There is a new policy for drivers in the Oregon district that all cellphones and personal electronic devices must be kept in the back of the truck and cannot be in the cab. The intent of the rule is to prevent drivers from being distracted while driving.
I dont talk on my phone while driving, but I refuse to store it in the back. Instead, I disobey the rule and clip it to the visor so that, in the event of a traffic accident, I can reach it to call 911 instead of having it stuck behind a locked door in a wrecked vehicle.
There is a winding country road I deliver on every day that has had 9 fatalities during the 15 years I have been on the route....in a 7.2 mile stretch. Both sides of the road are lined with little crosses and memorials for the people who have died there. The road is unlit, narrow, curvy, and typically driven at a far higher rate of speed than is safe. I have had dozens of near-misses and close calls on this road. I'm not going to drive it without having a phone available.
I'm just thinking, if you get into a collision of any sort, with your cell phone "clipped" to the visor, It will very likely fly off and/or be detroyed in the collision, jmo. You may want to secure it somewhere safer, so this doesn't happen.
Here's a scenario for ya Steve. Let's say for some reason your wife is out of pocket for a few hours today. One of your beautiful daughters gets hurt, not life threatening but bad enough to need immediate medical care. If they (the hospital) can't get in touch with you or your wife, treatment is withheld. With a cell phone you can give permission to treat and then you can head your tiny hiny toward the hospital to see about the precious little girl. Plus you can call your boss and tell him he can come get your package car at the hospital.
A personal experience. One morning as I was heading out on route to a town 60-65 miles from the center, my sell phone rings, I pull over and answer it. My brother was calling to tell me that Mom had taken a turn for the worst, she was nearing the end. I hing up, called the center to tell them what was happening and I was on my way back in. They sent another driver in an empty PC to meet me and take the route. LSS, she passed away early the next morning but could have gone at anytime. If it had been necessary, I would have traded my job to be with her in those final hours. Those hours were made possible for me because I had a cell phone. Some things are just more important than UPS.
I totally understand your point, and thanks for the lovely description of my girls. This is just the way I operate, 555. I'm sure that my daughter has the emergency contact info on her person. The phone would ring at work, and the oms would get in touch with me, as needed.
If I'm at home, but away at that moment, I'd get the message and respond after listening. I'm not big on worrying, as there's really no point. jmho, as always. I'll probably get bombarded with scenario's after this post, but this is just the way I'm programmed.
Cove,
I couldn't agree more! They think the world owes them everything! I have a place on my route where the receiving dock is run by a bunch of 20-somethings. They see me coming and know that I have a ton of pkgs for them. They put their cell phones in their pockets, snuff out the cigarette's, and walk away. That never would have happend with the guys that worked there before them! They came right out and helped unload the stuff. They had a better work ethic. Got time to lean-got time to clean!
Times are changing. Let's just hope that we're still around, when times change back.
For all those that want to hide your phone numbers. I know that if you dial *67 on a regular phone before you dial the number, this blocks the receivers caller ID from registering your number. There must be something or maybe the same thing, when dialing from a cell phone
I saw the same thing 
