Ed Holland

Perhaps they should be called MePhones....

I pulled up next to a driver this morning, and as I do on occasion, tapped on his window and asked that he "please not use the phone whilst driving". Now of course I'm prepared for all manner of responses

His retort "I'm not using the phone, its an app"

Two lovely kids in the car.

Old Town

If he had rolled up to your house and knocked on your door, said, "Hey, you and lady, wanna keep it down. I got kids in my car can hear your carnal carnival."

How would you respond? Tapping on car widows? Just a matter of time before we're reading about you in the paper.

Digital_Cowboy

I would say that using an app still counts as using the phone. As said app is on the phone and he has to be interacting with the phone in order to use the app.

tagaproject6

Wow...good thing nobody's mistaken you for a carjacker...albeit in funny looking cothes. In this day and age, not very smart.

Square & Compas

"Some mother****ers always like to ice skate up hill".

That said, while I think it is ok to ask drivers to not use their phones while driving I do not think it is ok to tap on their window to do so. If you want to get their attention do so with out physical contact with thier vehicle. If you do not want to yell at them to get their attention use one of these: https://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/...ory=1015625493 It dont matter if the window is up or not, it will always get their attention.

When at a red light what I typically do is blast them with the Air Zound and make a motion with my hand to hang up the phone if they have the window up. Sometimes they actually do. The ones that do I smile and give them a thumbs up. Most of them usually either glare at me to which I smile after motioning for them to hang up the phone, or they have a look of confusion.

The drivers with the window down who do not hang up I keep blasting until I run out of air in the horn, until they hang up or until the light turns green. For some odd reason they do not roll the window up, you'd think they would, but they don't.

Ed Holland

A polite request to consider his antisocial & potentially dangerous behaviour is my perogative. I'm sticking to my guns on this - I've had numerous near misses as a result of distracted drivers using handheld devices thank you very much. Should they want to feature me on the news, I'd be all too happy to venture an opinion.

I love the way that the driver thought using an app was somehow OK despite the fact that it requires not only mental but visual concentration. Of course, it is actually legal to bugger around with the device as long as you are not continuing a conversation whilst holding it (a wierd wrinkle in CA traffic law) but, AGGGGHHHH! I find this whole thing exasperating.

SirMike1983 

I understand when people get frustrated about drivers on phones. But if you're going to jump in on people doing it, just be careful about it-- you don't want to get hurt by some lunatic.

We should also know that there are similar folks in our own house so to speak-- that is bicyclists who ride around while on cell phones-- one hand to ear, one on the bars. Sure a bicycle won't kill like a 4000 lb car, but it's still not right to be distracted. This sort of behavior takes place all over, and in a variety of situations now. I frankly just don't get the cell phone while biking crowd-- for me a ride is an almost-zen experience, not to be disturbed by telephones.

ItsJustMe

Using an app is WORSE than talking. Same as texting, IMO.

Ed Holland

Car jacker? oh please... With an English accent and a road bike? Making a polite request? In Palo Alto?

Old Town

You're not the babe-in-the-woods you present yourself as, are you? People get shot for less than that all the time. Here's an idea: Go find a low-riding, window-tinted Honda with wheel spinners and bad music emanating from it. Tap on those window. I'd pay money to watch that. Whatever happened to minding one's own business?

OBXCycling.com

What kind of moron can't talk on the phone and drive at the same time?

The same ones who drive around white knuckled all the time, I bet.



All these nanny-state laws are making me sick.


I drive a lot and talk a lot and it's not a distraction any more than changing the radio or drinking a drink.

Ed Holland

I consider that I was, indeed, minding my own business.

My deadly foe this morning was a skinny white guy with spectacles driving a Toyota Prius containing 2 kids, on the outskirts of Stanford University.

Ed Holland

It's up to you I suppose, but I just don't see how people can think this is a good practice in general. In many places, the law agrees.

oldbluebike

Sorry, I'd consider that suicidal behavior to knock on car windows.

cudak888 

Mind your own business, Ed.

