is this extremely hypocritical?

Question

Every single time I'm in my car I see people doing these things while driving- putting on makeup, twisted around in their seat yelling at the kids, talking to their friends and not looking straight ahead, eating, cell phones, etc etc etc. I've been guilty of it too, I admit. Yet when someone does cause a car accident due to taking their eyes off the road for a second, for whatever reason, people completely demonize them and think they should be hauled off to jail for the rest of their life. Isn't this a bit hypocritical?? I'm sure these people railing on the person who caused the accident have done the exact same thing when they drive at some point, and the only difference between them not causing a crash and someone else who did is pure luck. Not saying people who cause accidents due to being distracted shouldn't be punished in some way, but there are a lot of hypocritcal people sounding off in situations like this, when they are just as guilty of the behaviors. Thoughts?

I think my way of thinking is pretty realistic about this, to the person who posted that. but whatever.

Answer 1

Well I will tell you the difference according to my life and my way of driving...
I also carry a soda or a snack in my car from time to time...
However I never let it be my attention getter...

The people who have accidents because they are busy doing something else, is because they are dividing their time and devoting their time to the incident at hand instead of driving...
Driving should be occupation number 1 !!!

Put down the phone, drink, burger, snack, don't turn to yell at the kid, just simply pull off the road if too much is going on inside your car...

I mostly drive alone, so I don't have all these distractions and I don't own a cell phone...

But I used to have a job where I was supposed to carry a cell phone and I always pulled into a parking lot when someone called me...
Any distraction should be cause to pull off the road wherever you are...

Answer 2

After a week off from Answers, this is the first question that caught my eye on my return, thanks to my friend Misha.

What you are saying Susie is so true. Not just of drivers, but of life in general. People like to sit on their "high-horse", so to speak, and cast judgment on others, when most are guilty of those same things themselves. I don't think it's being "extremely hypocritial", but hypocritial non-the-less. It's human nature but something we should be careful with. (Matthew 7:3)

Don't get me wrong. Driving a vehicle comes with an enormous amount of responsibility. Anyone causing an accident is going to have to answer for it. But there is a huge difference between someone knowingly breaking existing laws, such as drunk driving, and being distracted because they were adjusting a radio, swatting a misbehaving child, or taking too long a look at a passing billboard.

I use my cell phone while driving. Alot. My business depends on people being able to reach me. I believe I can do it responsibly. 20 years and over a million miles with no accidents should attest to that. However, should I ever cause an accident, and the distraction of the phone or anything else can be shown to be a contributing factor, I will have to face those penalties. Likewise, when I hear of an accident where say a cell-phone is involved, I try to look at the bigger picture before making any comment. My hope is that others could learn to do the same.

Good question. Be safe. God Bless.

Answer 3

Quite right. I know a traffic-trained police officer and his opinion is that all the claimed major causes of accidents (speed, drink, aggression....) are significant but pale into invisibility alongside the one huge cause of problems - momentary inattention.

We've all done it. We all know the feeling of having been saved from our own lapses by someone else's good driving, and of occasionally being the good driver. This is why good feeling, toleration and good humour on the road are worth more than all the lines, cameras, signs etc. all put together. If we're thoughtful and polite, we'll actually save lives.

None of this excuses any of the idiocies chronicled by the other comments. I too have seen them all - even a man playing a cornet as he drove erratically along the M62, and a couple actually kissing as the man drove. Where are the police when you need them?

Answer 4

Classic case of :
"Dont do what I do, do what I tell you"
and
"There but for the grace of god go I"

Most of us lose concentration for one reason or another and many of us get away with it time and time again. What cannot be excused is doing things which really can wait until we are out of the driving seat.

My pet hates:
Putting morning make up on in the rush hour traffic.
Clearing all the litter out of the front of the car and chucking out of the window in the face of traffic behind you.
Opening the door whilst crawling along in traffic and emptying the ash tray out of the door.


And yes, I have seen em all. On a bike you get to see all sorts of bad habits and its so tempting sometimes to take the door mirror off or even the door if its open as you slide past.

Answer 5

Cell Phones Despite protests from those who put their own convenience above the safety of other people's lives, it has well and truly been shown that using any cell phone while driving is potentially very dangerous.

Again despite protests, doing this is more dangerous than other in-vehicle distractions because of the additional mental distraction aspect.

Because of this, using a "hands free" phone is not any safer than using a "hand held" phone.

<<<<>>>>>>>>>

Answer 6

I have to agree with you. Modern cars are easier to drive than years ago. Most cars have power steering and brakes, and auto transmissions. Basically, you don't drive them, you just -point- them.

Plus people are always preoccupied. I saw a study about cell phones that showed that you are just as distracted by having a conversation with the person in the front passenger seat as you are by talking on a cell phone.

Accidents can happen to anyone. They're -accidents-! That's why they call them that. 8^) But our atttitude today seems to be that anyone who causes trouble or even just inconvenience should be strung up by their thumbs.

Answer 7

I agree. The sad thing is - people are always like that. This is not about driving or accidents.

Just get used to it - and realize that you (and me for that matter) often behave the same way, so there is no reason to hate anybody for that. This is just the way we are :)

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I agree. Of course people shouldn't do those things, but nobody should criticize someone about something they do themselves. That reminds me of a prosecutor who died in a drunk driving accident. Her whole life she worked to make drunk drivers pay their dues, but in the accident SHE was the drunk driver and she killed some people!! Kind of erases her whole life's work...

Answer 10

Perhaps keep YOUR eyes on the road and you won't notice what other people are doing.