Reading a book while driving... and other shenanigans

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24 Comments

There seems to be a lot of focus these days on the dangers of people texting while driving (and yes I agree it is dangerous, I don't do it and think there should penalties for it).

But when I was younger (and arguably a lot sillier) on long surfing road trips (3 to 4+ hours) I used to get bored so would try and maximise my time on the road by reading a book while driving.

I also had 'cruise control' - which consisted of putting a brick on the gas pedal of my VW Beetle

Another thing I invented was the 'Integrated Sleep Prevention System' which consisted of winding my dreadlocks up into the window, so that if I nodded off I would be immediately woken.

Somehow I survived all of that.

Now I'm not suggesting anyone tries these things, but Is it Normal? Has anyone else done this kind of thing?

Voting Results
18% Normal
Based on 17 votes (3 yes)
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Comments ( 24 )
  • [Old Memory]
    9 years ago

    I once absent-mindedly started reading 'Don Quixote' while I was out on the road. After a few minutes, I realize what I was doing and put the book down. I still do this from time to time, but mostly at red lights.

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  • westoptic
    8 years ago

    It's illegal to text while driving and talk on your phone while driving in my province. There are always cars pulled over on the highway, in towns, with the drivers on the phone. That's how it should be. Texting and driving is similar to driving while impaired. You are distracted, and you aren't giving your full attention to the road. I've seen dozens of people get in minor traffic accidents and in serious accidents where they were hospitalized because they couldn't put their fucking phone down.

    Why do you need to read a book when you're driving? Like that's just being intentionally ignorant and dangerous. Just put on some good jams and pay attention to the road, everyone elses lives and your life depends on it.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      8 years ago

      Like I said in my post, this is something I used to do when I was younger and sillier. I don't do it anymore, the same as I don't text while driving.

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      • westoptic
        8 years ago

        We all do stupid stuff when we're younger, no worries. It's the people that continue to do these things that drives me crazy.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          8 years ago

          Yeah me too. I see people texting while driving almost every day. Sometimes I wish I was a cop. I'd bust 'em!

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  • ArayaLioness
    9 years ago

    I read at read lights or text when it's necessary.

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    • GigglesGirl
      9 years ago

      *Giggles* Oblivious to her own mental incapacity *Giggles*

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  • ArmusWasTheFirstTroll
    9 years ago

    I think it's dangerous for people to listen to audiobooks, let alone reading.

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  • lordofopinions
    5 years ago

    A lot of accidents happen from distracted driving. In Canada you can't do ANYTHING except drive when behind the wheel.

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  • gloryholeflasher
    8 years ago

    I like your idea of rolling your dred locks up in the window.
    When I was young and foolish I usually drove with just my right hand, and that in the two o'clock position. If I fell asleep, which I too often did, my hand would pull down on the right side of the steering wheel and pull me onto the gravel. The gravel hitting the underside of the car would wake me up.
    Thankfully, I and everybody else lived thru it, and I don't do that anymore!

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      8 years ago

      haha I haven't heard of that one!

      It's true though, in those situations you do what you have to do to keep awake.
      For me rolling a couple of dreads in the window worked a treat at the time, crazy as it sounds.

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  • Avant-Garde
    9 years ago

    No. You're so lucky that you didn't get yourself killed or killed someone else. I don't do any of these things. I don't drive. Even if I did, I still wouldn't do any of these things. It's negligent and stupid.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      9 years ago

      I agree with you! Of course with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight it was negligent and stupid. Yes I AM lucky I didn't get myself killed.

      But at the time, to me those risks seemed inconsequential compared to all the other risks I was living with in my life. e.g. growing up in a rough neighbourhood being shot at many times, or having a gun pointed at your head and thinking that's your last day on earth, or being a passenger in a car driven by a drunk driver at 140 mph, reading a book while driving seems... quite normal.

      I have definitely lived an interesting life. I could tell 100 stories like this, it's just the tip of a big, dirty iceberg.

      But thanks for your comment. No need for concern, I've grown up a bit since that time! ;-)

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      • Avant-Garde
        9 years ago

        That's good.

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  • charli.m
    9 years ago

    Ah I get it this time. You're plagiarising True's "troll" stories.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      9 years ago

      I have no idea what you're talking about. This is all stuff from my life. Sometimes truth is actually stranger than fiction.

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      • charli.m
        9 years ago

        Liar.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          9 years ago

          Ha ha. Whatever. Think what you like, but you're dead wrong.

          What's so unbelievable about a 19 year old trying to read a book while driving? (If I remember rightly, on that occasion I was attempting to read "A Separate Reality" by Carlos Castaneda).

          Or using a house brick as cruise control on a 1971 VW so I can put my feet up on the dashboard to get to my surf destination in comfort and style?

          And winding my dreads up in the window to keep me awake on long trips? Well yeah. Why the fuck WOULDN'T I do that? You do what you have to do to keep awake.

          Like I said in my reply to Avant Garde below, I could tell 100s more stories from my life growing up in the suburbs of an Australian city.

          Not everyone has spent the majority of their adult life staring at a computer screen and checking their social media.

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          • charli.m
            9 years ago

            You know exactly what I'm referring to, fuck face.

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            • Anonymous Post Author
              9 years ago

              Thanks for the compliment.

              Guess what? You have just won the prize for the Biggest Douchebag in THE UNIVERSE!

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