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Found out what driving and texting is like today and what could go wrong....

I didn't experience, but I saw someone else experience coming the other way on the local two lane road going into town.

String of about 8 cars were coming driving North Bound on what use to be old US HWY 99, before I 5 was built.
I was heading south bound going into town, to go to the hardware store.

on a slight curve in the road, the third cat was an early 2000s Lexus SUV ( 300 Series ). Looked like he was drifting onto what little shoulder the road has. Thought he would correct and was not just paying attention. Well he didn't correct, he goes into the ditch and never even reacted.

In about 25 yds he comes into contact, where there is a driveway that goes into a forest service area, with a gate about 10 to 20 yds off Hwy 99. he hit that doing about 40 to 45 mph. The Lexus goes airborne, comes down on its front bumper, and the way it got airborne in the ditch, it had a spin on it. Front bumper hits the ground and bounces twice, while doing a spin of about 270 degrees or so, and lands on the drivers side.

I was 100 yds away, but hit the brakes as soon as I saw him hit the ditch. Thru on my flashers and got on the phone calling 911, as I got out of my car. At first no cars were behind me, but in a half a minute, 4 or 5 were but they saw what happened and stopped. The Lady on dispatch was trying to ask me all sorts of questions, while some other guys who had been following on the other direction were at the vehicle and trying to get the guy out of the car. Evidently he wasn't wearing his seat belt and was also high on something. Dispatch was wanting to know what type of car it was, what was its color, where it was at etc. I told her and as far as info on the car, I just gave here the license number, and told her that should tell her all she needed to know.

One guy stopped by me and asked if I knew if the driver was hurt, told me he was an ER nurse from the hospital ( had his wife and kids in the mini van tho.) But he pulled over and got out. Same time, another vehicle behind me, the driver and passenger got out and they had a good sized aid bag with them. I think they were with county search and rescue. They were definitely medically trained, so I didn't need to pull out my rusty EMT and Paramedic Skills.

Driver had a concussion and was bleeding from his head and also his ears were bleeding, with blood running down his face.
he asked first, "What happened?" Then he wanted to know where his cell phone was. He gave me the number and I called it 3 times and each time the person hung up. The search and rescue guy got his smart phone away from him, and threw it back in the ditch were someone else found it. Guess the guy driving was busy texting and was going to pick up some recreational pharmaceuticals. Guess the clown was lucky to be alive and in one big live piece, instead of breaking his neck.
His age was around 30.

Two fire depts responded, the county and the city. Then AMR ambulance service. They took over the treating the patient, from the Fire Dept Medics, and took him to the hospital. Three State Troopers responded to the scene also. Told them I had witnessed it, and had called 911. The State guys were pretty decent folks and very professional. All the resources that arrived were for that matter.

Looking inside the vehicle, after they took the driver away, and seeing how the driver responded and had a clue what was going on, or what had even happened.... I have to assume he was one of our local 30 somethings, that live in Mom's basement, and was borrowing Mom's car to go pick up some drugs. No seat belt, never knew he hit the ditch, much less how his rig went airborne and rolled. One of the many of the county's model citizens...

Texting, high, not paying attention, using mom's car, and one the way to pick up some drugs... what possibly could go wrong....just another day in Josephine County Oregon. At least the Lexus had Oregon Plates instead of California plates, indicating another one of our million California transplants. We get a lot of good Californians here, but by far they ARE NOT ALL 'good'.

Oregon Legalizing ALL drugs a few years back, courtesy of our democRATS... on that subject... What could go wrong there also? Too bad the idiot didn't break his neck and do the neighborhood a favor for once.

My son in law owns a Wrecker Service. He says telephone are the best thing that ever happened to his business

Ya I had some dumfuk dam near take me out not long ago I was 30 ft off the street in a parkin lot walking😵‍💫😵‍💫

When I was driving the Big Rig 11 hours a day over the interstates, about once an hour I'd see someone doing something really stupid, like driving in the left lane on I-10 in rural Texas, at 55 mph. You're supposed to go 75! Looked like the driver must be drunk. And as I got near the miscreant, 9 times out of 10 I could see it was a 30-something female texting on the Iphone.

The texting driver is worse than the drunk driver.

Voice to Text feature, piece of cake.

Easier than Self Checkout

Ever watched a 79 year old doing 75mph stare at an air conditioner knob for 4 seconds on a car they’ve been driving for 10 years? Mouth open, catching flies.

around here, I swear that 40% or more drivers are either talking on the phone when in motion. Bad enough that they all text at the stop light, and then fail to move when the light turns green.

Texting and driving don't mix just like drinking and driving don't mix.

I see it every day during my commute. Almost without exception, the 30 and under crowd.

I have noted women tend to have less spatial awareness than men do. Distracting themselves while driving seems like a sure fire way to kill anyone around them.

I'm seeing a lot of big rigs, with the drivers texting & driving - mostly all over the road, all 4 lanes AND the shoulders.
Seems to be about one out of three or four.

Pulled out on the main road one morning. Car upside down , stop sign flattened. Fire truck blocking turn, guys sweeping up glass. Later, walking the scene, it was obvious. Coming into a curve and not turning, the car hit the ditch, launched up over the stop sign and landed upside down. IV pacs and other medical wrappers scattered about and the girl's library card in the mud. Saddest thing imaginable. Poor family.

Several years ago my family and I were traveling for Thanksgiving. Running up I-35 in heavy holiday traffic, my son says "Dad check out the crotch rocket coming up beside us." I looked and he was texting on his phone which was balanced on his gas tank, I shook my head and my son said "dumb a**." Couldn't argue with that.

I text but never in a curve and I always have my cruise on so I keep my speed

Not that difficult

Should be against the law! First offense 6 months in county, $10,000 fine and 10 year suspension of DL. Second offense 25 to life. For the children.

This is one reason I leave the trailer hitch in the receiver all the time

Around the city you see a ton of vehicles that very obviously were on the giving or receiving end of a rear end collision.

I asked a guy at a body shop a few years ago if cell phones had replaced deer as his biggest revenue generator. He said not just cell phones but people fooling around with all the other technical innovations they have to play with in cars today.

THIS...at least

following a guy that i seen was texting, traffic was traveling at 50 mph, he was busy texting and went off the road and took on a big sycamore tree, he didnt even hit his break, all kind of car parts were flying, he had to dead, tree wasat least 6 feet around and didnt even shake the.limbs much

Going out of my small home town this morning, 4 of the 5 cars coming in had drivers looking down at a phone. And wonder why they run into deer.

A few years ago I was driving on a busy 6 lane arterial road where I noticed a car driving slower than traffic and weaving from one side of their to the other. As I passed her i saw she had a book open on her steering wheel reading it.
In my travels I see crap loads of drivers looking at their phones including big rig drivers on the interstate. Some driving pretty good some not so much.

Very seldom do I even answer the phone while driving, let alone make a call. And I very, very seldom use the text at all! I have fat thumbs and it’s hard for me. If someone text me, more often than not, I’ll call them and talk.
But then I’m 58, and I never, ever had a cell phone until I was 43, and needed one for my job as a truck driver.
I’m fine without the damn things, and seldom use it other than browsing through the ‘Fire and maybe playing FreeCell in a waiting room! 😀
I know some younger people who cannot function without one, I have had adolescent kids bump into me in a store, because they ain’t watching where they’re going, they’re looking at a screen!🤬
To me, it’s a special kind of dope, for a special kind of stupid!😟
I hate the damn things. And I’m convinced there’s a nice section of hell waiting for the people who create and design these devices, and a big thank you from Satan himself!
Reon