Climbing back on my soapbox

Ok people, I've had it: a couple of weeks ago, I was in a cross-walk and a driver talking on a cell phone nearly ran me over.  This person did not even seem to register my existence - the driver did not slow down in the slightest bit, and if not for my cat-like reflexes I very well could have been killed.  And after seeing this article in the New York Times today, I am going to plug my cause on this blog and plead with all of you to please stop talking, texting, answering, fidgeting with, or otherwise using your cell phones while you are driving! Innocent people's lives depend on it. And hands-free devices don't count! Research shows they are just as dangerous - if not more dangerous - than regular cell phones.  Now I know some of you might say "I know all the studies show that driving while chatting on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk, but I'm not a dangerous driver, I know how to multitask, and I can handle it." Well, all the other people out there are saying the exact same thing to themselves, and yet somehow drivers distracted by cell phones manage to cause 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths every year. So please hang up.