CB HI

Many cyclist are not as lucky as this cop was:

Dash Cam Video Captures MWC Crash Caused By Distracted Driver - News9.com

Even the pulled over driver was injured.

rydabent

I am for cell phones shutting off automatically if moving faster than 10 mph. It can easily be done.

mconlonx

If God was on his side, he wouldn't have been hit.

Was anyone wearing a helmet?

Where's the bicycle content?

CharlyAlfaRomeo

This is just plain silly.

CB HI

I know some have problems understanding, but road safety in general is a safety issue worth cyclist attention even when it was not a specific cyclist hit each time. How do you think a cyclist would have fared if a cyclist were hit rather than a police car. Maybe you think the motorist would have seen a cyclist and avoided collision, even though they missed the cop car and hit it.

Maybe you even believe that police department has never investigated a collision involving a cyclist and thus, the police chiefs statement is meaningless to cyclists.

Nunymare

We have a distracted driving law here in Alberta, Canada where I live, but I still regularly see drivers talking/texting on the phone while driving.

wagonfanatic

My argument (mostly a polemic, but humor me) concerning cell phones/ texting in cars:

Since people seem to be addicted to their phones-- while walking down the street (and walking into things), and especially driving, we should consider all instances of drivers texting and talking on the phone (holding the phone) to be a DUI. Cell phones can be just as dangerous as alcohol, and people are clearly greatly influenced by them. As I cyclist, I see 30-40% of drivers on their phones. This petrifies me.

achoo

OMG! Say it ain't so!

You mean to say there are scofflaws who aren't fat US-living fixie-riding hipsters or spandex-clad racers that we can hate on too?

Oh happy day!!!!

/sarcasm

dynodonn 

At least those cyclists cannot replicate the incident like the one in the video link in the OP. Oh happy day!

rydabent

charly

Is a cell phone call in a car or a text message worth a persons life? Please tell me you dont believe that.

GP

No but disabling the phone in the car is ridiculous. What if the passenger wants to make a call? How does that affect the driver?

The touchscreen in my car is disabled when the car is moving. I can still answer a call but I'm not taking my eyes off the road to go through the phone contacts and push buttons. It's a good compromise.

DogBoy

Anti-texting laws made conditions worse in many states. With no anti-texting law, people held the phone over the steering wheel while reading/texting. Now they hold the phone low so they won't be seen, taking their eyes off the road longer. I think the motion shutdown of everything except emergency calling would be good. It won't happen though, because people will say "But passengers...But busses...But subways..."

ItsJustMe

As someone who is ALWAYS the passenger when in the car with my family, I definitely don't want to be kept from using my phone. Nobody in my family (at least not when I'm in the car) ever uses the phone while driving.

I think the fines have to be very high. Like, $1000 for just being caught using a phone while driving, without incident (make it a primary offense). $5000 if it leads to an accident. PLUS whatever fines and penalties would normally be associated with the accident.

wphamilton

It wouldn't be perfect. But it seems to me to be analogous to open container laws. What if the passenger wants a drink, that doesn't affect the driver. But open container laws forbid it. The same principles could be applied to cell phones. If the passenger wanted to make a call they'd have to stop. It's not really that much of a hardship.

mconlonx

Maybe I just think threads on Bike Forums should have something specifically to do with bikes, not general traffic nonsense.

Some jerk in my state was busted doing 127mph with her kids in the car. Dangerous, sure, dangerous even to cyclists, yet I didn't think to post it here.

That was on the highway, though. Even more pertinent would be a motorcyclist who got killed from being left-hooked by a car driver.

Didn't post that here, either.

CbadRider

It will never happen because then they can't be used in case of an emergency.

wphamilton

I'm not sure that's true. You can dial 911 even with a deactivated phone, so maybe something similar could be engineered.

no1mad 

I think it would be possible to disable smartphones while behind the wheel. Use a proximity sensor that disables the keypad within x amount of distance of the center of the steering wheel, say like 18" to 24". Of course, the auto manufacturers would have to start putting a chip/sensor in the wheel...

Another item that is potentially dangerous IMO is the increasing popularity of multi-function touchscreen displays being used to access/control HVAC, audio, navigation, and who knows what else. These things vary in size, they vary in ease of use, they vary in quality, but they all share a common flaw- the driver has to take their eyes off the road in order to scroll through the myriad of menus. I miss the old days when I could memorize the layout and just adjust everything by feeling for the right knob, button, switch, or lever

CbadRider

It would be difficult to deactivate only the driver's phone.

Spld cyclist

I think it would make sense to couple anti-phone/text laws with a requirement that police *must* investigate cell phone use in every accident investigation. Data is available from cell phone services showing when a phone was used for calls or texting. If there was a passenger, there is still the issue that the driver can say the passenger was using the phone. However, plenty of accidents occur with only a driver in the car.

Keith99

Actually here it seems to be getting less bad. Or perhaps I should say less insane.

We all know some places/intersections that are bad. I have one near work, a shopping center, E.g. Albertsons, Starbucks and a dozen other businesses.

A left turn out of the lot is really dicey. It used ot be I'd see people exiting the lot while on the cell. WTF they were just parked, couldn't they have called then.

I used to see it multiple times a week. Now it is once a month or less.

Not saying things are good, I see people on the cell on the freeway while going to work far too often (and that is peak time, so crowded road).

I'm just saying the most insane use seems to be decreasing.

BTW it is doubly insane for that lot, it is a favorite Sherriff hangout.

I-Like-To-Bike

Might as well give up.
Some posters seem to never get tired of posting about how shocked, shocked they are about the horror, horror of cell phones; and other posters seem to never tire of rising for the non bicycling related chum; hook, line, and sinker.

noisebeam

CharlyAlfaRomeo

Please tell me where I said that.

Except there is no need for anyone to have a drink while in a motor vehicle and there are several legitimate reasons a passenger may need the use of a smart device. Not really analogous IMO.

Keith99

Back when I learned to drive when dinosaurs ruled the earth there were no smart devices.

We had to navigate using maps.

Talk about dangerous, trying to figure out where you were on the map and in the real world and plot out you moves.

People wanting to ban all smart devices are wanting to throw out the baby with the bathwater.