I'll put my hand up and admit people using their phones while driving does get my back up. Coming back from my ride yesterday I came across such a cretaure, (female of the species) ;D, well we blokes wouldn't do it would we? ::) Anyway she's hogging the outside lane of a two lane carriageway, speed limit only 40 so I thought, no big deal I'll sit tight and she might turn off at the next roundabout. She didnt! >:( So I felt it was my duty, rightly or wrongly to inform her of the errors of her ways. Bearing in mind I'd been following her now for about two miles whilst all the time she's chatting on the phone, probably making an appointment to have her hair done or something. A short, sharp hoot on my horn, not in an aggressive manner, just a sort of an attention grabber type of blast. Well no reaction whatsoever, so at the next lights I came up on her off side, she already had her drivers window down so it was just a polite, "I say excuse me Miss would you mind terribly awfully just asking the person on the other end to wait a moment while I ask you why you are on the phone"?
I must admit I felt like I was intruding as it must have been a very important call judging by the daggers she gave me, but she still clung to her phone like her life depended on it. Consequently we then both turned left at the next set of lights and she then got out of her car and gave me a bollocking for bollocking her! It was quite surreal. Anyway when she felt she had adequately chastised me she walked back to her car, turning once to give me the final daggers and then got back in and drove off.
I feel so vulnerable now, I might have to go and have a lay down. ;D ;D Funny thing is the whole incident was caught on my HD GoPro camera, I'm thinking You Tube or local paper to demonstrate once again peoples blase attidude towards mobiles and driving, decisions, decisions. ;D
I wouldn't mind seeing that footage... best thing to do, make a copy and let the local plod have it!....... some people only learn once they have been penalised for something they have
I get really wound up by people like that.....its against the law...plain and simple, maybe 6 points & £500 would be a better deterrent
As an aside, i have the bluetooth in my helmet connected to my phone, but only cause my phone plays music (i wont use the phone to make calls)...however in 2 occasions in france i was singing along to Iron Maiden (running free) in my helmet, and the sequence of words activated the voice recognition...and the phone, phoned the missus......once at seriously illegal speed limits!!...she asked what i was doing...i replied 1** mph and asked her to hang up!! as i was hanging onto the bars ::) for dear life
+1 Put the footage on U Tube and perhaps talk to the Police to see whether they are likely to do anything
Steven
Was she hot? Did you get her number? ;D
In all seriousness though couldn't you have flashed your badge at her and then taken delight in doing her for driving whilst on a mobile?
I agree, get the footage on YouTube.
Quote from: Norman Bates on June 02, 2011, 12:41:59 PM
Was she hot? Did you get her number? ;D
In all seriousness though couldn't you have flashed your badge at her and then taken delight in doing her for driving whilst on a mobile?
I agree, get the footage on YouTube.
No she was not hot & yes I did get her number, (her vehicle registration number ;D), its all on the footage & you can see as clear as day she's on her phone. I was quite suprised that it picked that up but then it is a very wide angled lens. As daft as it sounds we are discouraged for dealing with matters when not actually on duty. Politics!!
If I stick it on You Tube, will I be breaching her Human Rights, probably knowing my luck and then she'll have me in court!
Flashing badge and talking to her in a real patronizing manner after your bollocking would have been a good move and maybe taken the wind out of her sails a bit, and then just watch her drive off with who knows what going through her mind
Quote from: Lonewolf on June 02, 2011, 01:32:11 PM
No she was not hot & yes I did get her number, (her vehicle registration number ;D), its all on the footage & you can see as clear as day she's on her phone. I was quite suprised that it picked that up but then it is a very wide angled lens. As daft as it sounds we are discouraged for dealing with matters when not actually on duty. Politics!!
If I stick it on You Tube, will I be breaching her Human Rights, probably knowing my luck and then she'll have me in court!
Give me the video. I'll gladly host it on YouTube
I thought there was some rule about you had to get te persons consent if you were going to show them.
Quote from: Lonewolf on June 02, 2011, 04:23:47 PM
I thought there was some rule about you had to get te persons consent if you were going to show them.
Is there? Not that I'm aware
I see a dozen people a day using a mobile while driving during my 30mile each way commute and I don't see it ever changing until there are black boxes at the side of the road that can detect it - but do we really want even more surveillance of our motoring habits than we have now
had that a couple of yeras ago ,but without the mobile a female refusing to pull back into slow lane on dual carriageway ,i flashed once and got a royal wave out the window ,undertook her and on my merry way as i got closer to end of dual carriage way police speed check i stopped told the gaurd [police] what had happened was told my word against hers but was asked to point out car when it was on the way which i did,talk about a know it all she promptly told the gardai that if she was been stopped for driving in the fast lane of a dual carriageway she pays her road tax and it entitled to drive in the fast/passing lane of the dualcarriageway and that i bikler should f*** off ,poetic justice she was given a 60 euro fine and 2 penalty points and was told if she didnt know the rules of the road then it would be doubled,if she had said nothing the gardai couldnt do a thing.
