My sentiments most closely relate to your view Marlene. I am quite perturbed
by the possible outcomes of others behind the wheel, whether I'm a passenger
or pedestrian. If a passenger in a car, I consider my conversation with the
driver a distraction to their driving. If driving, I trust my ability to converse
and still control the vehicle in emergencies.

Still, one change I have found is that I no longer make a habit of turning up the
radio like I used to. Occasionally, if I have to drive a long distance on a stretch
of country road, it's soothing to have Waterloo Sunset or a little Jim Croce come
up on the playlist (at my "elderly" sort of volume levels), but in city commuting,
now, for me, even the car radio stays off for concentration.

It is as if I feel as though I am unintentionally loading a dangerous weapon by
compromising my driving concentration. As little the chance of danger maybe, I
would greatly regret the thought of accidentally running over some innocent person
(no matter how foolishly they ran across the road in front of me) and having one
tiny reason for doubt/guilt. The radio stays off thank you, and if someone wants
to have a chat, then I'd rather be doing the driving if I want to concentrate on what
they're saying. If they're driving, I'm looking out the window on all sides, and not
interested in the conversation.

The "cone of silence" was always a great place for indepth discussion, although
nowdays, I'd rather park somewhere than expect my friends to multi-task in a
hazardous mobile circumstance. Busses and trains pose no problem to discussion,
generally out of the driver's hearing range, those. Talk up a storm then.

Sean.