An article in today’s Charlotte Observer really makes me mad. Part of my outrage is because, a week and a half ago, a distracted driver ran into the back of my car, forcing me to hit the car ahead of me in traffic. Not only is my car totaled, but I’m in serious pain and my life is, at the moment, consumed with calls about insurance, attorneys, and chiropractor and doctor appointments. I’m also now on an unscheduled hunt for a new vehicle. Oh, and the driver of the car that hit me? She’s unemployed and uninsured.
Since that wreck, I’ve been very aware of the people in my rear view mirror. The day after my wreck, I forced myself to drive even though I was nervous. (Kinda like getting back up on a horse after you’ve been thrown.) On I-77 south, a man in a large company truck was riding my tail while playing with his cell phone. I saw him, several times, hold his phone at arm’s length and stare at it. I can only assume he was texting. A few days later, a big box truck nearly ran me off the road. (If I hadn’t been paying attention, it would have.)
Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I want you to know my husband works in the cell phone industry so I’m thrilled all of you love your cell phones. At the same time, I implore you to put them down while you’re driving. Use that time to, instead, listen to music, collect your thoughts and relax. Your friends and family can wait a few minutes to receive a response to their message. And, trust me, they’d much rather you arrive safely than get a response to, “What’s for dinner?”
When you’re behind the wheel of a car, you have a responsibility to yourself — and everyone on the road with you — to pay attention. So, put your damn cell phone down.
Tyler Strandberg of Rocky Mount has a hard time getting her mind off her BlackBerry when she drives.She has wrecked three cars in the past three years.
Each time, she was distracted from driving because she was typing text messages or talking on the phone.
“Sometimes I will zone out and forget I’m driving,” said Tyler, 23. “If I’m on the phone talking about something that takes up all my focus, I’m looking straight ahead – but not even seeing what’s there.”
Her dad, Buckley Strandberg, worries that she will never curb her dangerous habit.
But Buckley, an insurance executive, confesses his own weakness for Blackberry and Bluetooth. He feels compelled to conduct business by phone and e-mail on long, lonely drives between his offices in Rocky Mount and Nags Head.
“That’s more than two hours,” said Buckley, 49. “I’m not just going to sit there in the car. I get a lot of work done on that straight, dead stretch of U.S. 64.
“And if I run off the road, there are rumble strips that divert me back onto the road,” he adds. “That has happened occasionally. They seem to work, those rumble strips.”
Read the rest of this article, by Bruce Siceloff at the Raleigh News and Observer, here.
This article appears in Jan 19-25, 2010.
fromH Ob
toBruce Siceloff
ccbstrandberg@standardins.com
dateMon, Jan 25, 2010 at 6:30 PM
subjectRe: Two can’t stop phoning while driving
mailed-bygmail.com
hide details 6:30 PM (9 minutes ago)
Dear Mr. Siceloff:
With all due respect, you are misunderstanding my intentions. The sole purpose of my crusade on this matter is simply to save lives. Beyond any reasonable doubt, if these two continue with their self-admitted negligently dangerous irresponsible practices, they will eventually kill some innocent people, possibly even some one’s child. I can not in a clear conscience simply let this matter go on without taking some actions to prevent these eventual vehicular homicides from occurring. Accordingly, these two must be immediately taken off our roadways until they are cured of their “obsessive addiction” (his words, although I have serious doubts as to whether this is real or as I put it simply a cop-out excuse and denial ploy).
Nonetheless, here is my fair and reasonable proposal, to which I am also copying Mr. Strandberg. Both of the defendants (Mr. Strandberg and his daughter) will immediately voluntarily surrender their NC Driver’s Licenses to you for safekeeping while both attend a rehab clinic for treatment of their addiction (my extensive research on the Internet has confirmed that they can easily afford this treatment). Once you receive a signed medical certification from this clinic that they have been duly cured of their addiction, you can return their Driver’s Licenses to them. That is all that is required for my satisfaction and closure of this matter with no further actions being taken.
However, if they do not agree to this very fair proposal, I will continue on my crusade to remove them from the roadways and will employ all legal means at my disposal to do so (please note that I am quite an expert on the Internet). You may call it harassment, but I call it saving lives. The minor inconveniences to their reputations and careers (for example, I am sure that the insurance companies outlined on Mr. Strandberg’s firm’s website will not be receptive to the consequences to their reputations and legal liabilities should he have an accident while conducting their business while he is driving in such a negligent condition) is a small price to pay for saving innocent lives. And, as a responsible journalist, you should be more than willing to assist in saving these Innocent lives.
The choices are yours. I will await your prompt decisions.
Sincerely,
HOB (my initials)
– Hide quoted text –
On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 8:49 PM, Bruce Siceloff wrote:
H Ob:
Please stop your anonymous harrassment of Mr. Strandberg, and stop copying it to me.
