You Guilty??

Dear Cousin Gobo,

I have to admit, I'm guilty of a crime.

In today's world of fast information and instant gratification, all rules will be broken. What was once know as an absolute do not, has become a minor sidethought.

I'm taking about multitaking while driving. Everyone does it. Now it is becoming dangerous. Talking on the phone, listening to the MP3 players, watching television, using GPS, all of these things are increasingly distracting drivers.

Last week, I was almost rundown but a guy not paying attention while driving through a crowded parking lot. Luckily I got out of the way in time, or I could have been extremely injuried. As I looked back toward the man, I noticed he was wearing earphones connected to a MP3 player.

Yesterday a lady wasn't so lucky. She was just sitting patiently at a bus stop when I man in a car hopped the curb crashing into the bench she was sitting on. She didn't die but both of her legs were broken. The police said that the accident was caused by light rain that fell eariler. But I don't buy that. I believe he was too busy on his cell phone, because he was on it the whole time I was there shooting video of the accident.

Technically it is illegal (or at least looked down upon) to do anything in a car other than drive. I remember in driver's education (many years ago) being told that I was never allowed to drive a vehicle while wearing headphones, yet today anyone who has an MP3 player has probably done it at one time. I know I do when I go home from work late at night. In some states it is illegal to talk on the phone while driving. Many cell companies step around these laws by selling hands free devices to install in your car. Asking a police officer about it, he told me that drivers aren't even suppose to listen to the radio at a loud volume. So what about all those people who drive around with their bass blasting. And can someone tell me what's the point of installing multiple flat screen TVs in the car, if it is illegal to watch those TVs while driving.

The point is that we are all guilty of these crimes. Maybe it is more of a crime against society. There are so many worst things going on in the world that these minor things have no importance. So we don't pay attention to them, until something awful happens. You know it is possible to be convicted of manslaughter, being locked up in prison for decades, all because of a cell phone call.

But I'm not your Jiminy Cricket, so do whatever you want.