Put Down the Smartphone!

This is my first bit of advice: put down the smartphone.

I once saw a young woman, her arm interlaced with her boyfriend's as they were waiting in line somewhere, looking up lovingly into his face, while he stared at his phone. He didn't even see her looking at him.

Then there are the couples sitting facing each-other at a restaurant, each bent over their phones, furiously typing away. Honestly. Save your money. Stay at home and text each-other while watching TV with a bowl of chips.

There was also that time that a woman was texting while she was in labour, up to twenty minutes before the baby came. I'm not making this up.

Here's a story I love: my mother's best friend very nearly got into a car accident when this guy missed his light, swerved violently and came within inches of hitting her. Shaken up, she stepped out of her car just as he came out of his. He was holding his phone to his ear. "I'll have to call you back," he said to the person on the other end, "I have to deal with something here." My mother's friend couldn't believe it. "You were on your phone?!?" she yelled, incredulous. Then she tore the phone out of his hands and threw it in the middle of the street, where it shattered into a thousand pieces.

So like I said. Put down the smartphone. Put it down especially when you're driving. In fact, hide it in a place where you won't be tempted to grab for it. Like at the very bottom of your extra-large tote bag. Or, you could do what my husband does, and accidentally drop it between the driver's seat and the door.

Seriously though. Have we really collectively come to the conclusion that it's a good idea to drive and text? There is currently an epidemic of drivers idling at green lights, infuriating those lining up behind them, because they're studiously bent over their smartphones. And that's the least of our problems.

The SAAQ published the following video. If that doesn't make people feel ridiculous about texting and driving, nothing will:

The translation is: "In the past, we didn't write messages while driving. There was probably a good reason for that." I especially love the guy writing with a pen and ink while driving his horse and buggy.

Do you have any interesting or funny smartphone related stories? Please leave a comment below.