There isn't a person on this forum that knows darn well that unsolicited advice isn't received kindly - think of your own responses to non-confrontational suggestions made by ignorant motorists.

For that matter, he will probably end up wrapping himself around a phone pole before he takes out a cyclist. Let him.

-Kurt

ukmtk

I admire you for your courage in trying to do something about it. I always find it surprising that people in the wrong always have some lame excuse or reason why it's alright for them to engage in antisocial/dangerous behaviour.

I actually argued in the government consultation that hand held and hands free should equally be banned. Plenty of research to show that engaging in phone conversations is worse than being legally drunk! The research was done using car simulators. The drivers on mobiles were more accident prone than a legally drunk person.

What is worrying is that recent research shows that many near misses/actual accidents occurred because people were engaging in: phone conversations, reading/writing text messages on hand held phones - all illegal in the UK.

Ed Holland

Wow, OK. You never can tell which way the wind is blowing in A&S . I'm more surprised by the reactions offered here, than by those from motorists to whom I speak on occasion. I have never felt threatened by a motorist that is A) stopped and B) rolled down a window to speak. Of course I excercise some judgement before engaging anyone in conversation.

A couple of weeks ago I pointed out to a middle aged woman driver that her car had a very soft tyre. She was very grateful to know about the problem, and asked me, with a smile, where the nearest garage was. Now that was nice.

You lot are so uptight sometimes

AlmostTrick

Cell phone distracted driving has been proven by studies to be plenty dangerous. Easily much more dangerous than non threatening, unsolicited advice giving I'd say. Therefore as a society I believe it is our duty to stigmatize this behavior, like we have with drunk driving. Publicly calling out those who insist on putting us all in danger is a small step to help reach this goal.

Personally I favor doing the talking hand thing, or honking, while giving the yacker a serious stare down. The frightening thing is not the small chance that a driver will attempt to "teach me a lesson", (I've yet to have a person willing to drop their phone to come "get" me) but the large amount of drivers that don't even come out of their cell induced trance, even while being stared or honked at!

I would never tap or touch a vehicle though. Actually, I'm never really close enough to reach one, whether stopped or not.

dmac49

Another Road Ranger move. Lucky you didn't get your face broken. Leave the enforcement to the police.

tagaproject6

Ah yes, an English accent and a road bike paints a very safe picture and delves into the character of a person whose motives can never be mistaken as other than honorable!

Old Town

Now you're playing stupid and it's not working. There is one hell of a difference between approaching a stranger (and a woman at that) and giving them a hand with a problem, and approaching a male stranger and telling him how he should conduct his personal life.

You are either incredibly stupid or simply enjoy posting foolish scenarios to see what kind of reaction you can get. Mind you, I don't care if you are just fishing. Gives funny people a chance to have sport with you. But if you are the former (stupid) come on down to Miami. We could use a good laugh.

mikewille

Where's the guy that does the "phone jammed into ass" gesture?

Ed Holland

I've got a perfectly good idea of what I'm getting into with this. As mentioned before, I've had the whole spectrum of reactions from drivers regarding the use of phones whilst driving. That is only to be expected.

Why should I mind my own business in a situation where I consider an individual's actions to be potentially dangerous to others around them AND I consider there to be little personal risk in doing so, such as with Mr Prius of Palo Alto this morning?


Besides all this, my whole point with this thread was to highlight the absurdity of CA law that the driver basically used to justify his action - that it's OK to drive and use a handheld device so long as you are doing something that requires visual attention, rather than simply holding a conversation.

Old Town

Mr. Ed: I can see there is no getting to you. You are a true believer. Good luck in all further endeavours involving the taming of your fellow man. But if you run into my middle sister out there in CA, don't be tapping on her windows. She carries a gun and has no use for nosy Englishmen. It's a character flaw of hers. Just so you know.

cydisc

The stats say otherwise. But, it'll never happen to you.