A Man In China Passed His Driver's Test Then Promptly Drove Off A Bridge And Crashed Into A River Because He Was Checking His Phone

(Source)- A new driver has sent his freshly registered car into a river while checking his phone just minutes after passing his driver’s exam in China, according to local media reports. The driver, identified as a Mr Zhang, said he looked up from his phone to see two people on the bridge, and swerved out of nervousness.

“While I was driving, I tried to grab my phone and read some messages while two people were in front of me on the bridge. I became nervous and turned left suddenly,” Mr Zhang told local media. His newly registered car careened off the bridge, which didn’t have a guard rail. Mr Zhang said he dislocated his shoulder in the incident and was lucky to get out of the car.

As someone that has a crippling addiction to their phone, I will not pass judgment on our friend Mr. Zhang for instantly going on his phone once he got the right to drive. I open and close Twitter three times from the time I stand up until the time I walk into the bathroom 10 feet away. Phone addiction is just a way of life that isn't going away until we replace phones with computer chips in our brain. 

The real problem is that there is no good way to test someone's driving ability. Whatever written and road test the DMV cooks up is simply to keep the absolute dumbest and worst drivers on the planet off the road. During the road test, everyone will check their mirrors multiple times, stay 3 seconds back from the car in front of them, and keep their hands at 10 & 2 o'clock as their freedom to get wherever you want in a timely manner hangs in the balance. 

But after you get that passing grade, you are inevitably going to drive the way you were born to. It may involve an arm out the window, treating the speed limit like a speed minimum, or checking your phone as the ink on your new license dries. Now I'm sure Big Z didn't expect a couple of lollygaggers to be casually walking on the middle of the bridge when he looked up from his [whatever phone is street legal in China these days]. Luckily, MZ recalled from his driver's manual that if you are ever in a situation like this, you should drive off a bridge and turn your car into a boat instead of ramming two innocent people Grand Theft Auto style. 

Thankfully everyone involved was okay because this was not only a hilarious video but an important lesson: Don't check your phone while driving and if you do, it's better to take a dip with your car instead of running over two civilians. They call that vehicular manslaughter here in the U.S. of A and I'm sure the Chinese have a similarly aggressive name with an even more aggressive penalty for it in the Far East where I'm quite certain it happens from time to time.