Cage driver on cell ran my son-in-law off the road today

[burkbuilds]

We were celebrating my wife's birthday this afternoon and in walks my son-in-law covered in mud. "What happened to you?" we asked, he told us that a lady talking on her cell phone came around the curve towards him in his lane and he had to jump the curb and a ditch and landed in somebody's muddy yard to keep from becoming a hood ornament. When he hit the mud the bike started sliding and he layed her down in the muck. He was "pinned" under the right side but fortunately not against the exhaust and other than the brake pedal being bent up no damage to the bike. There were several witnesses and the lady stopped and called 911 telling them she had just killed somebody on a motorcycle. The man who's yard he landed in was sitting on the front porch when it happened and he helped get the bike off of him and then proceeded to chew out the girl driving the car. The cops cited her for driving while distracted, failure to maintain lane, 20mph over posted speed limit and I'm not sure what else, but they automatically suspended her license. Since he wasn't injured, the bike started up and he was able to bend the brake pedal back we are very thankful!
He said he saw her talking on the phone and looking down towards the passenger floor board, then she glanced up and looked at him, looked back down and then jerked her head back up really quickly with wide eyes but it was too late for her to avoid him so he just dropped a gear and gunned it over the curb to avoid getting hit. I don't know if I would have had the foresight to have taken that particular action but I'm glad he did.

[BusyWeb]

Wow, that's fortunate..
Thanks that nobody hurt.
I really hate that drivers(cagers ofcource, no bikers) do some phoning/texting while driving....
I tried myself, and felt really dangerous; i mean its really really dangerous...
(as i don't have multi-process power on my brain )

[Water Warrior 2]

Very glad your young man reacted so quickly. Thankfully there were witnesses and the driver did stop to take her lumps. What the hell did people do before cell phones ????????????????? Those things are a plague on the streets and cause so much carnage and injury to others.

Food for thought: cell phones should all have a built-in GPS. Will not work if cell is in motion unless you dial 911 for emergency services. And that includes hands free cells too, they are just as dangerous as they are a distraction too. The only exceptions would be emergency services, police and that sort of thing. Anyone caught circumventing these restrictions will automatically loose their cell and the vehicle it is in. Impounded property will be crushed and disposed of at owners expense. Sounds harsh and a hardship for an offender doesn't it. It should be, but not as bad as the hardship and suffering of an innocent young man on a bike having a head on with a cell driver.

[burkbuilds]

WW, great idea about having the phones unable to work while moving! Seems like that would be pretty easy to do and the speed could be set to anything above a fast walking pace. I think that DWD (driving while distracted) is just as dangerous as drunk driving. I heard that over 90% of all accidents happen because a driver looked away from the road for 3 seconds or more. I heard that the Feds proposed or passed a ruling last week that if States do not pass a law against Texting while driving a large amount of their Federal road funds will be cut off next year. I'm not a big fan of strong arm Federal legislation, but I do hope a lot of states realize the dangers involved in texting and cell phone use while driving and take responsible actions to curb this plague! I wish people would just think about what they are doing, placing lives at risk so they can have the convenience of talking or texting while they drive, it is ridiculous and no matter how good at "multi-tasking" someone thinks they are, the studies show that when your attention is divided between multiple tasks your ablility to do any of them as well as when you focus on one task (driving in this discussion) is severely impaired and you make mistakes. In this case, your mistakes put lives at risk and that is not acceptable!

[alantf]

In England, & Spain too, there IS a specific law banning the use of mobile phones (cell phones) while driving, so the police don't have to use the "distraction" clause. What is really alarming, to me, is that the police who enforce these laws seem to think that there is nothing wrong with themselves using their radios, with hand held mikes, while they are driving. It seems to be a case of "do as I say, not as I do" :??:

[dhgeyer]

BB,

Glad your son in law is OK. It could indeed have been much worse. Sounds like he is a skilled rider. Does he have, by any chance, dirt bike experience from when he was younger? From your description of how he responded, and how it came out, it sounds like he might.

Make cell phones inoperable while in motion? One little problem: there's nothing wrong with a passenger talking on the phone. When we are traveling, if I am driving I often have my wife take my calls as well as her own. I favor tough laws about distracted driving, especially if it causes an accident. Here in NH a woman was just charged with vehicular manslaughter for killing a motorcyclist. In her case she was distracted and drunk. A few years ago it would have been just the DWI charge. The AMA has been pushing for tougher punishments for killing/injuring motorcyclists for a few years now. It seems to be having some effect.

