Distracted driving: Not exactly a trucking story...

I'm at home right now. So it's hard to come up with good trucking stories in the present tense. But a trucker does drive, even at home. So...

We've had a little bit of a rat problem at the house lately. And the wife doesn't like killing the cute little things. So I set a live trap when I'm home. And when it catches something, I take it to some properly deserted place, far far away.

I was engaged in this pleasant task today, driving sedately through town (and out the other side) toward an empty lot which will remain nameless, when I had to make a quick stop at a red light. A block or two later, I heard a rustling in the back. Looking back, I see the clutter in the seat. And the trap.

Empty.

As best I can tell, the trap rolled over when I hit the brakes. And when it's on its side, the mechanism that keeps the trap doors shut doesn't engage any more. I actually figured that out at the time, but it was kind of a background thing. I wasn't really thinking about trap mechanisms just then.

I was thinking about driving with a live rat rummaging around in my floorboard.

Things worked out. I even managed to pass a police officer looking fairly nonchalant. He didn't look at me twice, anyway.

Being a truck driver has given me a certain amount of practice driving safely while distracted. Did it help? I don't know. It didn't hurt, anyway...