Similar bizarre behavior existed even before the advent of cellphones. I recall driving home from work sometime back in the '70s, and there was a big-ass Bonneville ahead of me, driving erratically, and under the speed limit. When I was able to pass that car, I realized that it was a co-worker, who was attending law school at night. He had a thick textbook on the steering wheel, and was reading it while driving.
Ha, Ha, as an early teen I remember watching an episode of the Brady Bunch where Greg was reading a record album cover while driving.
But animals, wow, they come out of no where, and do crazy things on the road that you simply cannot anticipate.
I have to WOW tooā¦ How are these animals any different from (in no particular orderā¦) teenagers whooping it up with their friends, or teenagers checking tictok to see what their other friends are doing, or teenagers updating their Facebook or video chatting with friends while driving, men arguing with their wife or kids, or men checking their office emails or sending texts updating the office, or just suffering from too much testosterone, or women screaming at their kids to quit fighting, or women screaming at their husbands, or old men driving road boats long after theyāve lost the āedgeā, old ladies who cannot see over the steering wheel, the last goes for all groups, folks who take their pets for a ride in the car and hold them while driving,
The following happened to my less than a week ago, I was the second vehicle in the left lane at the light, the first vehicle in right lane was being ādrivenā by an older guy (1ām 70ā¦) with a small barking dog in his arms, but the dog was hanging itās paws out the driverās side window. The dog was barking at the guy in the passenger seat in the car ahead of me. The guy leaned out the window and started ābarkingā back at the dogā¦
Well, that little mutt was not going to take it and started barking even more fiercely and jumped out the window. The light turns green and the car ahead of me drives off. The driver of the car in the right lane jumps out of his car, leaving the door open and starts running around the car to get the dog. Not only did he leave the door open, it left it in gear and the car stars rolling into the intersection.
The car behind the ādog guyā starts blowing his horn and then starts driving around the slow rolling car on the shoulder, scaring the dog even more.
I put on my emergency flashers, put my car in park, kill the engine, jump out, slam my door shut and chase after the rolling car. I jump in, hit the brakes, kill the engine, and put the car in parkā¦
But no good deed goes unpunished, the car that was either behind me or the third one from the right lane pulled around this car, while the door is still open and clips the door. Now we have a problem, an accidentā¦
And this all occurred because some idiot took his dog for a ride and had no idea how to handle an emergencyā¦
Am I Mad, Yes, and Iāve had to relive this STUPID situation several times and fill out accident reports for the police, his insurance company and my insurance company. You see, I got into this car, I stopped it, I put it in Park, and I shut the engine off. As the cop said, I was ādrivingā and this may go to court and my insurance may take a hit since I was āthe driverāā¦
The cop also said I was a āheroā, I stopped a vehicle that was out of control, which could have hit innocent pedestrians or another vehicle, causing a serious accidentā¦
Any case, Iām not worried, I did the right thing, I did not strangle the dogā¦
2 Likes
Nice story but I think you missed my point. At any rate what the wise sage from Germany told me once āif I committed murder (over a particular incident), no jury would convictā. If they try to pin anything on you, sue the driver for putting you in danger in the first place. It was gross negligence. Worth a mil or two at least. Your lucky day.
Yes, but Iām sure that you wereāat the very leastātempted to strangle his idiot owner.
1 Like
I think I may have seen the best one yet. Iām driving down a two lane highway at SL+10ish and a car passes me. Guy in the drivers seat, normal driving position, girlfriend with her back against the steering wheel. Car swerving as it goes out of sight down the road.
Did not come a cross an accident in the next few miles so I guess the guy got lucky while he was getting lucky.
4 Likes
Not an exact match to your situation, but it seems many drivers seem substitute the horn for a brake pedal when they react to another driverās error. A simple tap will get the other driverās attention so they can correct their error and avoid an accident. Who is helped by a three to five second blast of the horn?
- I have seen thatā¦ in a pickup truck on I-75, near Cincinnati.
- I have also seen people reading books and newspapers.
- One playing a French Horn, in traffic in a construction zone.
- A lady that regularly drove her stick-shift VW Golf while eating a bowl of cereal on a city street on my way (and her way) to work. Left hand holding the bowl and the wheel; right hand spoon and shift lever. I think she worked at a hospital!
- My wife used to regularly see a guy juggling while driving, on her way to work.
All before cell phones
Iāve talked about the idiocy of cell phone laws before and how it really just makes people feel good but does not stop other actions that are just as bad or worse. Iāve often thought about painting a block of wood black and pretend to scroll through it just to test the law but who needs the hassle. In Minnesota now you canāt even touch your phone while you are in command of a vehicle. Silly humans.
1 Like
a lot of drivers should not even use the hands free phone talking. they have a hard enough time just paying attention to the road.
1 Like
remember when you had to actually pull over to make a call on a payphone.
I think theses kids now are a little spoiled on how easy things are now.
I am not saying I dont like the convenience. I just think they should know what its like not to have all this stuff. I dont think they would like it. LOL
@pyrolord314 I donāt need to play my French horn while driving. I have a switch on the steering wheel that I operate with my thumb. This switch allows me to switch the car horn from F to B-flat.
2 Likes
Ask most kids today what a pay phone is and 9 times out 10 they will say a prepaid cell phone. 
2 Likes
I would have knocked the idiotās teeth down his throat, but iām a volatile guy
2 Likes
I remember telling my DIL that I was trained for teletype repair in the Army. She said āwhatās a teletype?ā I didnāt go into that roll paper device where the stylus burned the message onto the paper that was the forerunner to the fax. In the old days I put those things in every office around the state and we were in tall cotton sending documents back and forth.
2 Likes
A classic clip
2 Likes
Car audio was seen as a huge problem in the 1930s. Now people would probably be relieved if a radio was the only driving distraction.
The next time someone suggests I lengthen my drive to the grocery store to charge the battery or warm up the oil, Iāll refer them to this thread.
The less time spent on public roads the better.
And thatās what we like about you! 
2 Likes