Learned a new word today: nagaraunten 「ながら運転」- “distracted driving.” It’s kind of an interesting phrase, with “nagara” meaning “while doing something else.” Long ago, there wasn’t much else to do when driving other than to change your radio station (though the surprise of my escaped pet rat climbing up the inside of my trousers on a Maine turnpike once distracted me enough to verve into the median), but the advent of a plethora of online distractions has increased accident numbers. Also, they leave a digital history accessible by police (unlike my rat, who denied everything).
New laws have doubled or tripled punishment for distracted driving. Kumanichi reports that almost 12,000 drivers were cited here for this last year. Advice: Turn off your phone when driving, take care when observing your car nabi, and better cage your rat. - William
