Looking Down at Your Phone

2405 Views 15 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Tobacco Road, Sep 2, 2019

450zuki

Discussion Starter · Aug 23, 2019

Yeah, it's rant time...

Hot, hot, hot...sitting in the turn lane on the Harley (which gives off enough heat, that I would bet banning Harley's would end Global Warming (or is it Global Cooling now?))...arrow turns green 7 cars ahead of me...6 cars go, but the car in front of me doesn't move...HEAD DOWN looking at phone! And, of course, buy the time he looks up the light is yellow, and then red by the time we get there...and we sit in the heat for another 5 minutes.

MAN AM I SICK OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!

Ok, so, I've always thought people were just nuts/stupid racing up to red lights...but I've come to an even worse conclusion as to why they accelerate towards red lights...they WANT TO sit at the red light as long as possible so they have more texting time before they had to drive and text...

Texting while driving, Global Warming/Cooling/ClimateChange...that should be enough for a 1000 replies and #1 trending spot for the month?

Reactions: 2

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

Retired Guy

· #2 · Aug 23, 2019

Fortunately I live in an area where an idiot sitting at a green light will hear a loud horn, and he/she will just go instead of getting out and fighting about it.

Unfortunately I live in an area where the idiots start braking when approaching a traffic light when the light is green! What are they thinking? Are they wanting to stop so they can play with their phones?

Reactions: 1

450zuki

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 23, 2019

Retired Guy said:
Unfortunately I live in an area where the idiots start braking when approaching a traffic light when the light is green! What are they thinking? Are they wanting to stop so they can play with their phones?

That happens here too; the suburbs have gone full tilt with "red light cams".

At one "Cam" intersection, the light will go from green to red in less time than it takes to cross the intersection (7 lanes wide) so people are slowing down as they approach the light and SLAMMING on the brakes when it turns yellow.

The "red light cam" was installed to reduce/end red light running...which it did...but it dramatically increased rear end collisions at the intersection...serious rear-end accident at the intersection...serious injury lawsuit filed against the city claiming is was responsible for creating a dangerous situation with the camera's...discovery found the cams increased the accident rates and the city folded, settled, and removed the cams.

Retired Guy

· #4 · Aug 24, 2019

Thought yellow light meant go like he!! its about to turn red.

cattzap

· #5 · Aug 28, 2019 (Edited)

start braking when approaching a traffic light when the light is green

I do. I'm not an idiot. I'm someone that is still recovering from someone running a red light and trying to drive thru my door. I have had to limp out to my bike and just look at it and start it occasionally because I had to delay my rider course to get my license. So far it's looking like I'll be able to complete it in three weeks. I'm just now able to put a leg over it.

I'll never take off quickly when the light turns green again, and I'll never just fly thru a green light again. Just yesterday, one intersection away from where the wreck happened, someone did the exact same thing. Had I not slowed at this green light I would have been plowed into the same door again, different car of course.

My advice, slow down, keep an eye out, especially if your on your bike. That moment of impatience could cost you everything

Reactions: 2

cattzap

· #6 · Aug 28, 2019

MAN AM I SICK OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!

Agree with this. I will not use my phone when driving. When I do get to riding,it will be tucked away in a saddlebag unless I decide to mount it and use it as my GPS, we'll see. But I will not be masking calls or texts when riding. I've had the boss kid complain to me because I won't answer his calls when driving, but I'm still not going to do it.

Reactions: 2

Juan_Banjovy

· #7 · Aug 31, 2019

We have a lot of phone gazers where I live. If they don't go on green I ride around them & if I can't they get a blast from my Fiamm Freeway Blaster horn. Theres a generation now that grew up with smartphones & some can't put them down, even to drive. Every time I go to the gym people are sitting on exercise machines playing on their phones & I have to ask them to move. They just move to another machine to play with their phones.

FlipFlop

· #8 · Aug 31, 2019

Try sitting in a Semi and watching all the idiots all day long pass us as they text and put their rear bumpers in our grill because they "think" they know where their corners of their cars are as they stare into there little screens and then they must brake check us. A reconciling is coming, either the government will cash in on the stupidity by making it a financial benefit to them via automated tech or the government will fix us where we don't have freedom to use phones freely going down the road with common sense because there are to many idiots out there. It is getting too bad, and is sad because, the Zombie Apocalypse has already started.

Reactions: 2

hogcowboy

· #9 · Aug 31, 2019

We had yet another idiot run into a bridge pillar. They investigating it as possible suicide but I'd bet simple texting. i used to feel sorry for the idiots but no longer do. There are just too many that don't take driving seriously. You cannot multitask driving. It requires 100% concentration. Or it should. At least there is one less here. I do feel sorry for their surviving family members. But these cell phones are a cancer and cancer can kill.:sad:

Reactions: 3

Retired Guy

· #10 · Aug 31, 2019

When they first started passing laws against texting/talking on a cell phone, while driving, I had hoped that said cell phone would be confiscated by the Police Officer right then, right there.

Confiscated as evidence of the crime. Maybe getting them back at their first court appearance. It would not have taken long before people got the message. Use it, lose it.

