Someone was driving home in the evening for dinner and made a quick phone call to let their family know—just over forty seconds. In that brief span, the car veered onto the sidewalk, struck three pedestrians, hit a tree, and overturned. All three pedestrians died from severe injuries. The driver has since been legally arrested. Using a mobile phone while driving is extremely dangerous. Studies show that driving while on the phone is even riskier than drunk driving; research indicates that making a phone call instantly reduces reaction ability as if aging 50 years; studies also show that a driver’s attention drops by 37% when talking on the phone...
Enough said—don’t drivers already know these facts? They do know. So why do they still answer or even make phone calls?
They have a ready excuse: “This call is too important!”
But important compared to what? Compared to life itself. Is there anything in the world more important than life?
Well, apparently there is. Then what could be more important than life? A traffic police survey reveals two most common situations when drivers answer phone calls. Listen carefully:
First, business-related calls: “I’m taking an important international call for foreign trade!” “I’m talking to a key client.”
Second, calls from superiors: “I have to answer the boss’s call.” “The director has urgent instructions—I can’t afford to delay.”
Now we know: money, livelihood, career advancement—these are more important than life.