Jour300 book review

A little over a year ago, I bought my first car. It was beautiful - an old black Ford Explorer with quite a few miles on it, but it was the best I could afford, and I loved it. I installed a stereo system that would play my iPod, I disregarded the fact that it beeped for no apparent reason, and I yelled at people who ate, drank or sneezed in it. It was the first big purchase I'd made in my life, aside from my college tuition. I still drive that car.

Well, one day, I let my brother borrow it. Then he borrowed it again. And soon enough, he was using it almost as regularly as me. About a month after I bought the car, I agreed to let him drive me to work and pick me up in exchange for him using my car to hang out with his friends for the day. As he was driving me to work, he was using his phone to change the music. I told him not to use his phone while driving. He scoffed at me and snapped that he'd be fine and I shouldn't tell him what to do. He made me so angry. He even told me he was a better driver than I was which was why he could text and drive with no reprecussions. He dropped me off and I slammed the door, irritated at my know-it-all little brother who wouldn't listen to my advice on how he can should drive MY car. 

Fast forward five minutes. I kid you not, five minutes. And my kid brother, while looking at his phone and changing the song playing on my new stereo system, rear-ended someone in my car. Right after I warned him about it and he told me he'd be fine. My brand-new car was now considered totaled by insurance, I had to pay out of pocket to get it fixed (he still owes me money for that) and it is now a salvage title. 

Which brings me to my point. I agree with Matt Richtel in A Deadly Wandering. Drivers and phones shouldn't mix. In fact, drivers and anything distracting, including music, air conditioners, coffee, snacks, pets, kids, mirrors, friends, and the drivers own thoughts shouldn't mix. Okay, I'm over exaggerating. But still, there is a serious issue with driver distraction. It's not only phones, it's everything from music to GPS systems. People need to realize they are in a deadly weapon which can absolutely not only kill others, but kill the driver themself. It's dangerous! And people don't seem to take it as seriously as they would a gun!

While I wasn't a total fan of the writing style Richtel uses, the book itself was interesting and a great read for anyone who drives. In fact, I'd feel a lot safer if everyone on the road read it. Because while my brother got away with only a scratched up, now totaled "brand-new" car and a very angry sister, it could have been far worse. He learned his lesson, but if Richtel could have taught him it sooner, maybe my car would still have a clean title.