Fifty Plus (50+) - I wanted to yank his cell phone from him

Yesterday I joined several ladies from my cycling club for the annual "Ladies Lunch" ride. We met at the Xenia Bike Hub and did a slow, easy ride to another town for lunch. Everyone had a great time and things were going great until about a half mile from the end of the ride.

All the ladies were in the left turn lane but I was in the lane going straight through as I had parked at another trail-head and rode extra miles to the ride. Just as we reached the midway point of the intersection a car approaching from my right goes through the red light and comes to a screeching halt in the middle of the intersection. Thankfully he missed all of us but now I'm positioned at the back of his car with my front wheel just a few inches behind his bumper. Something told me this young man thought all the bikes were in front of him and didn't know I was behind him. I quickly moved back a couple feet just as he threw it in reverse and backed up missing me and my bike by inches. He muttered he was sorry and that he didn't see the red light or us. It was then I spied his cell phone in his hand. I told him it was really hard to miss 15 women on bikes and he probably wanted to put his %$*&! cell phone away before he killed someone. Inattentive drivers are my biggest fear when I'm riding the roads:(

I work at what is proclaimed to be one of America's top universities. Yesterday, one of our nation's best and brightest was walking across an intersection--against the light--and yakking on a cellphone. I watched in near horror as a truck came screeching to a halt, missing him by inches.

"I almost got killed," he muttered as he passed me.

"Yeah, and it would have been your fault," I said.

"Yeah, I know," he mumbled absently as he continued to amble on his way.

I shook my head in disbelief at this foolish young whippersnapper, all the while realizing I'm sliding into a comfortably crotchety old age.

One of the few things that I feel aught to be illegal, is talking on a cell phone while driving. Even hands free phones provide enough distraction it damn dangerous! I have almost hit many times by people who are just too important to out of touch while they are driving.

They keep talking about outlawing them, but the politicians are making so much money with the lobbyist on them, I don't think we'll ever see it.

The only reason the company I work for hasn't laid of more people or completely collapsed is cell phones. Let em talk, let em text, let em download ring tones/games/pictures while driving it is their money maker.
We have lots of lobbyist down there in DC to support it. I really believe hands free was a big pacifier to make it seem safe, plus makes lots of money on accessories!
Safer maybe I mean it does allow two hands on the wheel. Safe? :rolleyes:

Here in the UK it is illegal to use a phone unless it is hands free in a Vehicle. Makes no difference as you still see the Hand up to the ear while the car is being driven. The Mobiles are so small- You cannot see if it is a phone they are talking into - or they have earache.

While I certainly understand the anger at cellphones, it is only that they are visible sign of a broader issue, distracted driving.

I believe that people have generally never paid attention to their driving, and cell phones are the visible sign that we notice today. If it isn't a cell phone, it is something else.

Think back a few years... it used to be (and sometimes still is) something else... changing the station on the radio, or putting on make-up or shaving, or reading the newspaper, or looking at the map, or turning around to smack the kids, or eating their lunch, or lighting a cigarette, or checking out the bike in the LBS window ;)

I have seen people doing 3 things at a time... smoking, eating and talking on a cell phone...

Have you ever seen deaf people driving while signing to each other? I have. How can they be paying attention to the road?

I'm really quite surprised that any of us survive... And I am far from innocent. Sometimes I find myself distracted too... and I really try not to take my responsibility behind the wheel lightly, since I lost an adult brother in a car vs bicycle accident many years ago.

So, while I do get irritated at cell phones, I do see them as just a sign of the deeper issue...

It is illegal to use a hand-held phone while driving in New York State.
No matter, on any given day you'll spot at least 50% of our drivers
yakking away on their hand-helds totally oblivious of their surroundings.
Enforcement sucks.

While I certainly understand the anger at cellphones, it is only that they are visible sign of a broader issue, distracted driving.


I remember reading once a book about sportscars (Porsche, if I recall correctly), when they were first starting to get into the U.S. market. The U.S. marketing person wanted the factory to install cupholders in the cars. The Germans were incredulous......the idea of people eating and drinking in their cars! When Germans drive, apparently, they DRIVE!

