A woman has sparked a serious conversation about road safety after sharing her experience with a distracted auto driver. During a recent ride, she noticed the driver was scrolling through reels instead of watching the road, allegedly leading to a near-collision with a reversing truck. Despite her verbal warnings and the fact that she began recording him, the driver continued to scroll, highlighting what she described as a dangerous and widespread addiction to social media.
“Was in an auto the other day and the driver kept watching short videos while driving. Not occasionally watching, this dude was locked in busy scrolling and not really paying attention to the road,” X user Aakanksha claimed.
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She shared how, at one point, the auto almost collided with a truck because the driver was distracted. “At one point, a truck ahead of us started reversing, he didn’t notice, and I had to scream ‘Anna nodi munde’, he braked at the last second.”
After the scare, the woman asked the driver not to watch videos, and he initially agreed. “I told him, calmly, please don’t watch videos while driving, and not just with me, even when you’re alone, he agreed. But 5 minutes later, he was back at it again.”
{{/usCountry}}After the scare, the woman asked the driver not to watch videos, and he initially agreed. “I told him, calmly, please don’t watch videos while driving, and not just with me, even when you’re alone, he agreed. But 5 minutes later, he was back at it again.”
{{/usCountry}}She added, “You can see in the video, he knows I'm recording him, he tries to block it with his shoulder, but still doesn’t stop watching clips.”
Aakanksha explained that there is a dangerous trend of drivers scrolling through reels, attributing it to widespread phone addiction. She warned that even careful drivers are at risk because so many others are distracted by their screens.
“I’m not even mad at him, I could see he is clearly addicted to it, he’s not really at fault, I don’t know who is at fault. And there are so many people who do this everyday, scrolling through reels while driving. And it’s dangerous, even if you are careful there is always a chance someone else on the road is glued to their phone and they don't pay attention.
How did social media react?
An individual wrote, “Glad you recognise this as dangerous. Please end the ride and get off the auto next time if this happens.” Another added, “He is at fault! He is risking his life along with others. Addiction as an excuse is too small when it's a matter of life and death.”
A third commented, “Attention span is so cooked. I have been in so many cab rides where the driver has minimised the map and just watches YouTube videos or some reel while driving.” A fourth expressed, “I see this EVERYDAY and it's almost exclusively auto or transport vehicle drivers. They are literally glued to the screen. Some of them hold the phone in one hand while driving with the other.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)