Giving up the stethoscope for the badge?

I’m seriously contemplating leaving nursing…to become a cop or sheriff or highway patrol officer.
However, here are my stipulations. I don’t really want to go through the academy, I probably shouldn’t be given a gun (I have terrible aim) and the only thing I want to do is give out tickets to people who are on their cell phones while driving—talking or texting. If it is not the legal law in your state it should be the common sense law at the very least. Even Oprah has jumped on the ‘anti distracted driving’ band wagon.

I was driving to work the other day and there was a car going about 55 mph in the fast lane (that’s about 10 miles too slow for those of you who don’t live in California and 15 miles too slow for the lead footed.) The day was Sunday so I thought maybe it was a little old lady scared to be on the highway, being extra cautious. Nope! It was a twenty-ish gentleman texting or checking email or something on his blackberry. INFURIATING! And completely unsafe. Do you remember that song ‘nobody walks in LA’? Well, nobody should walk in LA because you might get hit by a distracted driver or be the distracted pedestrian. I have taken care of so many trauma patients who were either hit by distracted drivers or were walking across the street distracted and texting. Even if you have the right of way as a pedestrian, the satisfaction of having the right of way is not going to take the pain away from your fractured femur when you get hit by a monster SUV.

Please, do us all a favor and put your cell phone down while driving, walking, biking, roller blading, or in any kind of motion. Since I will probably never actually give up nursing, this is as close as I can get to giving the world a ticket for distracted driving. Be safe out there people!!