A true awareness test

Topical, I think, given our recent discussion about bicycle safety...

Flinging your child out of your car

On a walk this morning, a car went through the intersection and as my eyes followed it, the whole situation became very surreal. It was like a scene from a movie where the protagonist sees himself/his dead brother/the murderer zoom by in a car. The shot goes at half-speed as the menacing face passes by in slow motion, eyes focused on you the viewer the whole time---until it goes back to normal speed and the car races down the road.

In this particular scene of harsh reality a mother was in the passenger seat of a car, holding her 2 year-old daughter in her lap. Neither of them wore seatbelts---much less was the little one where she belonged in the back seat, in a car seat. They're all laughing at something. They appear to have no idea how dangerous this is.

I was so wishing they'd been waiting at the light. Even if it pisses people off, I still prefer to go up to their car, make them pull down the window, and tell them they really need to get a seatbelt on their kid. "So the Garda won't pull you over," I explain.

I'm not riled up enough to say, "So you won't see your lovely child hurling through windscreen and out onto the tarmac to die." But dear God do I want to say it.

I have this hunch they'd look at me like I was a nutter and drive away as fast as they can. Still with their kid not strapped in.

Driving with your phone, not your hands

Walking our son home from school this afternoon, I was passed by two cars with drivers who didn't have their hands touching the steering wheel. One was changing gears with their left hand, the other tuning the radio or turning on the heat--with their left hand.

The problem? Their right hand was holding their mobile phone---up to their left ear. Yes, around their head to the other side.

Why do people do this?! Is everyone finding their hearing failing in their right ear, so they have to hold the mobile up to their left ear---and can only do this with their right hand?

Aside from the fact that you're not supposed to be holding a mobile phone while you're driving at all to begin with.

Cars going by at 40km/h or better with no actual control of the steering wheel. Zooming by us walking down the hill on the sidewalk.

And not a Garda to be seen. Ever.

Grr.