José Cruz: Do you answer the phone if it rings in the middle of of, you know, while you’re still moving, while you’re between red lights?

Alex Bodnar: I do sometimes. Uh it may depend where I am. If I’m on uh, while if in between traffic lights I might. Uh if I’m on the uh highway, I won’t. it’s it’s actually case by case.

José: Right. Um and and again because that was happening to me a lot, and then- because I- I also too think that laws against distracted driving actually are not strict enough, (Mm hmm) I decided to try to find a way inside my car to try to follow the letter of the law as much as possible. (Mm hmm) Uh between the way the iPhone already works with its speakerphone and my little bluetooth headset that I have (Mm hmm) I can do just about anything on the phone without ever having to touch it. (Right) Now, there are still some people that would say that still counts as distracted driving, (Yeah) because you’re still thinking about, “oh what song do I want to play?” (Yeah) and the phone isn’t in my hand but I’m touching it, and I’m kind of looking at it. That still counts as distracted driving but at the very least I can say I’m within the letter of the law.
Alex: Uh well, you could be, you could be hands free and talking to someone, right, (Mm hmm) and still be distracted. And I-

José: Yeah oh yeah. That’s true.

Alex: And I wonder how different that is from having a passenger sitting next to you (You’re right) right? Like sometimes I feel distracted talking to the person sitting next to me.

José: Mm hmm. I completely agree. Or if you’re going topronounced, “GONNA” (1:40) start worry about it to that degree. Then if I have- If I’m legally obligated to never have my phone “on” even in the car, then I say, OK let’s get the smokers too, becausepronounced, “KUHZ” (1:52) having basically a fire in your hand while you’re driving to me, is distracted driving. Or starting to get a cigarette out of its box, put it to your lips and then light it, is distracted driving.

Alex: How may accidents do you know that have been caused by smokers?

José: Um probably more than have been actually recorded. How’s that? (Mmm) Uh probably the police don’t even ask, you know. Or, “why did you make that right turn when you did, or why did you make that left turn when you did?” “Oh well you know, what can I say, I just didn’t see the guy,” when the truth was, the guy was trying to light up, and just never told the police, you knowJosé says these words so quickly, you can barely hear it (2:28).

Alex: Well I think you can never write enough laws to uh, to do away with all kinds of distractions. (Mm mm) You know uh, there’sAlex should have said “There are” (2:38) so many things you can do in the car that can distract you.

José: You’re right. You’re right. You’re quite right. There’s there’s a- there’s a point where it just becomes fascism, I suppose. (Yeah) But I’m just so anti-smoking, anti-cigarettes that that’s every time I can like put the hammer down on on tobacco and cigarettes, (Mm hmm) I think- I will. But I’ve always thought that people who smoke and then fumble around in their purse for a cig, while they’re driving, while their foot is on the gas, uh to me that’s distracted driving as much as you to occasionally just turn off a call so that then you don’t have to answer it. Actually trying to not be distracted, and that’s as distracted as somebody who’s going to hit a cigarette and technically touching your phone is illegal but touching your box of cigarettes is not. (Uh huh) That’s unfair.