When I'm filtering I've seen all sorts: phone, makeup, reading book, laptop etc
Maybe phones need to have speed sensors activated by GPS. Over 5mph and the phone is deactivated. Doesn't help if you're a passenger though ;D
Quote from: Lonewolf on June 02, 2011, 04:23:47 PM
I thought there was some rule about you had to get te persons consent if you were going to show them.
In general terms if the images are taken in or from a public area then you don't need the individuals permission to publish them. The rules about posting videos on U Tube might be different.
Steve
Just do it !
Quote from: Lord Rusty on June 02, 2011, 08:48:24 PM
Just do it !
Should I You Tube it or NIP it? I cant really do both :-\
What do you want to achieve??
If you You Tube it then others will see it and perhaps cringe and say how terrible but they person concerned probably wouldn't see it or change her behaviour.
If you NIP it then it just might change their behaviour - even if the case doesn't go to court or is not successful
Steve
On that note of mobile phones, here are a few photo's that were sent to me taken, I believe, either in France or Switzerland ... they are NOT for those of you who are a bit screamish, don't like blood and guts or just dont like the nasty things in life ............... Here we can see the AI ( Accident Investigater ) has taken the classic " set the scene " picture ...a view of what the entire road scene looked like ... note it's hot and sunny with dry roads and excellent visibility..... see how far he has drifted, without realising, across the road .....
(http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/NigelCooper/photo-10.jpg)
Now we have the impact point, close up showing inter compartmental damage and intrusion ...(http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/NigelCooper/photo-11.jpg)
Note that there is fire damage clearly visible that would have engulfed the small car but would hardly have been felt by the surviving driver, although he would be aware of the smoke etc ....
Ok ... taken from the rear nearside we can see that the force of impact would have been fatal in itself without the fire and heat .... Goes to show that small light cars ( and I have one too ) are no match for anything decent if you are involved in an RTA with something BIG (http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/NigelCooper/photo-9.jpg)
The messy bit .... I think the Coroner would be able to put the cause of death down to " Multiple Injuries consistent with an RTA " ... only the late driver could tell us if he saw it coming at the last moment or if gracefully he was unaware of what was happening ...(http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/NigelCooper/photo-12.jpg)
And the final picture .... you can see why those of us or anyone connected with the scene/hospital/mortuary/family liason/etc get so pissed off with drivers who just think it will never happen to them. Life is not a rehearsal ..... so leave your mobile in the boot ....
(http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/NigelCooper/photo-8.jpg)
Mr Wolf ..... It's fraught with danger ! If you/we were in any other job I would have no problems posting it ... as we know there must be zillions of videos out there with people who are looking stupid but in this case we are in the real world of 2011 and you are asking for trouble if you stick that on You Tube ! E mail me if you wish but you know I'm right !!!
Been to too many of those Rusty.
If only people could know the results.
It's the old bad learning issue - get away with it so many times - never learn from mistake so accept it as the norm, until..............
Jeez. I'm speechless. Brings it home how vulnerable we really are
Rusty, You've shown me those pics before. Very impactive.
I understand what you are saying about the You Tube posting, PSD and all that business. ;D
Perhaps keep it professional and just NIP her. Even if it goes nowhere it might, just maybe, cause something to sink in. We can all live in hope. ::)
Yeah, NIP her. That'll give her a shock for a start.
And then pass me the video. I'll broadcast it around the internet!
I see several such each and every day.
Phone/coffee/makeup/report/book/newspaper/blowjob.
I've seen all of these and any of them is going to distract you from driving.
Personally I smoke whilst driving but this involves my left hand only and I am very careful to make sure that it does NOT affect my driving, even on those occasions when I have dropped the bloody thing.
Some of the worst are those people who seem to feel that they have to look at the passenger whilst talking to them.
WATCH THE BLOODY ROAD YOU STUPID ^&%***^**!
Personally I would raise the minimum penalty for driving whilst on the phone to Careless Driving and start prosecuting people.
Hi
It is all well and good wanting to increase the penalty for such things but it doesn't really act as deterrent or change people's behaviour because the chances of being caught aren't that great >:( unless they are involved in an accident which by then is too late
Steve
NIP'd her. ;D
I was crossing a side road in Tiverton (Devon) couple years ago..I was going about my work at the time inspecting Electricity lines & poles at side of road. A car turned in & cut the corner. He was coming straight at me while on his mobile. He hit brakes , but if I had not got out way he would have mown me down alright. I stepped back out in-front of him , he had the window down , I grabbed the phone threw it down on road & jumped on it. It smashed to pieces. He told me he was going to phone the police...ha ha...what with..I said he could use my phone, but what was he going to tell them then I asked...he drove off ...never heard no more....
