lose my tolerance for those that do. Yesterday a 4Runner was in front of me on the highway near my house. It was raining. And cold. And he was completely distracted. Even from a safe following distance I could see him on his cell phone, gesticulating wildly, while shuffling papers.

He didn't look up at the yellow light until the last second before an intersection, and slammed on his brakes (dumb). He skidded and slightly fishtailed to a halt in the middle of the intersection while the light was still yellow, causing everyone behind him to slow down suddenly as well (dumber). I wasn't so worried about me, I had started slowing down long before he did, and left him ample room to correct his mistake, but I was worried about the huge RV behind me. Thankfully, he seems to be a careful driver, too, and came to a stop well behind me. 4Runner puts on his reverse lights and backs up practically on top of me. He leaves his reverse lights on and continues to gesticulate into his cell phone. The RV driver and I were of one mind watching this guy, so the RV flashes his lights at me, letting me know it's okay to back up. I thought that was a splendid idea, so I did.

The light turns green, and the 4Runner guns it -- in reverse (dumbest). He screeches to a halt, puts it in drive, throws up his hands like the world is working against him (poor guy's too distracted to realize it's only himself), and drives on. I turn right and get out of his way. If I hadn't backed up, he would have hit me. But I guess that just goes to show that it pays to shut up and drive.