Situational Awareness, it's called. Fighter pilots cultivate it, so they can keep track of what's happening in an engagement.
My head is constantly on a swivel, mirrors, traffic, looking for an out if I need it, and no phone, music, or any other distraction is worth my life.
Case in point. One day, last week, coming home from work, I was the first vehicle in line as the light changed from green to yellow. The car behind me had been up underneath me the whole time, and I could clearly see the driver on his phone. As I watched the cross-lane light change to yellow and then red, I did what I always do: Look up the road to see if anyone is coming down the hill with the result of running the light. Sure enough, someone was coming. Never slowed. My lane's light changed, and the @$$hat behind me immediately laid on his horn as if that would make me go. I merely waited, and we both watched the guy in his new Camaro run the light at about 50 mph. I looked over my shoulder at the @$$hat, pointed to the car running the light, and he sheepishly waved. Had I gone out when the light had changed, I'd have been broadsided, and likely killed.
The thing that bugs me to no end, is the jerkwads who totally and blatantly ignore the speed limit. They're the reason we must be so vigilant.
