25% of car crashes involve cellphones

[a10gf]

Seeing a bike is not easy, but what about when staring at the phone and not the road ?... Should be some really hefty fines to scare off phone-use perpetrators.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-car-and-train-drivers-keep-talking-on-phones-2013-07-31

[muskrat]

I agree 100%. Cars should have an electro/magnetic field to block transmission whilst the key is in the ignition.
Down here it's illegal to use one whilst driving. 3 demerit points (out of 12 for 3 years) and a few hundred $ fine.
Cheers

[bsa-bill]

it's illegal in UK too, but lot of Bimbo's and look so busy types still do it, young lad was killed here a few years back as car driver on the phone lost it on a corner, got a prison spell for it but it still is very prevalent.
Reckon it will continue untill it's an automatic loss of licence and crush the car job.

Another fix would be to make phones that don't work if in motion, sounds drastic but it's not that long ago they didn't exist and we managed just fine

Another fix would be to make phones that don't work if in motion

ha just thought that wouldn't help at the tills when THAT woman answers her phone and holds up a queue of six

[muskrat]

My best mate (and boss) lost his only son a few years back. He was talking to his girlfriend while on his way home. Lost it around a corner hitting a power pole. The girlfriend will hear THAT sound forever.
 

[Topdad]

What a tragic waste of a young life and I bet from every continent members could recall similar terrible events .I was in a highpowered ( supposedly ) job for some years and used mobiles frequently before regulation and post ,on state of the art (then)hands free setups and they do still distract 85mph on the M6 with the other lunatics is bad enogh throw in phones and it becomes even worse ,in the end it took HR to stop the bosses sacking a few of us who'd had enough by pointing out that company policy FORBADE the use of mobiles once moving ............. they simply changed the company policy ,I'd left by then. 
 It is still rampant around here as we are close to bimbo land ,where all the football stars live and the police are pretty poor at doing anything about it , I feel we should be able to report offenders , BobH.

[Stephen Foster]

listen to this one Bob .
Im driving along earlier today in My Picasso & the cow in front is texting as She drives with a car full of kids !!!

[a10gf]

A work mate got hit in the rear of his car recently (and got a quite serious neck injury, car was condemned) while stopping at a light, perpetrator at full speed with no attempt at braking, explanation was he was looking at the back seat to look for the the plugin-charger for his phone...

[RichardL]

First, Muskrat, obviously a horrible, horrible thing for your friend, I can't even imagine it. But, also hard on you too, I must believe. Codolences to your friend and you. My 15-year-old son just got clipped by a car two weeks ago while on his bicycle and I am soooo happy he got a broken hand versus all the possible worse that I just can't grasp. It was my son's fault, so I'm told.

Knowing the depth of idiots out there, in addition to normal paranoia while I ride, I try to remember to have an escape route at stop lights and watch my mirrors, in case someone is barelling down on me. I don't have 50K miles or more on a motorcycle, like many here, so some riding strategies are still comparatively new to me.

Richard L.

[bsa-bill]

Saw a documentary about dispatch riders in London many moons ago, they carried a short length of rear chain on the bars (to adjust the mirrors of inter lane blocking cars) 

[Butch (cb)]

Ah yes, I've seen a disgruntled courier cyclist put a U-Lock into a windscreen up there. Went with quite a bang.

On the subject of cell phone distraction, I don't see that any law; whether policed that seriously or not makes much difference. Some (most) people don't drive that well and really take no interest in it, so it doesn't really make much difference whether they are on the 'phone, lighting a cigarette fooling with the sound systems or sat nav or bawling out the brats. Mostly they'll be fortunate, occasionally they run someone down.

[Greybeard]

A friend of mine once asked me if like him I sometimes got to the end of a car trip and could recall nothing of the journey; er, no! He is one of the worst drivers I know; we were supposed to take turns to drive to the pub but I'd try and find a reason to pick him up so I could drive.

[bsa-bill]

and could recall nothing of the journey;

tell me ( be honest now) did you ever remind him it was his round when it wasn't   

[Greybeard]

I am trying to enjoy riding a motorbike again after nearly 40 years but I do worry about getting knocked off by some mindless ***. I wear a high-viz waistcoat; I ride with lights on and ride well out from the gutter, moving out more when approaching junctions. I don't use motorways if I can help it. I find 50 to 60 MPH comfortable, (where there is no lower speed limit) but of course that's too slow for many drivers so I look in the mirror and OH MY GOD THERE'S A BMW GRILL FILLING THE VIEW!

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[Greybeard]

and could recall nothing of the journey;

tell me ( be honest now) did you ever remind him it was his round when it wasn't   

Never thought of that; doh!

[A10Boy]

I always tell the idiots to get off the phone. Here it seems to be mostly young women [who haven't a clue how to drive anyway] and white van man, who is just as bad. Sometimes, they can get quite heated, but at least it gets a response.....

I work with a chap who's best friend was killed by a guy in a van who was on the phone.