I saw a study in the newspaper a while back in which they determined the relative likelihood of various kinds of distraction causing accidents. Interestingly, cell phone usage was near the bottom, contrary to all the noise that's being made about it. The leading accident causer was reaching for something in the car. Sounds like the woman that caused this accident may have been doing that in addition to talking on the cell phone. So the laws should be about distracted driving, not just cell phone usage.

Oh, and the latest issue of American Motorcyclist has an article about a woman who killed a motorcyclist because she was painting her nails while driving. Her son has started something called the "Black Nails" movement to bring awareness to this whole issue.

[bonehead]

Probably dropped her make-up case.

[dannylightning]

my question is how does talking on a phone distract people, i dont get it. it dose not distract me at all but i have seen people all over the road and driving like idiots on cell phones. but i do believe it should be law since lots of people cant seem to drive for shit when on a phone.

[Water Warrior 2]

my question is how does talking on a phone distract people, i dont get it. it dose not distract me at all but i have seen people all over the road and driving like idiots on cell phones. but i do believe it should be law since lots of people cant seem to drive for shit when on a phone.

First off, if the cell rings you must reach for it. You are distracted from driving. If you are calling some one you are thinking about the call, not about driving. You are distracted. While it is possible to multi-task it is best to multitask in controlled conditions where you can have a practiced routine. I did that for most of my working career. There is nothing routine about riding or driving which leads me to believe you just think you are safe. Please reconsider your habits for your own safety if not others.

[burkbuilds]

Danny,
I realize that the younger generation is very familiar with electronic devices and so used to using them that they may not even think that it makes a difference when they multitask but it does and when peoples are driving they need to do their very best to focus on driving! I know I'm an old guy compared to you but I've done some multitasking in my time to. I once worked in commercial sales at a Lowe's store and for 4 weeks my supervisor was out with major surgery and the other guy quit so guess what, it was just me M-F 7-5 and sometimes I would be talking to one customer on the phone, while checking prices for them on a computer terminal while waiting on a customer in front of my desk, checking out their purchases, writing delivery directions into the computer and charging it to their account and it wasn't unusual for the other line to ring and I'd have both phones on my shoulders while typing on two computer terminals and talking to 3-4 people. At times it got so comical that the customers in front of me who could see what I was doing would start to laugh. It was crazy for those 4 weeks, and I'm sure I probably screwed up stuff I will never know about, but nobody's life was on the line like it is when I'm driving a vehicle that weighs several tons in traffic. There have been several studies measuring people's accuracy and mistake rates when they are multitasking and although a lot of the people going into the study were convinced that they didn't lose their edge when multitasking, they all did, every single one of them, some more than others granted, but everybody's scores dropped when they started multitasking. You personally may still be a better than average driver even when you are talking on a cell phone, but you are not as good of a driver as you are when you are not talking or otherwise distracted while driving. Please don't take offense at this post, but please do consider that even a professional driver like yourself looses an edge when they are trying to drive and do something else at the same time. This is one habit I hope you will consider changing.

Your friend,

John

[alanmcorcoran]

It's not the talking for me - it's the dialing. At my age, I have trouble seeing the numbers and poking them. I don't use my phone in the car much anymore for three reasons: not legal in California, rarely use it even when I'm not in the car, and I am hardly ever in a car anymore (and you really cant use one with a full face helmet unless you got fancy electronics.)

I seriously assume that every car at an intersection cannot see me and is possibly going to hit me and try to plan at least one "escape" route should they turn in front of me, move into my lane or all of the other dangerous moves they can make. I developed a lot of this sense when doing long distance road bicycle treks (bicyclists get killed by cars ALL THE TIME!) What's worse with a bicycle is EVEN MORE PEOPLE HATE YOU and many actively want you off "their" road. There is a case being deliberated in CA right now where a doctor (!) who didn't like being behind bicycles (going the speed limit) pulled his SUV in front of two of them and slammed on the brakes. He then taunted the guy that went through his rear window. Now he's claiming he "stopped to take a picture." There is no doubt than many cyclists can be major douchebags, but in my riding group, we nearly always went single file when there was no bike lane, we all wore helmets, and we stopped for lights, stop signs etc. Over the years, many of our number were run into ditches, cut off at intersections and otherwise harassed. Bicyclists, especially if you are wearing spandex, are just considered fair game out here. I think my experience as one of the hunted has been beneficial to my awareness on the motorcycle.

[Moedad]

Bicyclists, especially if you are wearing spandex, are just considered fair game out here. I think my experience as one of the hunted has been beneficial to my awareness on the motorcycle.

I'll second that. I've had things thrown at me, sprayed at me, I've been edged off the road, turned in front of, braked in front of, and even had a passenger on a motorcycle shove me.

