texting and driving

[fjbiker84]

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.

[TexasDave]

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

[red]

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.
         
I'm just hoping that the self-driving cars will be able to "see" bikes approaching from all directions.

[krusty]

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.

[FJmonkey]

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.

[big r]

In British Columbia the fine is $ 576. They are considering upping that because people still arent getting the message