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Herb Benham: Hands may be free, but thumbs are worn out from texting in car
| Wednesday, Jul 30 2008 4:07 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, Jul 31 2008 8:23 AM
A few days ago I was driving west on Truxtun, ready to cross Oak Street. I was in the right lane and really, for purposes of this story, it didn’t matter if I was in the right or left lanes. I looked to my left, and there was a dark-haired woman driving a gray SUV with a towel draped over her head.
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I didn’t want to be rude but when the woman in the car next to you has a towel draped over her head, it warrants a second look. I turned my head slowly to confirm that it was a towel and that it had remained in place.
It had, and she was so busted. She was holding her right hand over her right ear. In her hand, protruding from underneath the towel, was her cell phone. That explained it. She was hiding under a towel to make a phone call.
It has been a month now since the new law was enacted in California outlawing cell phone calls in cars unless the phones are hands-free. For drivers under 18, cell phones are illegal altogether.
I’ve learned one thing: It may be time to change my service plan. I’m making 90 percent fewer phone calls. I am, however, texting like a high school girl.
Texting? In the car? I’m lucky I haven’t run up on a couple of lawns and flattened a herd of pink flamingos.
Why am I texting? The only thing more dangerous than making a cell phone call is texting at 45 mph. Yet, it is oddly satisfying when you can pull it off. There, I just wrote a 27-word text message. Was that so hard?
Not having a Bluetooth, I find myself ignoring phone calls while driving. This makes me feel virtuous. I can’t take your call because it’s against the law.
It’s against the law, but I’ll text you right back as soon as I get on the on-ramp for the 99.
People are developing strategies. The first is making calls in hushed voices, as if a quiet voice renders them invisible. It’s similar to speaking Italian with your hands as if manual dexterity makes you a native speaker.
Then there is the stealth call. Somebody calls from the road.
“I don’t know how long this phone call is going to last,” he or she says. “I’m breaking the law.”
Then a minute later, “OH MY GOD, IT’S A COP. I’M GOING TO HAVE TO HANG UP.”
Or “It’s OK. It’s not a cop. we can keep talking.”
If I were a policeman, I’d arrest anybody who ducked their head in a car. There is no reason to duck unless you are trying to sneak in a call. We are not in a sniper zone.
I’ve been surprised at how many people are boycotting Bluetooth. It may have something to do with our independent streak. You can outlaw cell phones in cars, but you can’t make me wear one of those dumb headsets.
As is true with almost everything in life — except beach houses, European vacations and the pinot noir you really want to drink — if you wait long enough, people will give you almost everything you want in life or sometimes you didn’t know you wanted.
A friend gave me a Parrot, a Bluetooth sort of device with a microphone and a speaker. He had an extra one. As a friend told me, you don’t want to pass up anything that’s free.
I took it. My only concern is that it may cut into my texting.
Opinions expressed are those of Herb Benham, not The Californian.