Distracted driving is dangerous and all too common

I drive a big rig for a living – or will until July, when I retire. I recently saw on ABC30 that a mom in Washington lost her oldest son to distracted driving. The collision left twin 4-year-old boys orphaned. Very sad.

So I decided to watch how many drivers on Highway 99 from Bakersfield to Fresno had cell phones in their hands.

I can assure you, at least 60 percent were either on the phone, texting or viewing the screen. So here we are at 65-plus miles per hour, within 10 feet apart and tailgating while everyone, or at least more than 60 percent, are on their cell phone or tablets.

I saw one California Highway Patrolman between Bakersfield and Fresno. He was sitting alongside Highway 99 north of Goshen running his laser radar.

There are no clear, easy solutions to drivers who insist on driving at freeway speeds while texting. People just don’t care. All the laws on the face of the earth will not prevent drivers from deliberately and consciously using cell phones at highway speeds on crowded freeways.

I run a dash cam to protect myself. Retirement comes in five months. I can’t wait.

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 5:54 AM with the headline "Distracted driving is dangerous and all too common."