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Distractions in our busy world lead to dangerous situations

When I first saw her I did a double take. A silverhaired woman well over 60 was texting with one hand while she drove past London Drugs in the Trenant Park Square parking lot. I glared at her and she looked back at me not even phased.

When I first saw her I did a double take. A silverhaired woman well over 60 was texting with one hand while she drove past London Drugs in the Trenant Park Square parking lot. I glared at her and she looked back at me not even phased. No remorse, no guilt, just defiance as she sped amongst the shoppers. A week later on the South Fraser Perimeter Road, a middleaged man in a Ford pick-up truck had both arms wrapped inside his steering wheel balancing his phone texting at 100 kilometres an hour. He never noticed the expression of horror on my face as I drove past him because his eyes were on his phone. It was a jaw dropping moment.

I'll admit it, I love my phone. I talk, text, Facebook, Instagram, order take out, get directions and read the news on my phone. If only it could hold a lipstick and a hairbrush I wouldn't need a purse.

It's never far from my sight, whether I'm at home, on a dog walk, at work or grocery shopping. I'm always reaching for that smooth, flat rectangle that is my connection to the world. The little pings grab my attention and provide me with instantaneous rewards.

I got my first cell phone five years before it was banned for use in a motor vehicle, which gave me time to develop bad habits, like lying the phone in my lap while using speaker phone, texting at red lights and balancing the phone nearby so I could see incoming messages. In 2010 we came to our senses and it became illegal, so it was time for me to go hands-free.

Like most of us in South Delta, I do a lot of highway driving on congested roads and it's monotonous. Commuting anywhere is a time sucker, especially when we are feeling overloaded with life, so it's the perfect time to use the phone. No it's not, it's dangerous, illegal and, most importantly, it's irresponsible. Get a grip, literally, and use self-control. Place it out of reach, use Bluetooth or handsfree, anything to keep your eyes and attention on the road.

Despite increased awareness, we continue to use our phones while driving. It's no wonder 78 people in B.C. died from accidents related to distracted driving last year.

Delta police are frustrated trying to continuously convince people to leave their phone alone when they drive. Fines are hefty now, $543 for a first offence.

Driving while on your phone must come to hold the same stigma as drinking and driving. In hindsight, I should have charged after that woman in the shopping mall and followed the truck to get his license plate. If we speak up and say no to people who use cell phones while driving, we can change what's socially acceptable. We can police ourselves.

If you can't control yourself to put your phone away, then pray that autonomous, driverless cars will soon be a reality. In the meantime, leave your phone alone. Our lives depend on it.

Ingrid Abbott is a broadcaster and writer who is highly addicted to her iPhone and has no shame.