Three years ago, some woman went through a stop sign, crossed three lanes of traffic, and smashed into the side of my two year old Subaru Outback, burgundy, LL Bean Limited, H6-3.0. Yeah, I exaggerate about the car because I loved that car. Loved.. as in past tense.

I was doing 35 mph at the time, slowing down for a red light. She T-boned the car so hard that it slid sideways and caught the curb and fliped. Witnesses said that the car went about 5 feet in the air, flew about 10 feet before landing on the roof and sliding another 35 feet or so along the ground on the roof. She was talking on her cell phone at the time and "didn't see the stop sign". I had a scratch on my head and one on my arm. Julie, my significant other, had a scratch on her elbow. We both had our seat belts on.

She was able to get out by simply opening the up-side down door. I helped her release her seat belt, helped her down, then helped her crawl out. I, on the other hand, had to wait for them to pry open the door before I could get out. They took me to the hospital where I was examined and released. Yeah, the car was totaled.

Cell phones, texting, some of you may thing it's the greatest thing in the world.. well, I can bear witness, via personal experience, that they have their place, and in a car is not the place for either activity. Period. End of story.