Quote from: Lonewolf on June 03, 2011, 10:06:14 PM
NIP'd her. ;D
Excellent! Do you find out what happens next?
Yes, it will stay with me now until I submit the file.
Did you get my PM?
sorry guys what does NIP mean?
Notice of intended prosecution. It's the lovely little bit of paper you get when you get caught being too heavy handed with the throttle
You can pick up a bluetooth headset cheap these days so if you must use your phone use a headset.
I heard a story .... and please remember this is The Met so anything could be true ;D ...... of a Traffic Officer who would be at a point or place and stop people for the said offence, write them a ticket ..£60 and 3 points ... parting with the words " I shall be here for 1 hour ,if you come back with a headset in that time I'll tear the ticket up " .... apparently he had a good take up !
I like the concept, I also see an opportunity for that Officer to make a few extra quid. If he bought some headsets in bulk he could potentially be in an ideal position to make a sales pitch and rake in a mint....and possibly even retire early!
Cushtie as they say in The Met ::)
;D
QuoteYou can pick up a bluetooth headset cheap these days so if you must use your phone use a headset.
No amount of options...but loads still do it. No one to enforce it...so what's fekin point. More using mobiles while driving now than ever.
At least post it on here ;)
Quote from: Nygie on June 08, 2011, 07:23:35 AM
At least post it on here ;)
Maybe one day, I'll where this matter goes first. She'll have received it by now, I'm back at work this afty, see if she's been in touch.
LW, what happened?
Was in the third lane today and noticed a car in the middle lane weaving. Stupid woman was on the phone. Must have thought I was a copper cause as I pulled next to her she just let the phone fall from her hand.
I have to admit that I am very disappointed and embarrassed at the way we view people using mobile phones. Its like it doesn't matter. I see so many people using their phones while they are driving its quite alarming.
Late last year in sub zero temperatures while working I narrowly avoided getting knocked down by a driver who was taking photographs of a badly damaged car at an accident scene I was at. The driver before I managed to get his attention then sweved onto the opposite side of the road and nearly hit my colleauge and two men from a breakdown recovery company who were with their vehicles. He was suffering from target fixation as he was attempting to photograph the damaged car while he was driving forward, consequently that is where he steered, straight towards what he was photographing.
We can all make a difference.
When someone calls you and you think they are driving, ask them and if so, ask them to call you back when they are parked, then hang up.
Legislation/enforcement doesn't work, but social pressure does.
It worked for drink drivers and DWP (Driving Whilst Phoning) is just as bad in terms of accident stats.
I recently took a phone out of a friends hand when he answered it whilst driving (I was a rear seat passenger).
He freaked out and stopped the car.
I got out of the car and walked away.
He got out, we discussed it semi-sensibly and we agreed that I would report him to the cops if he ever did it again.
He acted like I'd just cut his d**k off. Jeez people, it's just a bloody phone.
Your life won't end because you missed a call.
It might end because you answered that call!
Sorry, but I really don't get what the fuzz is all about.
I think talking to passengers in the car is at least as dangerous. Especially those drivers who can't talk without having to look at the person they're talking to. It really scares the sh..t out of me when somebody does that.
What about smoking, drinking, eating, applying make-up, changing DVDs or radio stations, programming the sat-nav?
All things people driving around in cages do all the time.
I reckon they should ban cars altogether since they are far to dangerous for us bikers. ;D
I smoke whilst driving but I do so in a way that minimises the time that my eyes are off the road.
It's all about priorities.
For me driving is #1 priority and everything else ranks a lot lower.
For many people driving is 4th or 5th on their list,... and it shows.
I have sat behind a motorcyclist on an organised rideout who I thought was having an epileptic fit!
When we next stopped I asked him what he had been doing and it turns out he was having an argument with his pillion over the intercom.
I can spot someone on a mobile at a 1000 yds, usually by their driving and I often get ribbed about it at work. People say, How the bloody hell did you know they were on their phone? And I've heard every excuse under the Sun ::)
There are a lot off things people do in cars that are distracting but the problem with mobiles is that the distraction lasts a lot longer and is more severe.
You can always spot someone on the phone because they are the ones drifting towards the kerb or white line or nearly sideswipe you as they join the motorway or start to slow down for no reason or are late reacting to slowing traffic etc as they are paying more attention to the phone conversation than the driving.
Seems nowadays that everytime I see someone doing something stupid on the road they have a phone in their hand or are "talking to themselves"
I always turn my mobile off when driving to avoid any distractions
In my opinion mobile phones should be automatically deactivated when a vehicle starts to move, as should make up mirrors, shavers, laptops and in ear headphones, on my daily 40 mile commute I see things that just shouldn't happen whilst driving. Rant over!