So the next time you hop on your bike - having total faith and confidence in your fellow man's (or woman's) driving ability - consider this. While taking a bus trip down to San Diego and back the other day (my military golf league team charters a bus for away matches) I decided to do a survey to break up the boredom. From my vantage point high up in the bus I could easily see down into the cars below. And because we were traveling in the HOV lane (5/405 freeway) we were moving along at a slightly faster speed than regular traffic - so as we passed cars it allowed plenty of time to see what the driver was doing. And because we were going slightly faster than the other 4,5, or 6 lanes I got a chance to sample 100s of cars rather than flowing along with the same few cars. At least 1 in 10 drivers were actively punching away on a cell phone. I actually think it was higher than that but will keep my estimate conservative. More than a few were steering with their legs while typing with both hands. And that is only counting those who were actively texting. Close to half of the drivers had a cell phone visible next to them (most legally attached to the dash) so the fact they weren't texting at the moment we went by is more chance than anything else. I bet, regardless of where you live in the world, you will find the same thing.
Lucky you were in a bus. I see this frequently while riding. Just last year a car drifted into my lane while making a double left turn. After the turn it continued to drift back and forth into and out of my lane. At the first red light I observed a middle aged women staring at her lap furiously texting. Hopped off my bike, beat on her window (startled her) and yelled " how about getting off the phone and driving the car." She turned left thankfully. Almost every time I see a car going slow in the fast lane it is because they are texting. Slow cars and cars weaving are ones I always avoid. Just one more thing to make riding a bike more exciting. Lots of inattentive drivers trying to kill us out there.
Ride safe
Dave
Bad enough on the freeways, but it's even worse on local streets, where there are many more events/ decisions per mile, for the driver to handle. Don't think that the other guy is seeing you, or even looking.
:ireful:
I'm just hoping that the self-driving cars will be able to "see" bikes approaching from all directions.
Is not illegal in US?
It is illegal here to use a handheld phone while driving. It must be in a fixed, hands free, holder for phone calls only, no texting. Inexperienced drivers (less than 3 years in NSW) cannot operate a phone at all while driving (they also have a zero blood/alcohol limit). Last I heard it brings a $319 fine and loss of 8 demerit points - 12 points and you lose your licence.
Yes, not allowed in nearly all states, regardless of age. Just hard to catch/enforce. So it really only adds to the penalty when bad things happen.
In British Columbia the fine is $ 576. They are considering upping that because people still arent getting the message