Good rant for the day....

[Guest]

I just saw the dumbest thing I've seen in quite a while. I'm standing on the back porch having a smoke and enjoying the sunshine when this teenage boy on a bicycle rides by. He's riding right up the middle of the street, dialling his cell phone! Now there's a car coming the other way and they see him, as they get closer the car stops to avoid hitting this kid who is OBLIVIOUS to the situation. The kid is 15 feet from the car when the driver honks the horn. The kid is STILL unaware of the impending crash. At 5 feet the driver honks again, but too late. BANG!!! kid is sprawled on the hood of the car, wondering what the hell just happened.

What happened is something I see every day out on the streets and highways. Someone so wrapped up in the importance of his phone call that they aren't paying attention to what is going on around them. I hear people tell me that talking on the phone does not distract them. I see those same people weave from one side of the road to the other while trying to dial their phone.

Around 15 yrs ago I was hit on the interstate by an idiot who was too busy writing down directions as he talked on the carphone that he didn't realize he was swerving from the on ramp, across three lanes and headed right for me. The impact spun me through the median and into a bridge abuttment, my car impacted it sideways, hitting just behind the drivers door at 60MPH. It ripped my Thunderbird in half. I was lucky, aside from a few scrathes and bruises, I was unharmed.

Just over 13 years ago my fiance' was run down in a crosswalk on her way to have lunch with me. The driver never saw the red light or Susan in the crosswalk. She was too busy arguing with her secretary in the carphone.

YOU CAN NOT EFFECTIVELY CONTROL YOUR VEHICLE WHEN YOU HAVE A PHONE STUCK IN YOUR EAR!

When you start your car, turn the fuckin' phone OFF. Otherwise someday you will be responsible for someone dying.

 

[mlady_france]

We keep trying to tell my aunt this same thing. She's even worse though. She has one of those phones with the keyboard on it. So she drives down the highway sending emails back and forth. I won't ride in a car if she's driving anymore.

 

[dreampilot79]

It isn't only phones!!!!!

I remember having lunch every day in Orlando when I lived there... sitting on International drive... and WATCHING...

there was never a day when we failed to see a tourist driving with a map covering the FRONT windshield.... damn!!!!

 

[Samandiriel]

I thought there were laws against phones in cars?

and that kid needed to be hit, hope he learned something

 

[Guest]

It isn't only phones!!!!!

I remember having lunch every day in Orlando when I lived there... sitting on International drive... and WATCHING...

there was never a day when we failed to see a tourist driving with a map covering the FRONT windshield.... damn!!!!

Every day I see people reading maps, reading books, eating breakfast (seen a guy eating a bowl of cereal once ), shaving, putting on make-up in the rearview mirror....

Look, people you are in a two ton chunk of steel, traveling at at even 25MPH, it is deadly! Put your make up on at home, eat at home. If it is a life or death phone call you absolutely, positively HAVE to make, pull over and stop.

I don't want to be the next cell phone statistic.

 

[R. Richard]

I thought there were laws against phones in cars?

and that kid needed to be hit, hope he learned something

There are a lot of places with laws against using a cell phone while driving. Unfortunately, the police do not enforce the laws. In most places the only reason you will get a ticket for using your cell phone while driving is if the officer sees you using your cellphone just as you get into an accident.

 

[ElizabethWest]

There are a lot of places with laws against using a cell phone while driving. Unfortunately, the police do not enforce the laws. In most places the only reason you will get a ticket for using your cell phone while driving is if the officer sees you using your cellphone just as you get into an accident.

I pulled over on a parkway to take a call from a client a couple of months ago and a State Trooper pulled in behind me to make sure I was okay and didn't need assistance. Thought that was nice of him. Don't think we have any laws banning cell phone use while driving, but I try to be conscientious and safe. I take a lot of calls because of the nature of my job.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

There was a great series of TV ads by an auto insureance outfit. It showed some of the things y'all have mentioned plus: a little old lady laughing while having her faced licked by her dog, and my favorite, no one appeared to be behind the wheel for what seemed like ages until the driver, who'd been hunting for something on the floor, finally rose up.

The tag line was, because they're out their, were here.

Rumple Forskin

 

[lil_elvis]

My brother likes to add a little extra challenge - smoke a ciggy, drink coffee, AND yak on the cell while driving...

"Umm, no thanks, I'll take my car."

 

[TheEarl]

It's a new law in England and the Government are making very big noise about enforcing it. Don't know how many people have actually been fined for using a mobile whilst driving though.

The Earl

 

[DrFreud]

I thought there were laws against phones in cars?

and that kid needed to be hit, hope he learned something

The whole thing is so sad. I have a relative who was in this situation. He was in the car and stopped before hitting the little girl. But she was oblivious to him (no cell phone involved) and ended flying through the glass. She died. I don't think anyone learned anything.

