Nothing is more infuriating than to be held up in traffic by some smirking, oblivious, self-absorbed fool, yammering into a cell phone with one hand on the wheel and the other up to an ear, while angered drivers maneuver to pass on the left and right. Don't they still teach driver's ed in school? And if so, whatever happened to "both hands on the wheel"? At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, we believe that cell-phone use is a prime contributor to the breakdown of civility in society, but using the dastardly devices while driving a car is simply stupid, illegal and deadly. Bates Technical College agrees. The school has teamed with UNITE International's Arrive Alive Tour to educate the public about dangers associated with texting and driving. Thursday, Nov. 14 the Arrive Alive Tour will bring a distracted-driving simulator to the college's South Campus auto body program. Ah for cryin' out loud, you're texting a link to this story on your iPhone while you sip coffee and weave through morning traffic on Interstate 5 using your knees - JUST STOP IT.

ARRIVE ALIVE TOUR, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Bates Technical College, 2201 S. 78^th St., Tacoma, free, arrivealivetour.com

See Also

Calendar: Arts and Entertainment

Calendar: Music and Nightlife