Everyone is texting whilst driving!
Discussion
I'm a keen cyclist and cycle 3-5 times a week for reasonable distances. When I'm riding along cycle lanes and there's a queue of traffic, I see nearly all of the drivers distracted - and it's mostly because they are either talking on their phones or, worse, looking down at their laps and texting on their phones.
A week ago a young woman in BMW 1-Series was so engrossed in her texting that she wasn't aware that she was slowly moving into the cycle lane and pinning me against the kerb, I stayed back and went around to the driver's side and told her to get off her phone. She told me to F-off and then proceeded to rev her engine as I cycled in front of her, trying to intimidate me. I didn't engage with her any further as I didn't want the situation to escalate. You never know how psycho someone in a car can be these days.
Just a few days ago, a van driver was blatantly using his phone with a police car in front of him for ages. He had actually let the police car out of T-junction onto the main road while he was talking on the phone. The police took no action against him, despite seeing him on his phone.
Anyway, back to my point. Why are so many drivers fixated with using their phones whilst driving? They must know that they can knock someone over quite easily and it will cause them a load of problems.
I use cycle lanes whenever I can but I do worry about the driver's behind me when I'm on the roads.
A week ago a young woman in BMW 1-Series was so engrossed in her texting that she wasn't aware that she was slowly moving into the cycle lane and pinning me against the kerb, I stayed back and went around to the driver's side and told her to get off her phone. She told me to F-off and then proceeded to rev her engine as I cycled in front of her, trying to intimidate me. I didn't engage with her any further as I didn't want the situation to escalate. You never know how psycho someone in a car can be these days.
Just a few days ago, a van driver was blatantly using his phone with a police car in front of him for ages. He had actually let the police car out of T-junction onto the main road while he was talking on the phone. The police took no action against him, despite seeing him on his phone.
Anyway, back to my point. Why are so many drivers fixated with using their phones whilst driving? They must know that they can knock someone over quite easily and it will cause them a load of problems.
I use cycle lanes whenever I can but I do worry about the driver's behind me when I'm on the roads.
This is the one thing that really boils my piss, people are oblivious to the dangers of it all as well. I nearly had a White TT go into the back of me on the M42 while some mid 20's girl was texting away while sat on 80+ and competitive unaware of traffic slowing rapidly due to an accident ahead
I often beep when alongside and knowing they've been called out on the phone use really enrages people, shockingly so!
I often beep when alongside and knowing they've been called out on the phone use really enrages people, shockingly so!
Had some dozy bint in in a silver astra front of me at some lights in highgate too busy ibooking her facephone she completely missed a green, someone behind me beeped as they were changing and she looked up and thrashed it through on red. Would've beeped her myself but felt it might be pushing luck given the blue metropoitian police livery stickers all over it.
Why do a reasonable number of cyclists turn into the road police?
It's not your job to tell her to get off her phone, it's not right and I wouldn't do it, but I'd of told you to F-off too.
It's normally them same type of cyclist who go round looking for confrontation and then when they get a bit back they're like "it's all on camera, you're going on YouTube" etc etc. t
ts
It's not your job to tell her to get off her phone, it's not right and I wouldn't do it, but I'd of told you to F-off too.
It's normally them same type of cyclist who go round looking for confrontation and then when they get a bit back they're like "it's all on camera, you're going on YouTube" etc etc. t
tsIt seems to becoming increasingly common, much like driving through red lights. It's also "justified" because hey, nobody was killed were they? 
I notoiced an Audi A6 in the next lane being slow in pulling away every time the car in front moved off. This was to the extent that cars in my lane were moving across in front of him, resulting in my lane moving significantly faster. When my car was level with his I looked across and, yep, texting on his mobile....
No doubt he was blissfully unaware of how irritated everybody behind him was getting.
I notoiced an Audi A6 in the next lane being slow in pulling away every time the car in front moved off. This was to the extent that cars in my lane were moving across in front of him, resulting in my lane moving significantly faster. When my car was level with his I looked across and, yep, texting on his mobile....