Bruce Siceloff
—
Bruce Siceloff
Reporter
The News & Observer / newsobserver.com
215 South McDowell Street, Raleigh NC 27601
Office: 919-829-4527
Mobile: 919-260-4227
Fax: 919-829-4529
E-mail: bruce.siceloff@newsobserver.com
Weblog: blogs.newsobserver.com/crosstown/
On Jan 24, 2010, at 8:39 PM, H Ob wrote:
FYI.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: J. Buckley Strandberg
Date: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 7:26 PM
Subject: RE: FW: Fwd: Two can’t stop phoning while driving
To: H Ob
Can you read? Did you not see my comment that I too agree with what you and your company does? I think it should be banned completely. We are on the same page. What you apparently fail to comprehend is the aspect of this being an obsessive addiction. It is something we both recognize is dangerous and wrong and are making efforts to stop. So stop calling it a cop-out. Show some empathy from our side of the equation. One question for you is what was your response to the earlier article Bruce wrote “they call from the car, carefully” about those who don’t see a problem with it and think they are good at it? Are you committed to revocation of their ability to drive? Have you badgered them with email and threats?
From: H Ob [mailto:hob5678@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 6:44 PM
To: J. Buckley Strandberg
Subject: Re: FW: Fwd: Two can’t stop phoning while driving
Dear Mr. Strandberg,
Regrettably, your response is a total cop-out full of excuses and denials. Although admittedly you are not alone, you and your daughter are “driving death traps”, particularly your daughter. Ultimately one or both of you will end up killing an innocent driver and maybe some children and possibly yourselves. You will have to live with that for the rest of your lives if you survive. You are both adults and as such should take responsibility for your actions and immediately cease and desist from your criminally negligent behavior. In the meantime, we the responsible drivers, will do everything in our power to legally remove the both of you from the roadways. I will work with law enforcement, the legal system and your business associates (my company as well as many others strictly prohibits use from conducting business on our cell phones while driving due to safety and liability concerns) throughout the Internet to achieve this goal. Of course you and your daughter can avoid this by immediately surrendering your drivers licenses until you are both fully committed to stopping your criminally negligent behavior. I just pray that it occurs before either of you take any innocent lives.
On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 5:20 PM, J. Buckley Strandberg wrote:
Dear Sir, not everything discussed was included in the article and of course, neither of us were allowed to proof before going to print.
He correctly wrote “That’s more than two hours, I’m not just going to sit there in the car. I get a lot of work done on that straight, dead stretch of U.S. 64.” But what he failed to include was “I try and limit the use of the device to the straight away section on hwy 64 and only when there aren’t other cars anywhere around me.” Does that still make it right or acceptable in my personal opinion? Of course not. But there is no intent to injure others by my actions.
Here is my letter sent today to the Editor at the News & Observer:
In Bruce Siceloff’s Sunday article “2 can’t stop phoning while driving” he chose not to include my answer to his question about the effectiveness of hands free devices which was “No, I don’t feel blue tooth or hands free technology is any safer because bottom line is that it distracts you from driving. I said, “I think any and all use of phones and blackberry’s should be banned entirely while operating a motor vehicle”.
Having firsthand experience of what can happen through my daughter’s
mistakes, it was our hope that others could learn from it. Look around the
next time you are at a crowded intersection and see how many drivers have a phone up to their head. It’s frightening.
I do feel as my daughter said that this is an obsession, particularly with the younger generation, but it also affects those of us trying to run a
business. I know we are not the only two who are struggling with this but
we are trying to stop it for all the right reasons. Tyler’s comment about the article was “dad I hope some good will come from it.”
Neither of us take this matter “light-heartedly” or “flippant” as some have said. We stepped out because of how serious a problem we believe it is.
J. Buckley Strandberg
Rocky Mount
—– Original Message —–
From: H Ob
To: J. Buckley Strandberg; J. Buckley Strandberg
Sent: Sun Jan 24 15:52:05 2010
Subject: Fwd: Two can’t stop phoning while driving
I WILL RELENTLESSLY PURSUE ALL LEGAL MEANS UNTIL BOTH OF YOU ARE NO LONGER ON OUR ROADS.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: H Ob
Date: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 3:01 PM
Subject: Fwd: Two can’t stop phoning while driving
To: bruce.siceloff@newsobserver.com
THIS IS A CRIME. As indicated below, I have reported this to the authorities. Likewise, if YOU do not take actions and cooperate with the authorities involving this matter, inevitable deaths which will occur as a result of these two irresponsible criminals continuing to drive will be on YOUR consience and I will follow through accordingly. The ball is in YOUR court to do the right thing.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From:
Date: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Subject: Two can’t stop phoning while driving
To: Hob5678@gmail.com
This is a copy of the email you sent:
________________________________
This email was created by someone using the Contact Us form on the
North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety website.
(www.nccrimecontrol.org/)
________________________________
Sender information:
Name: Hob
EMail Address: Hob5678@gmail.com
Location:
City or Town: Raleigh
Sent To: NC State Highway Patrol
Date and Time Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 10:02 AM
________________________________
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/301086.h
tml
The licenses of these two must immediately be revoked and
their vehicles impounded … or you will ultimately be
responsible for the deaths the will without question
occur. They can certainly be charge with recklass
driving. They have admitted so in this article and the
proof is in their actions and accidents. You must act
immediately to prevent imminent death. I will retain a
copy of this transmission for future reference if
necessary.