[alanmcorcoran]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 7065.story (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bikers12-2008dec12%2C0%2C147065.story)

[burkbuilds]

Wow alan, that guy really seemed like he just totally lost it! Certainly different than what happened to my son-in-law, I don't think the car driver in his case had intentions of hurting anyone she just made a bad choice about driving and trying to do something else at the same time which caused the accident. I read further on your posted story and saw where that Doctor was convicted and taken into immediate custody until his December 3 hearing for sentencing.

[alantf]

we nearly always went single file when there was no bike lane,, and we stopped for lights, stop signs etc.

In my experience (in both England & Spain) guys like you are in the minority. I've found that the majority are total arseholes - arrogant, & like to make car/bike drivers slow down to their speed (usually just above walking pace on hills) & pretend that they're totally ignorant of the vehicles behind them. They ride in packs, 5 or 6 abreast so that following traffic has no chance of overtaking safely, & they NEVER check behind or signal before making manouvers. It's as though they're challenging the other road users.

One other complaint I have is that in England cars/bikes have a heavy road tax placed on them every year. They are obviously not allowed to race on the highway, but the police think nothing of closing down whole sections of highway so that the cyclists (who pay NOTHING in taxes) can race their bicycles. Just imagine the furore if motorists asked for the highway to be closed so that they can race.

I've nothing against the guy who genuinely uses his cycle as a means of getting around. The problem seems to be TOTALLY the problem of the lycra clad "Look at me, I use a cycle not a car, so I'm better than you because I'm not polluting the planet" brigade.

Glad I got that off my chest, because it's been infuriating me for YEARS! :biggun: BTW, in England things are so bad that they're known as "lycra louts", so it's not just me that's pissed off with them!

[Water Warrior 2]

Just remembered this. A few years ago in Edmonton Alberta they experimented with cops on bicycles in the down town area. Seems some silly ass bumped a cop and tried to make a run for it. The cop chased him on foot and caught him as other police cruisers converged on the scene. The lesson here: Don't do anything you might regret. Luckily the bicycle cop was uninjured.

[bonehead]

Don't have enough time or space to get me started on bicycles on the road. Short version: they have no reason to be on the road with cars!

[dhgeyer]

Don't have enough time or space to get me started on bicycles on the road. Short version: they have no reason to be on the road with cars!

I couldn't agree more! Now, what do we have to do to get those damn cars off the road? :biggrin:

[burkbuilds]

One of my professors told us that in Belgium they actually have bicycle highways just for bicycles and they have cloverleafs and everything, but even with that they are having problems with extreme speed differences between cyclists who collide and injure one another fairly often.

[Water Warrior 2]

I used to putter along on the sidewalk with my bike. Ya I am slow. Got passed by skate boards regularly and one electric wheel chair.
Oh, just remembered. Clocked a skate board at 80 kms(50 mph) with the cage. Darn kids hitch hike up the road to a good slope on the highway and coast down. Was waiting for the bearings in those little wheels to seize up and spit him off. No safety gear at all just a big grin on his face.

[alanmcorcoran]

Ironic how the people that complain about poor treatment from one class of vehicles are all too happy to have the same level of intolerance for another class of vehicles.

Stupidity abounds in all areas of life, but is a fault of the human, not the machine. There is room on the roads for all: Cars, SUVS, Semi's, bicycles, pedestrians... even horses! It only requires a little respect and consideration from all parties to share. I don't ride my bicycle much anymore, mainly because I'm too lazy and out of shape, but it is both a beautiful and efficient machine and those that denigrate it are ignorant of its merits and history. The bigotry that feeds the hate of bicycles and bicyclists is a very close relative of that that pits motorists against motorcyclists.

Can't we all just get along? Apparently not.

[dannylightning]

Don't have enough time or space to get me started on bicycles on the road. Short version: they have no reason to be on the road with cars!

i agree with that but according the the laws here they should be on the road and follow all traffic laws. i hate when bicycle riders are on the road. they cant go fast enough so that is a hazard if you ask me.

[dannylightning]

my question is how does talking on a phone distract people, i dont get it. it dose not distract me at all but i have seen people all over the road and driving like idiots on cell phones. but i do believe it should be law since lots of people cant seem to drive for shit when on a phone.