DrF - off topic

 

[TheEarl]

There was a great series of TV ads by an auto insureance outfit. It showed some of the things y'all have mentioned plus: a little old lady laughing while having her faced licked by her dog, and my favorite, no one appeared to be behind the wheel for what seemed like ages until the driver, who'd been hunting for something on the floor, finally rose up.

The tag line was, because they're out their, were here.

Rumple Forskin

One of the scariest times to be watching television is in the early hours of the morning. If you're watching ITV, then you get lots of very, very horrible public service advertisements that cannot be shown at any other time of the day because they'd give Vinnie Jones nightmares.

I was stuck in a hospital waiting room a while ago and had to watch these genuinely upsetting advertisements over and over again. There were several about driving safely and the damage that a horse's hoof could do to your head if you were driving like a dick within their reach.

The one that got to me the most was one where you see a man pull up screeching to a garage, run in and run out with a bunch of flowers and a card. No sound at all, just text across the bottom of the screen reading "Forgot about Valentine's day." Then it shows the same man in bed next to his wife. He suddenly wakes up, turn to alarm clock and starts mime-swearing. Text says "Forgot to set the alarm clock." Then the third scene shows him arguing with his wife over an uncooked chicken and an unheated oven with text "Forgot to switch on the oven." Then the last scene is a shot of the man weeping his eyes out, covered in soot and staring at a picture of his family whilst ashes cool behind him. "Forgot to check the battery in the smoke alarm."

I tell you what though, I damn sure know that my smoke alarm works now. That and I bugged all of my friends and family to check theirs.

The Earl

 

[TheEarl]

The tag line was, because they're out their, were here.

Rumple Forskin

And our representative for the International Homophone Differentiation Contest is...

The Earl

 

[ElizabethWest]

The whole thing is so sad. I have a relative who was in this situation. He was in the car and stopped before hitting the little girl. But she was oblivious to him (no cell phone involved) and ended flying through the glass. She died. I don't think anyone learned anything.

DrF - off topic

 

[Guest]

It's a new law in England and the Government are making very big noise about enforcing it. Don't know how many people have actually been fined for using a mobile whilst driving though.

The Earl

The real question is not "How many people have been fined?" The pertinant question is, "Bow many people have died?"

I have yet to find any statistics on it, but I would be willing to bet good money and give you odds, that cell phone distraction is the second leading cause of accidents in the US today.

I would be willing to bet good money that more people were killed in accidents involving cell phones last year than accidents with guns.

Stupidity kills. Don't be stupid. Hang up and drive.

 

[BlackShanglan]

I would be willing to bet good money that more people were killed in accidents involving cell phones last year than accidents with guns.

Yes, but it's not the *accidents* that one generally worries about with guns.

That said - excellent thread. It has quite seriously reminded me to pay more attention to my driving and not risk giving anyone the kind of grief that you suffered. Thank you, Dranoel.

The most horrifying commercial award, for me, goes to an Aussie spot I saw on a UK show about commercials. It was meant to encourage people to drive safely on country roads. It shows a party of lively teenagers cheerfully on their way home late at night, laughing and not paying attention to driving. The car goes off the road and crashes. We then get an interior shot of the car - upside down, if I recall. One passenger's eyes are glassy; she appears to be dead. Then one of the others stirs and says, "Is everyone OK?"

The car explodes.

Dear God, it was one of the most awful things I ever saw. Sure as hell made you think about your driving.

Shanglan

 

[mlady_france]

Yes, but it's not the *accidents* that one generally worries about with guns.

That said - excellent thread. It has quite seriously reminded me to pay more attention to my driving and not risk giving anyone the kind of grief that you suffered. Thank you, Dranoel.

The most horrifying commercial award, for me, goes to an Aussie spot I saw on a UK show about commercials. It was meant to encourage people to drive safely on country roads. It shows a party of lively teenagers cheerfully on their way home late at night, laughing and not paying attention to driving. The car goes off the road and crashes. We then get an interior shot of the car - upside down, if I recall. One passenger's eyes are glassy; she appears to be dead. Then one of the others stirs and says, "Is everyone OK?"

The car explodes.

Dear God, it was one of the most awful things I ever saw. Sure as hell made you think about your driving.

Shanglan

*shivers*

 

[patricia51]

A 2003 study of 2700 accidents caused by distracted drivers investigated in a 6 month period by the Virginia State Police found the following distractions in order of their popularity ( if that's the word I want)....

"Rubbernecking was responsible for the largest number of accidents reported (16%) followed by driver fatigue (12%), looking at scenery or landmarks (10%), passenger or child distractions (9%), adjusting the radio, tape, or CD player (7%), and cell phone use (5%).

 

[rgraham666]

And people wonder why I don't drive.

 

[Guest]

A 2003 study of 2700 accidents caused by distracted drivers investigated in a 6 month period by the Virginia State Police found the following distractions in order of their popularity ( if that's the word I want)....