Reactions: 1

Tobacco Road

· #11 · Aug 31, 2019 (Edited)

Although we all hate those who insist on texting while driving, we are the ones who better get a grip on it because it will not stop. From my personal observation it has become worse than drunk driving. They can pass all the laws they want, until these morons become educated about the danger it will never be stopped. And even then probably not. I believe I give people too much credit. Most believe it is the other guy who can't text and drive, for only the gifted ones are texting capable.. Stupidity is born of such intelligence.

As for brake checking. I drove 18 wheel tanker hauling gasoline for almost 20 years. I often said to myself, if what happens in front of me is my fault, I will do anything possible to not drive over or kill the person(s) in front of me. If someone decided to cut me off or brake check me and I cannot stop. I will take no action, I will drive over them and with luck they won't ever remember the aftermath. Thankfully that never happened, but very close many times.

See less See more

Reactions: 2

Unkle Krusty

· #12 · Sep 1, 2019 (Edited)

Cell phone use while driving is illegal in BC.
Slowing and checking for all clear, while approaching a green, is part of the defensive driving course. It is where many bike riders have been pasted by folks going thru the red.

These kids are looking at their phones. What for?
Bonus pic of UK in a sprint car.

UK

Fixed it for you UK:wink2:

Reactions: 1

blackadder

· #13 · Sep 2, 2019 (Edited)

450zuki said:
Yeah, it's rant time...

Hot, hot, hot...sitting in the turn lane on the Harley (which gives off enough heat, that I would bet banning Harley's would end Global Warming (or is it Global Cooling now?))...arrow turns green 7 cars ahead of me...6 cars go, but the car in front of me doesn't move...HEAD DOWN looking at phone! And, of course, buy the time he looks up the light is yellow, and then red by the time we get there...and we sit in the heat for another 5 minutes.

MAN AM I SICK OF TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!

Ok, so, I've always thought people were just nuts/stupid racing up to red lights...but I've come to an even worse conclusion as to why they accelerate towards red lights...they WANT TO sit at the red light as long as possible so they have more texting time before they had to drive and text...

Texting while driving, Global Warming/Cooling/ClimateChange...that should be enough for a 1000 replies and #1 trending spot for the month?

Three years ago my wife was hit from behind by some bovine wh*re who was texting at the time. Traffic had stopped on I-10 and the idjit woman in a minivan plowed into my wife doing at least 45 mph. I know that in many ways this is an education issue but maybe it is also a public safety issue. Some states and several countries have introduced major penalties for 'distracted driving'. It won't eliminate the problem but it has reduced the problem to some degree and if nothing else, I hope it makes people think twice. I visit a lot of refineries, mines, power plants and many of them have policies that if employees are caught texting on-site while driving it can lead to firing - company vehicle or private vehicle. They get pretty serious about safety in those places.

Most training sessions I deliver at a plant start with a 'safety moment'. If nobody else has something, I pull up pictures of my wife's car to lead into a discussion about texting while driving.

Reactions: 2

blackadder

· #14 · Sep 2, 2019

Tobacco Road said:
Although we all hate those who insist on texting while driving, we are the ones who better get a grip on it because it will not stop. From my personal observation it has become worse than drunk driving. They can pass all the laws they want, until these morons become educated about the danger it will never be stopped. And even then probably not. I believe I give people too much credit. Most believe it is the other guy who can't text and drive, for only the gifted ones are texting capable.. Stupidity is born of such intelligence.

As for brake checking. I drove 18 wheel tanker hauling gasoline for almost 20 years. I often said to myself, if what happens in front of me is my fault, I will do anything possible to not drive over or kill the person(s) in front of me. If someone decided to cut me off or brake check me and I cannot stop. I will take no action, I will drive over them and with luck they won't ever remember the aftermath. Thankfully that never happened, but very close many times.

I drove trucks for a few years and I believe that before anybody gets a driver's license they should be required to drive (not a semi) but a big truck. They need to understand that it takes a long time to slow that much weight. I see people pull in front of a big truck slowing down for a red light and it is obvious the driver of the car doesn't understand physics. I try to pass that knowledge on to my kids and I think they get it. People that brake check in front of a big rig are one great justification for dash cams.

Reactions: 1

Retired Guy

· #15 · Sep 2, 2019

I've watched some youtube videos of people that tried to brake check the wrong semi truck. Also drivers just being stupid around large vehicles. Some of the videos are hilarious, all of them show you don't mess around with 80,000 lbs. at any speed.

Reactions: 2

Tobacco Road

· #16 · Sep 2, 2019

I would agree with blackadder, every person readying him or herself to pass the driving test should be required to ride in a big rig for a set amount of time. They would gain a new understanding and hopefully appreciation for the requirements of handling such a vehicle.. It seems today most are taught how to pass a test, not learn how to drive. My old high school did away with driver training many years ago. Anything to save a buck, even at the expense of a few lives that may have been saved.

A loaded 18 wheel truck at 60 mph can use over 400 feet to come to a stop. One that is empty even longer.

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