Sometimes when I come to a red light and the person in front of me is texting, I want to honk the horn to see if they'll blow the red without looking.
But then I feel bad for the guy texting coming the other way that might get hit.
Sometimes when I come to a red light and the person in front of me is texting, I want to honk the horn to see if they'll blow the red without looking.
But then I feel bad for the guy texting coming the other way that might get hit.
Go ahead and stop flossing. My business will increase...
bluej wrote: You weren't in DC this morning, where you? Passed this on my way in to work.For the record, it wasn't my pic, I lifted it from a news article!
That's pretty impressive. I can't for the life of me figure out how they did that but would absolutely love to hear their explanation.
Im all for stricter testing/regulation to actually create a safer driving environment. Less so for dead-end bitching or offering up our most tangible slice of personal freedom to the gods of autonomous driving (in this case, truly giant corporations) on a silver platter.
Last summer I saw this car weaving in traffic. Came up to the stop light and I saw why. Totally engrossed in her novel. Snapped a photo trying to be inconspicuous but she didn't notice. Started waving my arms and making wooh! noises and got no response. Light turned green and I left. Checked my mirror a few blocks later and she was still sitting back there.
People are foolish with or without phones.
I had a boss that would read the paper and brew and drink coffee on his commute. This was in 1994 or so and he found a 12V coffee maker on that new world wide web thing that was starting to become popular. He would drive 120 miles with the Oregonian draped across his steering wheel, pouring coffee into a stained mug. 
petegossett wrote: Decades ago a trucker told me he'd witnessed someone practicing banjo while driving down the interstate.
I saw a woman playing the flute once in traffic near DC. To her credit..it's not like the traffic was actually moving.
Vigo wrote: Im all for stricter testing/regulation to actually create a safer driving environment. Less so for dead-end bitching or offering up our most tangible slice of personal freedom to the gods of autonomous driving (in this case, truly giant corporations) on a silver platter.
Agreed. IMO, part of getting a drivers license should be a full weekend vehicle handling course with a mandatory full day refresher course every 5 years for license renewal. And better training in general with much stricter enforcement for people doing stupid things rather than cops just giving speeding tickets and ignoring most other things.
Wall-e wrote:bluej wrote: You weren't in DC this morning, where you? Passed this on my way in to work.That's pretty impressive. I can't for the life of me figure out how they did that but would absolutely love to hear their explanation.
Well poop, I was hoping you'd be able to tell ME 
Edit: from a wash post article: "The incident happened just after 5:30 a.m. when a vehicle and bus collided. It was not clear how they crashed and how the bus ended up on the wall. One of the vehicles ran up on the sidewalk and hit a tree and a lightpost, police said."
Appleseed wrote: I need to practice wielding a mace while riding my motorcycle.
This. Out for a ride yesterday, I'm setting up to attack a very familiar left hander when berkeleywad in a Saturn runs wide 3/4 of the way into my lane. This was one of very few times I've actually turned around to try and chase someone down. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to safely do so he was gone. I was berkeleying PISSED.
I'm baffled as to why cops aren't going after these people. They could get un-marked cars, cruise down the interstate going ten-over, and pull over every fifth person. I really really really don't understand why that isn't happening. I am all for bringing some serious financial pain upon these inattentive morons.
Wall-e wrote:bluej wrote: You weren't in DC this morning, where you? Passed this on my way in to work.That's pretty impressive. I can't for the life of me figure out how they did that but would absolutely love to hear their explanation.
My WAG: drifted off the road up the road some distance, caught the right side wheels on the embankment where the retaining wall is closer to grade level, the bus then pitched to the right, essentially jack-knifing and sending the front wheels over the wall while the rest stayed low and everything ground to a halt.
I'm just surprised there isn't more damage, but it looks like there is a lot of wall debris under the bus, so most of it's probably to the undercarriage...
Since January I've been doing regular drives from PA to NH and back. I've lost count of how many times I see general idiocy on the hwy.
In reply to Ian F:
I bet the bus driver is an old-school skater. 
Because the cops use their phones while driving too.
Wouldn't want them to have to set a good example, would we?
JamesMcD wrote: I'm baffled as to why cops aren't going after these people. They could get un-marked cars, cruise down the interstate going ten-over, and pull over every fifth person. I really really really don't understand why that isn't happening. I am all for bringing some serious financial pain upon these inattentive morons.
rob_lewis wrote: Whereas my wife I would love to figure out how to permanently turn off the rear view camera on her car. It's really bright and very distracting at night.
Black tape over the camera lens?
Trans_Maro wrote: Because the cops use their phones while driving too. Wouldn't want them to have to set a good example, would we?JamesMcD wrote: I'm baffled as to why cops aren't going after these people. They could get un-marked cars, cruise down the interstate going ten-over, and pull over every fifth person. I really really really don't understand why that isn't happening. I am all for bringing some serious financial pain upon these inattentive morons.
