I am appalled at the light-hearted way Robert McMillan calls his "Two Points Of View On Driving" column a "fun story".

In it we learn that while he drives he is a "multi-tasker" who: makes phone calls that require him to "punch in the telephone number", reads e-mails, writes down ideas ("he puts pen to paper"), and also takes his eyes off the road "to look at (his wife) in conversation".

No wonder his wife Phoebe does crossword puzzles and knits "to distract (her) from Bob's driving" , "puts her hands out as she feels (he) may be getting too close to a car slowing down in front of us", and feels the need to "press (her) foot to the imaginary brake".

It's hard to believe that Mr. McMillan has never been in an accident----but considering his irresponsible driving habits, he's apparently been very, very lucky.

His undeniable inattentiveness to the road and other vehicles while he's reading, writing and dialing make him a menace to others.

He may consider himself far more responsible than drunk drivers, and those who speed , tailgate or weave in and out of traffic, but his "multi-tasking" means he is still gambling with the lives of himself, his wife and all the people he's sharing the road with.

Phoebe calls him a "very good driver", but I think she's a lot safer the way she drives ("I grip the wheel with both hands, looking straight ahead.").

Mr. McMillan concludes his column by saying "I hope you have had as much fun in reading this column as Phoebe and I had in writing the piece", but I felt more fear than fun - especially since I know there are too many drivers with even more dangerous driving habits than Mr. McMillan.

Richard Siegelman