This, and drivers with attitudes is why I only ride on bike trails. The real problem is that my attitude is even worse when some driver is "just messing with a bicyclist". Sticking to the trails keeps us both out of trouble.
Yeah, I know it's a cop out. But, due to serious food allergies, I can go totally nuclear in seconds. Sudden loud noises, like horns, and confrontational situations can trigger the problem. bk

"Can you hear me now?", she said as she yanked the cell phone from his hands and shoved it up his... nose. :D

The problem is beyond cell phones. Cell phones are a huge problem, but just as big a problem is urban sprawl. As the cities spread out, drive time increases, people spend more time in car. Next it's eating in the car, drinking in the car, reading a paperback n the car, doing their makeup in the car, reading the newspaper in the car, reading a map in the car, messing with their GPS in the car.
It was horrible moving from a 90-120 minute commute in L.A. to my current 23 miles in Kentucky.
I am still recovering.

In recent months I have taken up the practice of looking to see if someone driving erratically is using a cell phone. I've been surprised by how often this is the case.

A few years ago I lost a perfectly good minivan when someone driving an SUV while talking on a cellphone, rammed me from behind at a red light. I was at a full stop with both my brake lights and the stop light being bright red.

I'd like to say I disagree with all of you because I think it could lead to cellphone use restrictions.
Unfortunately I can't do that. Time and time again I witness inattentive drivers and almost every single time the driver is on his or her cellphone.

... Inattentive drivers are my biggest fear when I'm riding the roads:(
I concur comlpetely, Beverly. The only answer I can offer is stricter accountability for motorists who cause injury, death, or significant property damage, but as long as judges and juries drive carelessly, it is going to be tough to obtain stiff sentences against inattentive motorists.

This is happening so often that it is no longer funny.:mad:

This is a country that can't (even though they have tried) stop drunks from driving. How are they going to stop cell phone use by drivers. Its a right or something isn't it?

I might be mistaken, but I believe California passed a law that TEENAGERS cannot talk on the cell phone while driving, but it hasn't taken effect yet. However, the fine for breaking this law is only $20. Big whup.

Driving while drunk is treated very seriously these days - very expensive and very disruptive to your life. But driving while drunk is no more dangerous than driving while sleepy, driving while talking, or driving while distracted, and they are all just as voluntary as driving while drunk. We wrongly accept 40,000 people killed on the road each year just like we accept 500,000 per year killed by cancer. The focus on drunk driving is important, but too narrow.

The frustrating thing about driving under influence, distraction due to any cause, is that these drivers insist that all is well if just everyone drives correctly.
What is poorly understood is that driving requires 100% attention because all drivers are NOT driving perfectly. Therefore, if a significant portion of drivers are distracted, we all will suffer the consequences. Unfortunately we are protecting individual rights to such an extend that we look at a singular situation rather than the question: What would happen if we all did this? (DUI or distracted driving.)

My favorite bumper sticker: "Hang up and drive." As long as we make cars more "homelike" and comfortable, with built in distractions, many drivers will continue to ignore the fact that they are operating a major piece of dangerous machinery. I remember buying my first European designed car and asking where the cup holders were. The dealer said the car was for driving, not having coffee. IMO, folks need to remember that driving is best done as a solitary act.

It's very maddening, isn't it? Do they not know how very dangerous it is? As when people tailgate so close that their car almost touches mine, do they think for a moment about what could happen???

Beverly, I'm glad you weren't hurt in the incident, but you must have been shaken. :eek:

I'm glad no one was hurt. Good thing you were thinking ahead before that bozo backed up.

Not much help in Ohio, but here in California:

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation that prohibits the use of handheld mobile phones while driving in the state.

Effective July 1, 2008, the legislation prohibits drivers from using a wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle unless the driver uses a hands-free device. Drivers who violate the law will face a base fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense.

The law allows drivers to use a wireless telephone for emergency purposes, drivers of commercial vehicles to use push-to-talk phones until July 1, 2011, and will allow drivers of emergency response vehicles to use a cell phone without a hands-free device.

California joins Connecticut, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, and some local jurisdictions in prohibiting the use of handheld mobile phones while driving.

Beverly, I am glad you were alert and that he missed you, of course thanks to you being SO alert and defensive. We all have to be whenever we are out on the road, especially when we are on the bikes.

Good thing you thought to move before he backed up. Glad you told him off. He's lucky you didn't cram it up where the sun doesn't shine.:eek:

Beverly, I am glad you were alert and that he missed you

Yes, it would have been awful if the Madone had been damaged!!

;)

Glad you were thinkin fast, Bev. Predicting disasters is definitely a good trait for a cyclist.

