Today I became a statistic.

I'm lucky, though, because it could have been so much worse than it was. Today, while on my way to work, I was hit by a guy who ran the red light. I was probably no more than 200 yards from the building's front door when I was hit, so I was basically at the end of my roughly 40 mile commute. The hassle of dealing with the aftermath of the accident (insurance claims, paperwork, car repairs, and medical visits, etc.) has not been the most fun. Our Element appears to have survived the accident, which is not what we thought earlier today. It was not drivable after the accident, and unless we hear differently tomorrow morning, it will require having the entire front end replaced but will be right as rain after the work is completed. And I'm ok, although I'm now starting to feel the physical after effects of being hit.

Now what is so monumental about this that it warrants being announced to the world? I was hit by a guy who was undoubtedly doing the same thing that many of you, and myself for that matter, have done. You, like I, may have done it many times. He ran a red light because he wasn't paying attention. He was talking on the phone. According to the police report, he thought the light was yellow, but he couldn't honestly remember. I am a big fan of Mythbusters, and a couple of seasons ago, they did an experiment to see if it was worse to drive drunk (or at the legal limit) or drive while talking on the cell phone. An obstacle course was set up, and the drivers were timed and graded on their performance. Both drivers performed worse when talking on the phone than while drunk. Both of these grades were worse than when they drove as the 'control'; not talking on the cell phone or under the influence.

So the lesson to take from this is to think twice before picking up the phone while driving. Many states have laws about phone usage while driving, and IL has the distracted driver law that should pass shortly, but this does not seem to really have that much effect. It's illegal to talk on the phone within Chicago city limits, but I've seen it many times. Look, just hang up. There's nothing so important that you cannot wait until you're stopped or pulled over to safely call. Should you wish to not heed my request, please think of this when you pick up the phone; you are now at risk to cause a lot of inconvenience and/or pain to yourself or someone else. This is the first accident I've ever been in, and I can tell you, it's not been the most stellar experience. So for my sake, and for the sake of others, just hang up and drive. I know my behavior will be changing from now on.