No doubt he was blissfully unaware of how irritated everybody behind him was getting.
philmots said:
It's not your job to tell her to get off her phone, it's not right and I wouldn't do it, but I'd of told you to F-off too.
So just because they haven't killed anyone yet we should let them keep on trying? And since traffic police have been replaced be scameras, because we know that only speed kills, who's job is it to police the non speed related situations now? You t
t.philmots said:
Why do a reasonable number of cyclists turn into the road police?
It's not your job to tell her to get off her phone, it's not right and I wouldn't do it, but I'd of told you to F-off too.
It's normally them same type of cyclist who go round looking for confrontation and then when they get a bit back they're like "it's all on camera, you're going on YouTube" etc etc. tts
Lets see:It's not your job to tell her to get off her phone, it's not right and I wouldn't do it, but I'd of told you to F-off too.
It's normally them same type of cyclist who go round looking for confrontation and then when they get a bit back they're like "it's all on camera, you're going on YouTube" etc etc. t
ts"Oh dear I seem to have scratched your bumper slightly and made you spill your latte."
or
"Oh dear I seem to have run over your head and killed you."
Artey said:
So just because they haven't killed anyone yet we should let them keep on trying? And since traffic police have been replaced be scameras, because we know that only speed kills, who's job is it to police the non speed related situations now?
You tt.
I'd have told him to get lost too tbh. Too many people who think they're opinion matters but have absolutely no authority whatsoever. You t
t.You have to look at the BIG picture too. OK, so a lady in her car is probably unlikely to react. However, pick the wrong person, having a bad day, and you'll end up in a whole heap of predicament that you just don't need - whether you're right or wrong, trying to do good or not.
The OP is right though. Loads of people still txt while driving. Potentially a hazard to everyone. Not just cyclists.
Artey said:
philmots said:
It's not your job to tell her to get off her phone, it's not right and I wouldn't do it, but I'd of told you to F-off too.
So just because they haven't killed anyone yet we should let them keep on trying? And since traffic police have been replaced be scameras, because we know that only speed kills, who's job is it to police the non speed related situations now? You t
t.It's not even in slow moving traffic, one morning this week on a rural DC, traffic up ahead slowing for whatever cause, Dopey bint behind too busy arsebooking or twittering to notice everybody knocking 30 plus mph off. Even when she's noticed, eventually, and right up the arse of the vehicle in front, she is still looking at the phone.
What's quite amusing is how many people think texting is all that people do on their smartphones.
They're far more likely on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Waze, Daily Mail app etc. Things have moved on.
Anyway, from the bus I reckon about every tenth driver has their phone in their lap and every time the traffic stops, they're on it. It doesn't seem to be more girls than boys, nor is it necessarily younger drivers which is surprising. This is in crawling commuting traffic so is arguably not that dangerous but it's the end of a dual carriageway so presumably their phones have been there before they slowed down.
Just yesterday I saw a woman in her 50s holding her phone up right up in the air while sat next to me at a red light, which changed to green while she pawed away completely unaware.
It is a psychological problem, people are addicted to the little buzz you get from notifications and it becomes automatic to check whenever life has a pause. It's a very similar condition to smoking I think.
They're far more likely on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Waze, Daily Mail app etc. Things have moved on.
Anyway, from the bus I reckon about every tenth driver has their phone in their lap and every time the traffic stops, they're on it. It doesn't seem to be more girls than boys, nor is it necessarily younger drivers which is surprising. This is in crawling commuting traffic so is arguably not that dangerous but it's the end of a dual carriageway so presumably their phones have been there before they slowed down.
Just yesterday I saw a woman in her 50s holding her phone up right up in the air while sat next to me at a red light, which changed to green while she pawed away completely unaware.
It is a psychological problem, people are addicted to the little buzz you get from notifications and it becomes automatic to check whenever life has a pause. It's a very similar condition to smoking I think.
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