| Author | Message | ||
     Firebolt32 |
The other day I received a phone call from a buddy of mine. He drives a recycle truck for a local garbage company. His two brothers drive, his old man is an Ops Supervisor as well as my dad. A 28 yr old guy was texting his wife on the way to work. There was a Residental truck picking up garbage down this street when this dip shit rear ended the truck while the slinger was dumping a can. 19 yr old kid was pinned between the hopper and the car. The poor kid was aware of everything that occured. The docters were unsuccessful in repairing his legs and he keeps slipping in and out of conscienceness. This kid had his entire life ahead of him and it is now ruined because of a dip shit texting his wife. Worse of all he was more concerned about the damage to his car and being late for work rather than the life he has possibly taken. With that said, please be conscience of your local garbage men, construction workers and other motorists. They have families too! | ||
| S1wmike |
I see people texting all the time while driving. Usually while I'm on one of my bikes. They are easy to spot cause they're weaving like a drunk and usually running 10mph under the speed limit in the hammer lane. I always want to blow my horn to wake them up but am too afraid of the consequences if the react improperly and cause an accident or death. I just get myself clear as quickly as possible and keep an eye on their progress. | ||
| Preybird1 |
been there done that i usually just rip by em and honk my loud a$$ air horn as i go by! It gets there attention and scares the hell out of them also. They finally made it illegal to text and drive here in Utah. my friend was driving and some young kit dropped his phone while texting and ran the light and t-boned my friend at 45 mph and it broke here hip. She had to sleep in a lazy boy chair for 6 weeks and could hardly walk for 2 months. I agree with you on we all have family's | ||
| Mikej |
These days it is texting while driving, or surfing the web if you have a web enabled device. Before texting it was talking on a cell phone. Before cell phone talking it was putting on makeup or eating a donut or changing a radio station/CD/8-track/cassete and before that it was talking to passengers or yelling at misbehaving kids in the car. It all boils down to being attentive while operating a vehicle, even a motorcycle (ever flip the petcock onto reserve while riding or hit a button on a GPS device?). Police officers have laptop computers setup and running and radios broadcasting on several frequencies, same with other occupations, and even they have to be attentive while driving. It isn't what the person was doing that caused the collision, it was their paying too much attention to something other than driving that led to the collision. Don't blame the device, the device wasn't driving. Sorry to hear about the sanitation worker. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
kinda makes that idea of using GPS to disable a phone when it moves faster than say 10mph. Of course it might make sense to allow the user to see incoming calls so they can pull over and also allow them to call 911 at speed. It would suck for passengers but might just be worth it. you know there was a time, not too long ago, when you had to stop and go into a home, building, or pay phone booth to use the phone. Imagine the horror! | ||
| Dragonslayer |
Is a text message worth it? www.break.com/index/dont-text-and-drive.html | ||
| Blasteey |
if you can pass it on jesse, be sure to let him know that he's being thought of and i wish they would outlaw the texting here especially. i'm guilty of talking on the phone occasionally but i don't even subscribe to the texting. don't care about it. if i want to type anything, i'll type it on a regular keyboard. | ||
| Spinzealot |
The car manufacturers can solve the problem. They can install a small wireless scrambler that renders any wireless device in-operable, such as a cell phone, while the engine is running. | ||
| Whatever |
This pisses me off on a regular basis. It isn't very difficult to be a good driver. Number one thing is DO NOT TAILGATE. Also, if you stop at the line in front of the light/ stop sign you don't generally hit pedestrians. I drove cab for four years without an accident, using a mobile data terminal and two way radio, plus dealing with passengers and additional paperwork. It is stressful at first but there is a way to do it and still be a safe driver. When you get tired watch out though... it is easy to get complacent. I lost a good friend to a delivery driver on a cell phone a few years back and that pissed me off too... he was a BIG man on a big Harley and had a very big heart. Made it through Vietnam just to be wiped out by an inattentive teenage girl. | ||
| Froggy |
The FCC has a problem with that. Also, there is no way to differentiate between a driver and a passenger using such device. Also, many car services like OnStar which are installed by the auto makers run on cell phone networks.
