54 pages • 1 hour read
Matt RichtelA Deadly Wandering
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaChapters 36-39Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 36 Summary: “Hunt for Justice”
Safety advocates hope that their success with seatbelts and drunk driving will provide them with a blueprint for how to deal with the distracted driving problem. A safety advocate from Mothers Against Drunk Driving points out that “one of the lessons of MADD is you’ve got to put a face on the problem” (284)—having a vivid personal example of what can go wrong helps push legislation forward.
The scientists continue working on their chosen research fields. Dr. Gazzaley poses a question that at first seems “counterintuitive” (284): could a video game train people to sustain their attention? Dr. Strayer’s driving simulation experiment finds a strange outlier: One test subject’s driving ability seems to improve while talking on the phone. Dr. Greenfield (the addict turned psychologist and addiction specialist) counsels a boy whose parents brought him in due to a possible video game addiction. The boy seems to be unexpectedly willing to rein in his technology use.
Chapter 37 Summary: “Reggie”
After two years of back-and-forth, Reggie accepts the plea in a hearing that lasts only a few minutes.
Reggie still gives no indication that this is anything but a practical decision. Despite Leila and Jackie’s frustrations with his demeanor and affect, Reggie still does not present as a remorseful person who takes responsibility for his actions. However, Richtel writes that his impassive demeanor “masked a true, remarkable transformation” (288).
Chapter 38 Summary: “Hunt for Justice”
Terryl calls Kaylene Yonk, the head of a firm that writes presentencing reports. Yonk believes Reggie is a “remorseless, arrogant liar,” and Terryl agrees, saying, “I want him hammered bad” (289-90).
However, during their next meeting, Reggie starts crying when Yonk tells him she is going to show him the pictures of the wreck, so Yonk reconsiders her judgment of the young man. Reggie’s distracted driving reminds her that she was lucky to avoid horrible consequences for her own less than ideal driving experiences. After all, when she was working for the Department of Corrections, she used to nod off on her way back from the graveyard shift.
Even Terryl feels empathetic once Reggie reveals his emotions: She once almost had an accident because she was talking to her son. Nevertheless, Terryl still wants Reggie to get the maximum sentence.
Chapter 39 Summary: “The Lawmakers”
In February of 2009, a Utah House of Representatives committee meets in to discuss texting and driving. Representative Steven Clark lobbies Republican committee members to support a ban on texting while driving, but he is unsuccessful. Republicans see the idea as impinging too much on personal freedom.
In the open hearing, one mother stands up and expresses her concerns about safety. Other speakers question how the police could possibly prove that drivers were texting. An insurance agent takes issue with the comparison between drunk driving and texting—there are a lot more people texting and driving than driving drunk, but texting causes far fewer deaths. The legislation does not look likely to pass.
Chapters 36-39 Analysis
The same safety advocates who focused on reducing fatalities from drunk driving and seatbelts leverage their experiences to focus on reigning in technology use in the car. The roadblock they face is similar to arguments against seatbelts: People only see texting while driving as dangerous when others do it. Unlike in the trial, where scientific evidence and facts convinced Reggie that his texting was responsible for the crash, in politics facts and scientific analysis is not enough. Instead, the only way to get politicians to rally behind a specific cause is to play to their emotions by publicizing a very vivid anecdote that triggers empathy. In this case, making Reggie “a face on the problem” (284) could be part of the solution.
Reggie himself is in the midst of a conversion. Emerging in his story is the redemptive power of truth as he begins to admit and atone for his wrongdoings: “He’d begun to bridge the vertiginous gap between what he told the world and the truth he knew deep inside” (291).
Meanwhile, Gazzaley, and Strayer pursue creative solutions outside the political sphere. Strayer discovers a few test subjects for whom multitasking doesn’t impair performance as much, leading to the question, “were some people more able than others? Could technology itself hold the key to helping us remain master over these powerful machines?” (286).
