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A Deadly Wandering Low Price CD: A Tale Of Tragedy And Redemption In The Age Of Attention (2000)

by Matt Richtel(Favorite Author)
3.91 of 5 Votes: 3
ISBN
0062400983 (ISBN13: 9780062400987)
languge
English
genre
review 1: Did you know that talking on the phone while driving is as dangerous as being drunk? Even more frightening is the fact that texting while you drive makes you more dangerous on the road than someone who is driving while legally drunk. This is the story of a 19 year old boy who found that out when he was texting his girlfriend on the way to work one morning, his truck wandered into the other lane and two men, husbands and fathers, were killed instantly in the resulting accident. A Deadly Wandering is also the story of one of the first efforts in the nation to take a texting driver to criminal trial. The young driver's emotional testimony to the Utah legislature helped created one of the toughest texting and driving laws in the country.Highly recommended.
review 2:... more> The book wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, not entirely. I expected the retelling of the investigation, and how the deaths of the two men affected their families, not to mention the young man who caused those deaths. But it expands to take in the lives of those who pushed through that investigation, going so far as to retell the harrowing childhood of one of those people.The science covered, the studies being done regarding how the brain works, or doesn't work when distracted, is especially intriguing. It's disconcerting to learn just how much we all fool ourselves when it comes to how many things we think we can do at the same time.But the book has a flaw, at least for me. The writing. I really don't need to know what color shirt a person is wearing, or a detailed description of someone's living room. The book appears to be padded, or maybe could have used better editing. I ran across one place where the same paragraph is printed twice.I was also taken somewhat aback by the redemption angle, especially when it practically turned into preaching, the author putting forward his own brand of religiosity. It was a small distraction, but one that loomed larger because of the book's other problem.Still, all in all, it's a book worth reading (I was torn between giving it three or four stars—can I go with three and a half?) It delves into an issue that affects all of us. Too easily I could see something like this happening to myself or to someone I care for. And with car makers adding even more distractions to the "cockpit" that used to be a dashboard, It's an alarming thought that's not outside the realm of possibility. less
Reviews (see all)
david00zero34
am committed to keeping my cell in the back seat while driving...a good book for discussion
snogry
Great and thought-provoking story. Writing style was lacking.
Loren
Read 222 pages
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