First off, if the cell rings you must reach for it. You are distracted from driving. If you are calling some one you are thinking about the call, not about driving. You are distracted. While it is possible to multi-task it is best to multitask in controlled conditions where you can have a practiced routine. I did that for most of my working career. There is nothing routine about riding or driving which leads me to believe you just think you are safe. Please reconsider your habits for your own safety if not others.

well if i am driving and talking to my passenger or listening to the radio and singing along, i guess that would be a distraction too. cus im thinking about that and not driving right.

are they gonna out law passengers and radios in cars too lol..

i get what you are saying tho but i think it depends on the person. some folks can pay attention to the road and something else and others cant.

[dhgeyer]

Ironic how the people that complain about poor treatment from one class of vehicles are all too happy to have the same level of intolerance for another class of vehicles.

Stupidity abounds in all areas of life, but is a fault of the human, not the machine. There is room on the roads for all: Cars, SUVS, Semi's, bicycles, pedestrians... even horses! It only requires a little respect and consideration from all parties to share. I don't ride my bicycle much anymore, mainly because I'm too lazy and out of shape, but it is both a beautiful and efficient machine and those that denigrate it are ignorant of its merits and history. The bigotry that feeds the hate of bicycles and bicyclists is a very close relative of that that pits motorists against motorcyclists.

Can't we all just get along? Apparently not.

:2tup: :plus1:

[bonehead]

Ironic how the people that complain about poor treatment from one class of vehicles are all too happy to have the same level of intolerance for another class of vehicles.

Stupidity abounds in all areas of life, but is a fault of the human, not the machine. There is room on the roads for all: Cars, SUVS, Semi's, bicycles, pedestrians... even horses! It only requires a little respect and consideration from all parties to share. I don't ride my bicycle much anymore, mainly because I'm too lazy and out of shape, but it is both a beautiful and efficient machine and those that denigrate it are ignorant of its merits and history. The bigotry that feeds the hate of bicycles and bicyclists is a very close relative of that that pits motorists against motorcyclists.

Can't we all just get along? Apparently not.

:2tup: :plus1:
It has been my experience that the bicyclists are the ones lacking the respect and consideration 100% of the time. They come out to our community from Austin to ride on our rural roads and NEVER give way to people driving their cars, tractors with implements, or trucks hauling trailers. Maybe it's different in CA., but here, they are all a bunch of Lance wannabes. Almost once a week in this area there is a bicyclist killed or hurt riding a bike. That should tell people something. :rawk:

That's it , I"m out.

[Water Warrior 2]

Bicycles are considered a motor vehicle according to the law in most areas. As such the rider is bound by those laws the same as a cager or biker. But the bicycle riders(not all)do tend to take advantage of their smaller size and agility to zip in and out where they shouldn't. A few are just arrogant in their spandex and dare you to hit them. We get a lot of pedal pushers on tour here. They generally obey the rules and really want to just live a day at a time while enjoying the fresh air, scenery and the sense of accomplishment pumping across the country. Just like motorcycles and cages, we have a variety of folks out there on bicycles.

[alanmcorcoran]

When they banned horses from the roads, I did not speak out, for I did not ride a horse.
When they banned trucks, I did not speak out, for I did not drive a truck.
When they banned bicyclists from the road I did not speak out because I did not ride a bicycle.
When they banned pedestrians, I did not speak out, for I do not walk.
When they banned me and my motorcyle, there was no one left to speak out.

-With apologies to Pastor Martin Niemöller

[alantf]

When they banned bicyclists from the road I did not speak out because I did not ride a bicycle.


But I did - I said YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! :haha2:

[Easy Rider]

Can't we all just get along? Apparently not.

No. Society teaches us that we MUST have someone to hate. In modern times, it is called politics. :cry:

[diffluere]

Have any of you ever been to gainesville, fl? The majority of college kids here either have a bicycle or a 50cc scooter. And they all drive/ride like assholes (obviously with some exceptions). The bicyclists use the 'walk' signs at the crosswalks and get in the way of the pedestrians instead of using the green lights with the cars. They ride on the sidewalks all over campus and get mad at the pedestrians in their way. They barely even check for traffic before moving into the car lane (we have bike lanes here mostly everywhere). Never use signals. No lights at night (illegal), dark clothing at night, sandals, no helmets, etc.

The scooters are even worse. Girls in dresses with sandals and passengers on the back. Scooting in and out of traffic. No turn signals, no checking lanes before switching, no helmets anywhere in sight. They even pull out in front of me on my motorcycle!

Driving here is the most difficult thing ever, I can't imagine being on my cell phone at any time. The pedestrians don't even look before crossing the street, they just assume you are paying attention and will stop for them. When I'm in certain areas of town in my car I even turn down the radio because I feel like it's distracting me from these idiots. You would think college kids would be smarter?

[mrlmd1]

No, being young, they think they are invulnerable and entitled. although they are oblivious.