+1 to that, speaking from experience I have more distractions on my bike than the rest of Badweb combined. | ||
| Spinzealot |
Not sure why the FCC would have a problem with an issue that is clearly out of hand and that if it was left to an honor system, then god help us all! The FCC regulates and can assign specific frequencies for specific uses. I.E. - Cellular is assigned 850 - 1990MHz, Fire/Rescue in the 350MHz + range. In essence they can assign and lock down the specific frequency particular to Onstar. Great example is amateur or HAM radio. High frequency rigs can TX/RX on a very broad range of frequencies but the FCC will not allow those guys to talk on the cellular bands and because of it the radio manufacturers disable that band when the rig is built. I know it's truly the big brother approach but as I mentioned before the honor system is out the window when it comes to this. Sorry for the rant, just my 2 coppers. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I was talking to a LEO buddy of mine about this earlier today, actually. He cited a guy and had a court date just the other day. Smartguy leads off with "Your Honor, it's not illegal for me to talk on a cell phone", and proceeds to try and blather on about his obvious firm grasp of the law. The judge, shuffling the paperwork, tells the man "you're absolutely right, sir..it's NOT illegal for you to talk on your cell phone. However...I don't see a single thing about a cell phone here. All I see is negligent driving, failure to maintain a consistent speed, failure to maintain lane position, failure to maintain proper following distance...." I'd just like to see a fine that's exponentially larger than the cost of a bluetooth earpiece. Handsfree is one thing, personally I don't see that as any more distracting than talking to a passenger. But holding a phone to your head, or texting on it...that makes blind spots and totally distracts the driver from the task at hand - actually DRIVING. I like the idea of a jammer..but I don't see it happening because all the cell phone company lobbyists will cry FOUL and it'll never see the light of day. I thought about installing one on my bike, but realized that when I rolled into range of the offender, they'd be even MORE distracted by their phone cutting out. Christ. At this point, all I'd like to see in a car is a relay. Hook it to the wipers and the headlights. Wipers on, HEADLIGHTS ON. I've given up on the human race and our ability to take care of ourselves. Why should we put forth the effort? The legal system will make SOMEbody pay...because it can't be MY fault. My best wishes go out to the worker who was hit. I hope the •••••• who hit him loses his house, his car...and some court should slap a lifetime injunction on the guy preventing him from EVER owning or operating a wireless device again. Felons can't register guns...this was just as damaging. Keep the guy away, he obviously can't handle himself with the technology. | ||
| 86129squids |
Whenever I see someone talking on their cell phone, I cuss them. If I see someone texting- I'd just as soon run them off the road, take the phone and shove it up their ass, then twist off their head and shit down their neck. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I'm not sure how accurate this map is, but it might give a general idea of state laws. I know Missouri just started the novice driver limitation. Drivers under 21 are not allowed to use a phone while driving.  | ||
| Jpl9sx |
A man was killed on the back of a trash truck in my neck of woods less than a month ago. Same M.O. rear ended by a car. Never heard a reason. I drive all over Florida on business and you can spot the distracted drivers. Most of the time going way too slow and drifting or weaving out of their lanes. Other times barrelling down the road interspersed with sudden stops. Saw a funny one in Miami with a motorcycle cop dialing a number on his cell on a five lane highway. He swerved and barely missed the car in front of him then swerved the other way to miss the median divider . Very good rider but unnecessary drama. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
In the last year or so three(local) young teens were killed in auto accidents....2 found with unfinished text on their phones and one talking to a friend......probably in a pointless conversation. How would you like to be the other party of those conversation? Just tonight, a young woman was smiling and jabbering away on her cell,following traffic on a left turn light. You know how the last car in the turn is against a red light...........she was behind him and I fully doubt that she even knew the cross traffic light was WAY green............perfect for a T-bone if approaching traffic had a green with a clear lane........BAM! Back in the early days,my scanner could pick up cell phone conversations. Just sickening to listen to the way people talk.........arguing and swearing and the like. It's very rare for me to drive and talk on a cell phone........less than once every couple of months. Short and sweet,maybe a couple of minutes.........in that time,I have lost all sense of what traffic I met........reaction time to a head on or deer would be a hit instead of a close call............ | ||
| Firebolt32 |
