Texting and Driving

Hey there, non-political post, how are you?
I'm doin' alright, but you know, I do have this one problem.
What's that?
People being stupid and reckless for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
How d'ya mean?

Well, you remember that political post you made a little ways back about personal responsibility and freedom?
Yup.
You forgot to include a big ranty-ravey thing about people that do stupid, dangerous shit just because it's a "free country."
Like what?

Three big ones- Three instances of needlessly stupid shit that have no real positive benefits.

1. Not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle (and to a lesser extent, bicycle).
2. Not wearing a seat belt.
3. Texting while driving.
Now, when I say "real" positive benefits, what I mean is that your best argument for benefits for the first two are a slight improvement in how comfortable you are, and looking "less silly" for the helmet. Those are both BS for the safety offered. The third one arguably has the benefit of transmitting information more quickly, however, if you're that desperate, you can call the person, which you still shouldn't do, but it's oodles more safe, and achieves your desired "benefit" more efficiently than texting in the first place.

These three things piss me off like no other. Here you are, a human with friends, loved ones, and sometimes dependents, putting your life at risk for what amounts to no reason at all. Sometimes it's out of habit, but my favorite is when people argue that they should be allowed to go without a seat belt. Like it's some horrible inconvenience to wear a damned seat belt. Better still, though, are the people who text while driving when someone else is in the car.

You may be fine putting your own dumbass life on the line to drum out 18 poorly-spelled words to your besty about how wasted you're getting later this week, but you have NO right to put anyone else's life in danger.
When you have people over to your house, it's common courtesy to play the role of the host and politely offer refreshments or whatever's necessary to make sure their stay isn't totally miserable. Furthermore, their safety from your housing is your responsibility. If you setup bowling balls along the rafters and they fall and kill someone, that's your fault. The same courtesy applies to driving. When you have someone else in your car, you put on your best "responsible driver" face, and you don't take unnecessary and stupid risks.
If you're scared your besty'll be offended that you're not texting every 30 seconds, tell them ahead of time that you're driving a friend somewhere. If they're still offended, they're probably not worth being friends with.

If, however, you're interested in committing suicide in the first place, might I recommend talking it out with someone you trust? If you're still positive, there are cheaper, faster, easier ways than driving around without a seatbelt while texting. (Imagine a motorcyclist texting while driving. Shit's scary)

Seriously. Just stop. Stop putting your life and others' happiness in jeopardy for nothing. There is no sense to it, and you're just being a stubborn asshole. I don't care how well you can multitask. Don't force other people into the uncomfortable position of repeating themselves after they politely ask you not to text while driving.

-
Waddles

PS- all of this applies about drinking and driving too, and I sure as hell better not have to tell you that much.