Distracted
drivers existed well before the advent of cellphones, and will likely
exist long after such devices are shrunk to the size of a thumbnail and
implanted under our skins at birth. In the meantime, many drivers will
try to split their attention to the road with their work -- and one of
the worst such offenders was caught hauling not just a phone or laptop,
but an entire mobile office.
Police in the Saarland region of Germany pulled over a
Ford Mondeo wagon last week for going about 80 mph in a 62-mph zone.
Inside they found a Staples shopping spree in the front seat: a laptop
with docking station, a router and wi-fi antenna tied to a cellular data
stick, a printer and a power inverter to keep it all humming. The
driver had taken some precautions toward distracted driving by mounting
his cellphone to the windshield for hands-free use.
The setup looks messy and dangerous -- but as American police are finding,
writing a ticket for distracted driving requires a tough level of
proof. The German authorities didn't cite the Mondeo driver for any
violations, because they didn't see him playing Michael Scott behind the
wheel. I hope he's not one of those readers who needs to print out his
emails to read them.
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