I'd just like to see a fine that's exponentially larger than the cost of a bluetooth earpiece. You can get a decent one off Ebay for under $5. I'm guilty of talking on the phone while driving but I rarely comprehend the conversation because I'm focused on driving. Blasteey...I can and will... | ||
| Torquemonster |
See alot of that here on the Az freeways which doesnt make sense because flow of traffic alone is nutz. I make sure I have a good distance from them in the next lane- make the thumb-pinkey phone with my clutch hand against my helmet- Then I give em the bird. Ignorant gesture, but it makes me feel better as I pull away. | ||
| Firebolt32 |
I was just at ASU for two weeks. How the hell do you deal with that heat in riding gear Torque? | ||
| Ceejay |
got rearended on my bike by a lady doing about 40 in a car as I was stopped waiting to make a left. pretty sure she was texting or talking on the phone as she said she didn't even see me. legislation won't change a thing at least for a couple of years, until the next big/cool thing comes along. People bitch and moan about guns, but most gun owners/operators are cognizant of what they are doing when using them. I can't say the same about cars which as I see it is a bigger more dangerous weapon. Hell I can't even get people to slow down going through my neighborhood-and they live there and have kids of thier own! | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
This morning I was making a left hander on a 4 lane divided highway. I'm in the narrow median and as a van passes by, I'm making my turn, just then I see an assbag pull out from the stop sign and trys to make a left hand turn himself....but of course he can't because I'm there on a big black motorcycle....which he didn't see because he was looking at his cell phone in his right hand. I'm not understanding why cell use and driving are still allowed. State DMV's should make all kids ride a motorcycle for a week to get them educated on what we see. There is nothing scarier than a vehicle swerving into our lane and pulling out or rolling through stops. Banning cell use while driving may be an enforcement nightmare, but by banning it, it would tell people that they're breaking the law, which will curb some use. By not banning it, its like saying everything is fine. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Worse of all he was more concerned about the damage to his car and being late for work rather than the life he has possibly taken. if this is handled correctly, he shouldn't have to worry about his car or being late for work because in prison, you can't have a car and the prison guards will make sure your not late for any work activities they have planned for you! just my thoughts! | ||
| Alchemy |
/Rant on If capitalism worked a little better, companies would set a policy that company cell phones, laptops and BB must be kept in the trunk while in a moving vehicle. It is the moral thing to do. The evidence of the danger to the public is compelling at this point. They could show some leadership. Companies will wait until legislation and legal threat push them to do it. Shame on them. The true moral slugs are the cell phone companies themselves. They use the public airways and have had the technology to tell if a caller is moving and could simply drop the call. They can even tell what road you are on. If you want to make a call just pull over. I do it all the time. It is not rocket science. How much blood do they have on their profits. It is disgusting. The states are moving with legislation but the corporate world is looking the other way it seems to me. /Rant off | ||
| Fast1075 |
The map in an earlier post suggests there are no phone ban laws in Florida...strictly speaking on a state level...no....but there are laws about driving distracted...covers a whole range of things...so if you drive like a squirrel in Florida...that SUV with the dark tinted windows may just show you some lights and invite you to donate to the trooper's christmas fund  | ||
| Just_ziptab |
My good friend Greg.........never has....and never will...have a cell phone. Travels all over and gets along fine.I will never understand why we need to be "so connected" anymore. Are we that insecure? Are pointless conversations THAT important? Dust to dust,at the end of the day,did it really matter? Course,I'm socially independent.It's peaceful and I like it like that.......  | ||
| Vampress |
some court should slap a lifetime injunction on the guy preventing him from EVER owning or operating a wireless device again. Or maybe prevent him from driving would be the better option. He can use a cell phone...obviously he just can't drive a car responsibly. | ||
| Elf |
http://www.blacknailbrigade.org Some are trying to increase awareness of the problem. | ||
| 86129squids |
The piece I wrote for the August issue of Handlebars magazine is about a best friend of mine who got run over by a 17yo distracted driver. She said she had been fiddling with her radio, but no one's sure if she wasn't texting or fiddling with her frickin phone. Obviously I've got strong opinions- no, strong convictions- about cell use while driving. | ||
| Fast1075 |
I practice Safe Cell...pull over, park, talk...how much easier can that be??? | ||
| Torquemonster |
I was just at ASU for two weeks. How the hell do you deal with that heat in riding gear Torque? Honestly, sometimes I ditch the jacket, but never the helmet or gloves. Got my eye on a mesh jacket @ the stealership, though. Then Ill have no excuse. |
