Originally Posted by
UniChris
Surely we've all seen people weaving erattically down the path/lane while their attention is engrossed in their phone.
Some study may have overcounted, but the problem is real.
I hate passing such unpredictables, because you never know what they'll do.
I've seen pedestrians do this, but not bicyclists. The problem on paths I occasionally have is a headphone/earbud deaf cyclist suddenly pulling into the lane I'm passing him in. I announce my passes, but you can't always see the earbuds to know it wasn't heard.
Anyway, this study wasn't about paths, and it didn't just overcount, it defined distraction absurdly. My fear is that someone in power will run with this absurd definition and we'll end up with a lot of really stupid laws.
Also, the distraction problem doesn't translate neatly from drivers to cyclists. The speed and weight of the vehicles are absurdly different, and frankly, if something like a bag is interfering with the operation of the bike, you probably will slow down or rearrange the load. In a car, if you're driving with your hands full, it's a lot easier for the vehicle to become uncontrolled at speed.