Yea, or they're staring at the laptop in their car trying to run your plates while parked 5 ft off your rear bumper.
rob_lewis wrote: Watched a guy in my parking lot at work on Friday, put the car in reverse, stare at the screen on his dash and back out. No checking the windows or mirrors. It frightens me how quickly people depend on technology when it comes to driving. Whereas my wife I would love to figure out how to permanently turn off the rear view camera on her car. It's really bright and very distracting at night. -Rob
It took me a day and a half to realize the transit i rented from u haul had one. No one believed i could one time a full sized cargo van on mirrors.
Furious_E wrote:Appleseed wrote: I need to practice wielding a mace while riding my motorcycle.This. Out for a ride yesterday, I'm setting up to attack a very familiar left hander when berkeleywad in a Saturn runs wide 3/4 of the way into my lane. This was one of very few times I've actually turned around to try and chase someone down. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to safely do so he was gone. I was berkeleying PISSED.
Mace is a fixed bludgeon on a stick. You want a morning star, for extra chain whipping action.
Yeah it's not like we see people texting, then criticize their driving - it's the other way around. I see someone weaving and check to see if they're texting - always. To all who say they can do both: No. You. Can't. Or said another way: Maybe some can, but most suck at it.
I've said in the past that cell-phone talking while driving may be a net wash because people tend to up their game. I've been guilty of it, and can tell you that I'm hyper-alert when I do it, because I know that I'm being an asshat, and don't want to make anything worse by having an accident. But a cell-phone call can be done with no visual involvement via bluetooth and a digital assistant, so the exposure isn't that different than talking with a passenger.
Texting is another order of magnitude because it takes so much of your attention that you really can't compensate with heightened focus. Ditto with makeup, banjo-playing, et cetera.
The area I live has about 12 miles of elevated interstate over the top of Mobile Bay which I drove both ways daily at one time. Pretty much seen it all I think with newspapers draped over the steering wheel, people reading books, guys shaving with electric razor, women brushing their hair or putting on makeup with both hands, of course the complete lane change texting or dialing the phone.
In another location the worst was almost getting t-boned by a women running a red light while messing with her phone. I could see she wasn't going to stop and got on the brakes. She was oblivious to the whole situation and just continued on. It would be one thing if these people were only putting their self in danger however that's not the case most of the time.
As someone else has said you would think more people would be pulled over for these kind of things but I have not had anyone ever tell me they have. Maybe to embarrassed!
In reply to Jumper K. Balls:
You sir are my hero. And as us PNW'ers know, the idiots here love to read so much they disregard traffic to do so.
I don't know why ppl aren't using the god dang phone's features?!?!? I drive ALL DAY LONG for work, I also Text my wife ALL DAY LONG while driving. Some days my voice is hoarse from saying "hey Siri" so much. But ya know what? Never had a close call that way. The few times I have attempted it I have had a "near E36 M3" incident and vowed to never try that again.
JamesMcD wrote: I'm baffled as to why cops aren't going after these people. They could get un-marked cars, cruise down the interstate going ten-over, and pull over every fifth person. I really really really don't understand why that isn't happening. I am all for bringing some serious financial pain upon these inattentive morons.
In more civilized parts of the world they do it.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/9N1iw5Vdim8
It's still perfectly legal to use a mobile phone here as long as you're not in a school zone 
mndsm wrote: It took me a day and a half to realize the transit i rented from u haul had one. No one believed i could one time a full sized cargo van on mirrors.
I remember people at a previous job of mine being shocked that I could back the company van into a space dead center and 6" off the cement wall at the back of the space repeatably, let alone that I could do it without a camera (van didn't have one at first, then they added a totally useless aftermarket one that I just ignored).
Trackmouse wrote: In reply to Jumper K. Balls: You sir are my hero. And as us PNW'ers know, the idiots here love to read so much they disregard traffic to do so. I don't know why ppl aren't using the god dang phone's features?!?!? I drive ALL DAY LONG for work, I also Text my wife ALL DAY LONG while driving. Some days my voice is hoarse from saying "hey Siri" so much. But ya know what? Never had a close call that way. The few times I have attempted it I have had a "near E36 M3" incident and vowed to never try that again.
That texting is more distracting than you think, assuming you do an eyeball check of Siri's results when you ask her to do something. And if you're reading your wife's texts, that's a big problem.
Who wants a big fat read?
http://www.distraction.gov/downloads/pdfs/the-impact-of-hand-held-and-hands-free-cell-phone-use-on-driving-performance-and-safety-critical-event-risk.pdf
That looks really expensive, though it's probably a good thing that it wasn't one of the hybrids.
Wall-e wrote:bluej wrote: You weren't in DC this morning, where you? Passed this on my way in to work.That's pretty impressive. I can't for the life of me figure out how they did that but would absolutely love to hear their explanation.
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