I’ve heard many opinions about who the worst drivers are. Young men, teens and women have all, at one time or another, been accused of being the worst drivers on the planet.
However, I now realize that a new group holds the “Worst Driver Ever” title.
I live in rural Louisiana, in the land of two-lane highways, most of which are so curvy that passing is almost always impossible, if not suicidal. It is on these roads that I’ve discovered the new breed of bad drivers, and they taunt me constantly. Who are these offensive road hogs?
Men, driving pick-up trucks, while talking on cell phones.
For some reason, as these gentlemen cruise home from work, they drive one-handed, leaning to the other side as they talk on their phones. The problem with this situation is that these men slow down to about 30-40 miles an hour in a 55 mile-an-hour zone. Not only do they drive slowly, but they are also weaving just a bit, because their attention is focused on their apparently enthralling conversations. This weaving is not enough to get them stopped for a sobriety test, but it is enough to scare and confuse other drivers. Every once in a while, they realize their slowness and speed up to the limit, only to gradually fall back into their slow weaving as they become distracted.
My mom pointed this trend out to me, and after careful observation, I can say that she is right. Every time I get behind a slow-weaving truck, it is always some guy on a cell phone, leaning over on his other elbow, and cruising like it is a Sunday drive, instead of the 5-o’clock rush hour.
Yes, you can still drive and talk on a cell phone here. But I hope that changes soon…grumble, grumble.