As for all the other comments about cell phones, DUI, applying makeup, etc - YADDA, YADDA, YADDA

We are all expendable, to the general 'schmiegle' politicians, those who really wield the power - the money power base, and our judiciary and donut-patrollers.
Just call us Eloi

Homeland security? what a joke!
Hey, its okay for us to kill each other, by the 1,000s. Just don;t let it be those 'terroista' who might take some of us out...
The freekin nonsense which goes on in this 'modern' society is incomprehensible.
oops, gotta run, gotta get on the waitlist for the new apple i-orgasm...

If you ride on the road defensive cycling is absolutely required. I assume that no one sees me, if I am going through and intersection at a light I will frequently move out of the bike lane into the middle of the traffic lane to make sure I am more visible. I give every driver I approach the stare that I try to convey don't mess with me I have the right of way.

Two things seem to come into play, people that are too aggressive and people that are too timid. In both driving and cycling I think you need to be decisive but not aggressive, if you hesitate no one knows what you are going to do and both parties get into trouble. You have to be the Alpha male even if you are a female.

Wat to go Bev!!!!

Good thing you thought to move before he backed up. Glad you told him off. He's lucky you didn't cram it up where the sun doesn't shine.:eek:

I really thought about it:rolleyes: I think the young man got the message.....he had 15 old women and a few pedestrians giving him their thoughts on his actions:eek:

Cell phone drivers don't seem to use turn signals either ..one hand on the phone, one hand on the wheel, no hands for the blinker.

I hope at some point it becomes enforced as much as drunk driving is. They both kill people.

Cell phone drivers don't seem to use turn signals either ..one hand on the phone, one hand on the wheel, no hands for the blinker.

I hope at some point it becomes enforced as much as drunk driving is. They both kill people.

My kids give me a hard time for sometimes not using turn signals. They're right, but I think of it as an active notification to drivers around me. If there's no one around, I don't usually signal.

And here's the controversial part. I have noticed (a lot!) that when people try to signal a lane change, nearby drivers will stomp on the accelerator to purposely cut them off --when there clearly was no reason to do so.. In a tight lane change, I make sure there is enough room and then just go.

I was in court on a ticket my daughter had and the judge was going through the photo red light tickets. Several people were in on their 2d and 3d violations. The judge pointed out that over 60% of the red light ticket photos showed a driver on the phone. Fortunately, my daughter 'heard' that and did some rethinking of her driving practices. bk

I'm sick and tired of cell phones in general, and cell phone use in cars in particular. If I happen to notice someone on a cell phone when I'm passing them because they're doing 50 in a 65, I lay on the horn. They look up just in time to see the "Hang up and DRIVE!" placard in my rear window (on the passenger side where they can't miss it). Geez people, GET A CLUE!

It is all relative, try driving in Milan or Bangkok. I've done both and I find the US traffic very sedate after that.

I have to admit that even ignoring the driving aspect, that cell phones have given the world a different flavor in general.

20 years ago, it was a rare individual that spent more than an hour a day on a phone. Now I think it is typical.

If you are walking down the street and hear someone talking, they are probably on a cell phone. As I was walking out of class this morning, 3 of 14 classmates were dialing their cell phones before I was out the door.

We are in a society that has diminished the value of the person we are with, in favor of the person on the other end of the phone... of course to some, this has always been the case... I argued with my ex-wife about this all the time... when the phone rang and we were in the middle of a conversation, the person on the phone became the priority to her, no matter who it was. This now seems to be the prevailing view of society, even to the extent of sacrificing safety.

I have to admit that even ignoring the driving aspect, that cell phones have given the world a different flavor in general.

20 years ago, it was a rare individual that spent more than an hour a day on a phone. Now I think it is typical.

If you are walking down the street and hear someone talking, they are probably on a cell phone. As I was walking out of class this morning, 3 of 14 classmates were dialing their cell phones before I was out the door.

I've walked into the ladies restroom at work many times and heard women talking on their cell phones while sitting on the toilet:eek: Jeez....are no places off limits for these things.

I told him it was really hard to miss 15 women on bikes and he probably wanted to put his %$*&! cell phone away before he killed someone. Inattentive drivers are my biggest fear when I'm riding the roads:(

Instead of %$*&, you should have said, "*&&#@!"

Since the thread has taken a bit of a turn, I do not feel bad posing this question.... What is the urgency and or compulsion to have to be on the phone all the time? Even while in the bathroom? With-in seconds of a class ending? I've even seen people call a person from a car two blocks from that person, while on the way to that persons house. This has to be reflective of something in our society, but what? and is it throughout the world, or just in the US?

