Blind as a Bat

Call#2
It is another typical day at the firehouse, and we have finished taking care of the rig, sat down and done some training, worked out, been to the store, and I am getting ready to begin studying for a promotional exam when we get our next call of the day.

The call is for chest pain. We pull out of the firehouse with the lights and sirens on. A piece of fire apparatus such as ours weighs approximately 40,000 pounds. It is large, white, and has a siren, and numerous lights. You should be able to see this thing coming, and if you don't see it, one would think that you could hear it. I pull up to a major intersection and the light is red. I stop and make sure that it is safe to proceed, when all of a sudden a driver appears on my left and proceeds through the intersection. As our eyes meet, the driver drops their cell phone, takes both hands off of the wheel and covers their mouth with both hands and exclaims: "I'm so sorry I didn't see you!"

Really?! This person was not really blind as a bat, what they were was another distracted driver.
Every year 5,500 people die from distracted driving. (U.S. Department of Transportation)
It really is simple. When you are in a moving vehicle, drive. Where do you have to be that is so important, that you absolutely must endanger your life as well as everybody around you by talking on a phone? If the call is that important, pull over.

"Hang up and drive." Driving is probably one of the most dangerous things that you will do today. If that does not scare you then I do not know what will. Trust me you do not want to be hit by a piece of fire apparatus. Have you ever heard of the lug nut rule? Lug nuts are what holds the tire on your vehicle. It stands to reason that the bigger the vehicle, the more lug nuts there are. Most passenger cars have four or five lug nuts. Our fire engine has twelve. Applying the rule twelve versus four gives me a three to one advantage over you. I am pretty sure that after the accident, not all the King's horses and all of the King's men is going to put your Acura together again. In fact , I am not sure we can put you together again.

Please, for the love of humanity...turn off the phone, turn down the radio and watch out for me.


References:

US Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety
Distracted Driving
www.distraction.gov/#