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I can’t believe some of the things I’ve seen people doing while they’re driving. I’ve been taking notice lately because of my focus on my “Are you Crash Safe?” campaign.
Now, we’ve all put on some lippy while stopped at the lights, but here are some stupid things I’ve seen people doing whilst driving along:
A woman who obviously couldn’t wait until the next set of lights was applying foundation!!!
A man reading a novel on his steering wheel as we crawled along in heavy traffic
A woman rummaging around in her handbag on the passenger seat, she practically had her head in the bag.
A man trying to read a Melways while driving along (I didn’t even know they still existed!).
A girl driving next to me was using one hand to talk on the phone and the other to pick her nose leaving no hands on the steering wheel!
The girl picking her nose wasn’t the only person I’ve noticed talking on their mobiles. It’s crazy. People just don’t seem to car that it’s illegal. You can’t even use your phone when stopped at the lights, but next time you’re waiting for a green, look around and check out how many people are apparently staring into their laps.
We are a nation of distracted drivers. I’m a reformed one. I used to be the same. I thought it was ok to check your phone when you were stopped!
So what can and can’t you do with your phone in the car?
On the 1st of November NSW introduced a new law making it illegal for drivers in a moving or stationary vehicle (unless parked) to hold a phone in their hand other than to pass the phone to a passenger.
Rules in every state are pretty much the same. You can’t use a mobile phone to make or receive calls or as a navigation device unless it’s in a commercially designed holder/cradle or using a bluetooth handsfree function.
You also can’t use any other function of the phone like texting or internet, email etc. Stopping at the lights or in traffic is still considered driving. I found this great wrap up of the rules in each state on Lifehacker.
We have a Tom Tom that has the bluetooth function, so I can make or take calls on the go when I really need to. But the Tom Tom has been great for other reasons too.
It tracks your speed and shows you the actual speed limit. How many times have you wondered what the speed limit was because you missed the last sign? It also gives you a warning if you go over the speed limit too.
Tom Tom contacted me recently which was great timing with my Crash Safe campaign. They have an awesome promotion on at the moment which I’ll tell you about at the end (it’s very awesome!).
They’ve given me a Tom Tom to review, but I won’t be keeping it. It’s going straight to my brother who has a lead foot! That little alarm when he goes over the speed limit will be invaluable. He also has a terrible sense of direction, so that should help too ;)
When I took the new Tom Tom out for a spin I was starting to think maybe I could give him my old one and keep this one instead! It has a bigger screen, it’s sleeker and the attachment to the windscreen is less bulky and clunky. The only downside is that particular model doesn’t have bluetooth connection. You can check out my review for what I think about the Tom Tom Via 620.
One thing I learned was that it warns you when you’re approaching a school. I’m glad I figured out how to turn on this function, because I’ve caught myself a couple of times not slowing for a school after a school holiday break. You just get used to driving straight through, and if it’s not busy around the school you don’t have the same visual queues.
Anyway, that brings to an end my rant about distracted drivers! I can now tell you about the exciting stuff.
TomTom Gives You More
Tom Tom’s new game gives players the chance to “unwrap the world” and win one of six unforgettable driving adventures for four people (children included), including the Australian Coastal route, Grand Alpine Tour in Europe and the South African Garden route. Plus, there are thousands of other prizes to be won every hour. To play, all you need to do is visit www.tomtom.com/more.
How to win
Contestants should visit http://www.tomtom.com/more 15th January 00.01 AM CET 2013 to play the game and be in with a chance of winning. Pick a route to follow and help Christopher unwrap presents along the way. Once you have successfully unwrapped an entire route, you’ll be asked to create and upload a file that explains why you think you should win the holiday. It could be a video, a song, a short story or even a short poem. The most original and fun entry will win the route they you unwrapped.
Unwrapping a route takes a lot of time. To speed things up you can use virtual coins to buy Christopher helping things in the market to make the journey go faster.
Special code for Crash Test Mummies
To help you along, use our special code: crashtestmummy_TT for a bonus 250 virtual coins! To redeem your code visit the market and enter your redeem code. There are lots more ways to earn more coins via the Tom Tom facebook page too.
Special giveaway for Crash Test Mummies
Thanks to Tom Tom I’m giving away a Tom Tom Via 620 valued at $249. This is the model I reviewed here.
To enter, visit the Crash Test Mummies community site and make sure you’re registered so you can leave a comment. Good luck!
So, what silly things have you seen drivers doing lately?
Laney x
* Disclosure: I received a Tom Tom Via 620 for the purposes of my review. My opinion is my own and cannot be bought.
I didn’t see it personally (thank goodness, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the road this idiot is driving on!) but it was reported in the papers this week that a woman in Melbourne was caught READING A BOOK while doing 100kmh down the freeway. So much stupidity.
I remember when I was out on my first solo drive. Took a girlfriend for moral support. Accidentally turned the wrong way done a one way street and didn’t realise. NEVER FORGOT THAT.
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I’ve seen a woman putting on mascara using her rear view mirror. A hard enough task standing still at home never mind one handed jiggling along in the car!
Brother in law unfolded his newspaper over his steering wheel and started to read..with his wife (my sister) me and my two kids and their yound child in the car!! Needless to say i asked it was put away..thanks!!!!
Used to be people in Maine would raise an index finger from the steering wheel to greet you…
Nowadays people are so stressed out and angry at life [presumably] they twitch the wheel in a variety of ways leaving you to interpret the intent-
then there’s the ‘lean right and look at you directly at an angle over the wheel as if aiming their car at you and do the wheel twitch also’- cops do it too- i have you on vid doing it-
used to be you’d hardly ever see anyone’s hands when driving-
This for me just made me lose my cool!!! I saw a man attempting to eat what I think was noodles, but he had chopsticks!!!!!!!! I nearly had the accident as I was dumbfounded at this ridiculous attempt putting himself and every other driver at risk. Balancing the container with his hands and driving with his knees, very strange !!!
Interesting. Here in the United States of America there is no universal law banning cell phone use. Certain big cities and states have created some laws agianst driving while texting or talking on the cell but that is minimal. Where I am, in Chicago, we cannot talk nor text while driving.
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