Since the thread has taken a bit of a turn, I do not feel bad posing this question.... What is the urgency and or compulsion to have to be on the phone all the time? Even while in the bathroom? With-in seconds of a class ending? I've even seen people call a person from a car two blocks from that person, while on the way to that persons house. This has to be reflective of something in our society, but what? and is it throughout the world, or just in the US?

I'm with you on this. Our easily bored society seems to have to be multi-tasking to stay entertained, these days. When I hear the guy in the next stall talking on the cell phone while he grunts (was that tmi?), I have to ask myself what is wrong with this picture.

Glad you're ok, Beverly.

Instead of %$*&, you should have said, "*&&#@!"

Oh, I never cuss like that:rolleyes:

My most annoying experience with a cell phone user came last summer when I was in Buena Vista, Colorado. It was a fabulously beautiful day and in the late afternoon I decided to take a hike. I had hiked out a couple of miles and came across a wonderful scenic overlook, looking back over the high valley toward the Rockies and all of the 14'ers in that area. There were thunderstorms raging over the mountains while I basked in sunlight, as the sun moved low into the sky.

They had a shelter there that provided some shade and a couple of benches. I took a break to enjoy the view. Then a 40'ish woman comes along, all by herself. She says hi, stops to enjoy the view for a minute, then whips out her cell phone to call a friend in Iowa. So for the next 15 minutes it is yak, yak, yak. I eventually gave up and left. It completely destroyed the serenity of moment.

I left thinking just what does one have to do to get away from all of the noise? And couldn't she at least have shown me a little courtesy and gone elsewhere if she had to gab on the phone?

I not only wanted to yank the cell phone from her hands, I wanted to crush it with a rock.

I really thought about it:rolleyes: I think the young man got the message.....he had 15 old women and a few pedestrians giving him their thoughts on his actions:eek:

Did anyone think to pull out their cell phone and take a video of that? :lol:

Did anyone think to pull out their cell phone and take a video of that? :lol:

:beer:

@#$ $%^&*(%$%$# !@#$<>@@#? cellphones.

Boy, am I glad I got that off my chest!

I work at what is proclaimed to be one of America's top universities. Yesterday, one of our nation's best and brightest was walking across an intersection--against the light--and yakking on a cellphone. I watched in near horror as a truck came screeching to a halt, missing him by inches.

"I almost got killed," he muttered as he passed me.

"Yeah, and it would have been your fault," I said.

"Yeah, I know," he mumbled absently as he continued to amble on his way.

I shook my head in disbelief at this foolish young whippersnapper, all the while realizing I'm sliding into a comfortably crotchety old age.

Was this in Cambridge, Massachusetts? The place has the worst pedestrians in the world. A bicycle, a rumbling Harley, a taxi, a speeding tanker truck that's hauling liquid oxygen, they don't care. They'll just walk right in front of anything. It's amazing, really. These supposedly smart, educated Harvard sociology types, and they have not a clue.

Brandeis nitwits can't even read a railroad timetable. It's actually amusing to watch.

I've walked into the ladies restroom at work many times and heard women talking on their cell phones while sitting on the toilet:eek: Jeez....are no places off limits for these things.

Beverly, glad you weren't hurt.

Whenever I hear someone on a cell in the restroom I'll flush a toilet or two or turn on the blow dryers or something to irritate the talker.

I saw a woman yesterday in a SUV while she was driving talking on a cell phone and using her other hand to point at someone in the SUV and watching that person all while continuing down the road approaching a construction zone which was just ahead of a school zone. I was glad I was cutting my grass instead of riding which I often do at that time.

No one is important enough to use a cell phone while driving. Heck the average driver thinks he a much better driver than he/she really is.

There I feel better. Not that it won't bug me again tomorrow.

In a similar situation, I got the driver's license number and called 911. I reported him for running the red light, driving while talking on a cellphone, failure to yield to pedestrians (not the bikes), driving erratically as if he was drunk, and leaving the scene of an accident.

A couple of miles down the road, I found him surrounded by four police cars.

*****

I have on a couple of occasions called 911 and reported drivers who were talking on their cellphones and driving in an erratic manner. In each case, I simply reported that they were driving in an erratic manner as if they were drunk. I know that at least two of them were later stopped by police and given roadside sobriety tests.

In a recent poll published by the AP 30% of teen drivers thought it was ok to text while driving.