Every single day, I'm cruising along Hwy 52 or Hwy 63 in Rochester, Minnesota and I see someone staring at their phone more than they are looking at the road.  A few years ago, a woman was watching Netflix while driving, and then crashed her carNot joking.  It's against the law in Minnesota to text while driving and yet I'm basically crossing my fingers hoping that someone doesn't hit me while they are texting.  It infuriates me and I started to wonder if there truly was anything that I could do when I see someone texting while driving. Well, I found out and the answer is "yes".

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To The Lady That Flipped Me Off on Hwy 52 in Rochester, Minnesota While She Was Texting and Driving..and In My Lane For Some Of It

I will NEVER forget the moment when I was driving with my kids on Hwy 52 in Rochester.  We were getting closer to the 41st Street NW exit and there was a lady who was going the speed limit, give or take a few mph but unfortunately, she was hardly looking at the road.

It's pretty obvious when someone is texting while they are driving because you see their head down and then bop up every now and then.  The rest of the world isn't morons...we do see this.  The horrifying part of all of this though was that many times between the exit by the Apache Mall and the 41st Street exit, she was in my lane, her own lane, and even on the shoulder.  I honked at her, held up my phone, and mouthed "put it away" and she flipped me off and sped away...while continuing to text.

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To that individual.  I was not in the wrong.  You could have hit my car.  In fact, you were inches from it multiple times.  Your text messages are NOT more important than the lives of my kids.

What To Do If You See Someone Texting While Driving In Minnesota

Texting and driving is an issue that I will scream about until change happens.  This isn't the first time I've gotten irritated with drivers texting while on the road though.  I've shared license plate numbers and called the cops on many drivers, including companies that have drivers behaving irresponsibly in their company vehicles and commercial trucks.  It is very interesting when I call those numbers because you can tell how much the company cares or doesn't care about you in that phone call.  (If you don't want people to know who is driving your vehicles, quit putting your company name on your vehicles...especially if your drivers are horrible at driving!)

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When it comes to distracted driving and we see it while we are out on the road, what can we really do?  I decided to go straight to the source and asked the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office what they recommend.  Here is their answer:

If someone sees a driver swerving whether it is from impaired driving or distracted driving, it is our hope that someone would safely call 911 to report the driver. A hands-free call would be preferred.

The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office also stated on their Facebook page, "We are always asking for people to put their phones away when driving... iPads, tablets, Laptops, etc. should also be put away when behind the wheel. Don't watch shows/movies and drive.  Please take the responsibility of driving seriously."

If you see texting and driving, or people watching Netflix and driving, call 911 and report the license plate number and your current location.  You might save a life.

You can find more about this story at the Minnesota State Patrol Facebook page.

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There are so many answers that can go in that blank. In fact, you may have had one of those stresses just a little bit ago in your car. Look below to see some of the top things that stress people out while they are driving in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

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