"Rubbernecking was responsible for the largest number of accidents reported (16%) followed by driver fatigue (12%), looking at scenery or landmarks (10%), passenger or child distractions (9%), adjusting the radio, tape, or CD player (7%), and cell phone use (5%).

Interesting. Considering the number of people i see everyday driving with a phone in their ear, I would have thought it would be MUCH higher.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Interesting. Considering the number of people i see everyday driving with a phone in their ear, I would have thought it would be MUCH higher.

Agreed. Thanks, Patricia, for the statistics. They are very interesting food for thought and make an excellent cautionary snapshot of what we shouldn't be doing when driving.

Shanglan

 

[rikaaim]

Yes, but it's not the *accidents* that one generally worries about with guns.

That said - excellent thread. It has quite seriously reminded me to pay more attention to my driving and not risk giving anyone the kind of grief that you suffered. Thank you, Dranoel.

The most horrifying commercial award, for me, goes to an Aussie spot I saw on a UK show about commercials. It was meant to encourage people to drive safely on country roads. It shows a party of lively teenagers cheerfully on their way home late at night, laughing and not paying attention to driving. The car goes off the road and crashes. We then get an interior shot of the car - upside down, if I recall. One passenger's eyes are glassy; she appears to be dead. Then one of the others stirs and says, "Is everyone OK?"

The car explodes.

Dear God, it was one of the most awful things I ever saw. Sure as hell made you think about your driving.

Shanglan

Thanks for telling such a great joke on a serious thread like this. It really lightens the mood. Too much seriousness can never be good. It's good to know that random acts of violence and destruction can brighten even the darkest days.


To clarify: This IS sarcasm.

 

[scheherazade_79]

The law in the UK is that you should have both hands on the wheel at all times when driving - unless you're adjusting something to do with the running of the car (i.e. gear stick, windscreen wipers etc.)

Saying that, I learned the hard way earlier on this week. I was on a lonely cycle path (no cars, no other bikes) and decided to call Mat while I was cycling along. I was going down a hill at the time and started off with my phone in my right hand and my left hand on the brake. After a while I got wrist ache, so I swapped hands. Didn't realise that when you hit the right hand break at speed, the front wheel just locks... So yes, I ended up sailing straight over the handle bars. My phone landed about 5 metres away from me, and somehow the speaker phone function came on. I have vivid memories of hearing Mat's voice echoing around the valley with, "What on EARTH are you doing?"

I'd never do it on a road with cars and other people, though. Actually, after the bruises I got from that fall I'd never do it again - period.

 

[EmeraldKitten]

Good thread Dran.


It was a few years ago on Good Friday.... me and two of my friends had went to the movies, then to a music store, just out messing around. We got back in the car, and I was sitting at a stop light, waiting to turn left.
In the meantime, my friend that was in the backseat was calling another of our friends, to see if she wanted us to come get her, and we'd rent a movie or something, and just hang out.
The girl on the phone wanted to talk to me.
The light turned green.
There was a truck in front of me, so I kind of looked around it to make sure there weren't any cars coming, since I was making a left-hand turn.
The coast seemed clear, so as I was turning, I reached back to get the cell phone from him.

The next thing I knew, the friend in the front seat threw his arms out, and I got hit in the face. I thought he reached out and slapped me, to be honest.
But it wasn't him~ it was the airbag.

A guy was coming straight through the light, and I turned in front of him, and ta-da, we're in an accident.
The air bags were out, my rear-view mirror was almost broken off, the windsheild was cracked....

We get out of the car, and go around front to look, and it was bad. The front end of the cars were totally smashed.
We're dead center in the middle of the intersection, and it seemed like it took forever for the cops to get there.

I got sited for 'failure to yeild', had to go to court, and had the option of going to an 'I'm a bad driver' class, or lose my liscence for 30 days.
I chose the class. Three hours of horrifying statistics, tests, and movies of car accidents.

The day after the accident, it hit me that it could have me a hundred percent wrose. I could have killed my friends, I could have killed the other driver, and I could have killed myself. My stupidity was not quickly forgotten.

(The one thing I can say, is that the guy I hit was really nice about it... well, as nice as you can be when some 17 year old kid plows into you. He actually called my insurance company a few days later to see if I was okay, because I was really upset.)

When the tow truck came, and was loading my car up, the guy had just said that they probably wouldn't total it. That said, he started lifting the car up, adn the engine about fell out the bottom.
They did end up totalling it.

Like I said, I was really lucky on that one.
And now, if my phone rings, and I decide it's important enough to take, (I have the option for different ringers for each person, so I recognize the song) then I pull in somewhere and either answer, or call them back. I won't make the same mistake twice.

 

[Kassiana]

Large numbers of people don't own cell phones and won't own cell phones, like me. I'd rather not be accessible everywhere at all times, thank you very much, and since I'm not a doctor I don't have to be.

The only way I would accept a cell phone would be for emergency use only, and in that case it would be in my car and only able to dial out, not accept incoming calls.