Annoying Texting while stopped at traffic lights

[Polome]

When I stop at red lights or in the queue leading up to lights and check the rear view mirror a high percentage of drivers ( mostly women I may add ) drop eyes and check or send text. I assume this is illegal but it's very prevalent where I live ( Edinburgh city). When the lights go green I try to drive away quietly so the texting tt gets left behind engrossed in their actions ...hopefully to be given a long horn blast by the car(s) trapped behind waiting to go. I'm sure others see this regularly...what do you do? ....

[HonestIago]

See this plenty in Aberdeen too and it's nearly always women.

[danllama]

I am fairly sure this is a nationwide problem.

[SEE YA]

People just do not care until it affects them.

[sealtt]

I did this once stopped at some traffic lights in London (when I used to live there, long lights). I had the window down and the police in the car next to me gave me the fright of my life when he screamed over at me to put my phone away or else he'd book me.

Put that one down as a lucky escape and just leave my phone in the arm rest these days.

[HTP99]

The wife texts when at the lights, I've told her not to but she doesn't listen; what could lossibly be so important that you have to text at the lights.

A couple of years ago I picked up my daughter from a concert, the traffic was horrendous so when not moving I whipped out my phone to kill a bit of time surfing the net, I sensed someone was watching me so looked up and was met with the face of a laughing policeman sat in his transit whilst looking down at me, my face must have been a picture as he was pissing himself laughing; I put my phone away and he said said nothing.

[Polome]

Polome said:

When I stop at red lights or in the queue leading up to lights and check the rear view mirror a high percentage of drivers ( mostly women I may add ) drop eyes and check or send text. I assume this is illegal but it's very prevalent where I live ( Edinburgh city). When the lights go green I try to drive away quietly so the texting tt gets left behind engrossed in their actions ...hopefully to be given a long horn blast by the car(s) trapped behind waiting to go. I'm sure others see this regularly...what do you do? ....

Meant to add if I'm behind the texter....(and it's so easy to see with the obvious tip froward of the head ) soon as the lights turn green I give a long blast on the horn , to see them jump with the surprise realisation of being "caught" is good . Horn honking then can't be construed as aggressive as I'm "only " warning the offender that lights have changed . Will it stop them next time? Who knows...

[Issi]

I beeped at some lady alongside me recently who was doing this.

She gestured at the red light as if to say 'It's red so I'm not going anywhere' and then just carried on updating facebook
'Just sitting at a red light LOL'

[ging84]

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

[f1nn]

ging84 said:

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

Exactly.

[bobtail4x4]

I spend what seems like hours a week at level crossings, with the engine off, use the time for emails.

cant see a problem.

[Countdown]

ging84 said:

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

It's the people who are "paying attention" that notice the nobhead mobile phone users and texters. I was wondering why the lady in front of me was doing 20mph on the motorway yesterday. As I was overtaking her I glanced across and realised she was texting. Fair play to her, she'd left a 500 yard gap to the car in front. Safety matters.

[Polome]

f1nn said:

ging84 said:

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

Exactly.

Considering over 50% of urban vehicle accidents are "tail enders" ie being rammed from behind, monitoring following/surrounding traffic can be benificial to your personal safety . Everybody entitled to their own opinion though.

[Spitfire2]

ging84 said:

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

Your own driving should involve checking your mirrors frequently - especially when stationary at lights when danger most commonly comes from behind. No point checking your mirrors if you're not going to pay attention to what's going on behind you.

[mp3manager]

ging84 said:

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

This post just proves that there are people out there, who drive around oblivious to what's going on around them and look no further than the invisible bubble that extends 3 feet past their vehicle.

Edited by mp3manager on Saturday 5th September 20:06

[f1nn]

Spitfire2 said:

ging84 said:

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

Your own driving should involve checking your mirrors frequently - especially when stationary at lights when danger most commonly comes from behind. No point checking your mirrors if you're not going to pay attention to what's going on behind you.

There's a difference between checking your mirrors, and getting annoyed enough to monitor what the person may or may not be doing in the car that has stopped behind/next to you, let alone being bothered enough to start a thread about it.

[f1nn]

Polome said:

f1nn said:

ging84 said:

I mind my own fking business and pay attention to my own driving, rather than studying what other people may or may not be doing behind me based on the tiny amount i can see of thier face in a small mirror.

Exactly.

Considering over 50% of urban vehicle accidents are "tail enders" ie being rammed from behind, monitoring following/surrounding traffic can be benificial to your personal safety . Everybody entitled to their own opinion though.

Okay, but assuming that you've established that the car behind you has not ploughed into the back of you, and poses no threat to your safety, why get upset about it?

[JordanTurbo]

Issi said:

I beeped at some lady alongside me recently who was doing this.

She gestured at the red light as if to say 'It's red so I'm not going anywhere' and then just carried on updating facebook
'Just sitting at a red light LOL'

Slightly off topic, but.....

The word "just" is starting to annoy me lately, along with the word "only". It seems every time someone is caught doing something wrong, the excuse almost always contains those words.

"I can use my phone as I'm just checking a text" or "it's ok to park on these double yellows, I'm only popping into the shops"

Like it reduces the fkwittery to an acceptable level.

[Keep it stiff]

It is not just traffic lights, I often see it in my mirror when I end up in motorway in stop/start/crawl mode. Nine times out of ten it is a women, my conclusion is that they can't leave Facebks alone.

[Spitfire2]

f1nn said:

There's a difference between checking your mirrors, and getting annoyed enough to monitor what the person may or may not be doing in the car that has stopped behind/next to you, let alone being bothered enough to start a thread about it.

Classic case of using your imagination to make up st I didn't say.

Being aware of what the person in the car behind you is doing isn't important then - what if they are slowly rolling towards you whilst looking at their phone?