Driver/Rider Distractions

[Ulvetanna_imp]

So a bicycle rider can't grab his water bottle for a sip without breaking the law in California? But pot is legal? Wow.

In Ohio, speeding is a much larger deal, and you'd better not get caught doing more than about 9 or 10 over and chances are you are NOT going to be able to talk your way out of it. IN this state the saying is " Speed Kills" and the Highway Patrol motto is " Over 9, you're mine". Texting is illegal, but I have never heard of anyone getting pulled over for it and see it all day every day while riding. Almost every LEO I see is driving and talking on a cell phone.

Btw full admission, I took a lot of pics while riding in California, but didn't know it was illegal.

A cyclist can take a drink or eat same as it's legal to eat or drink whilst driving a car. The operator does not have to view a screen or input data. It is hand-held devices such as cameras and cellular phones which are proscribed by law.

We are distracted ALL the time when in any vehicle: We don't notice the bus turning left across our path two blocks ahead because our attention is drawn to the car to our right creeping out from an intersection 100' ahead. We read street signs, looking for Smith St. which is around here someplace. We see the flashing "low fuel" indicator and we start doing noroomtomove's calculation in our head. These are all distractions in the sense that they pull our focus, if only for a fraction of a second, away from the task at hand. In the split-second that it took to notice the car, or the bus, or the street sign, another vehicle, or pedestrian, or animal could cross our path.

I think there are degrees of distraction, largely based on the length of time of the distraction, but also involving the surrounding environment and the individual person's ability to manage the information that is being fired at him. So, staring at your GPS receiver for seconds is probably a major distraction, but if you're on Middle Of Nowhere lane and there are not other vehicles approaching you, maybe it's really a minor distraction. Watching a bald eagle fly along, pacing you 500' to your right over a farm field is probably something you should avoid doing if there's a curve in the road ahead or a tractor coming toward you in the opposite lane with three cars following waiting to pass.

Pointing a camera in the general direction of your subject and hoping to get at least one good shot. is a distraction. There's no denying it, but is is not the same level of distraction as talking or texting while driving a car. However, it may very well by a major distraction to someone else. It's probably a major distraction when done in heavy, but fast moving, traffic. It's a more than a distraction if it happens to be important to have both hands on the bars sometime in the few seconds after using the camera. It also may be illegal, although that is pretty much irrelevant to the discussion here.

One more thing. The result of distraction is shortening the reaction time of the distracted--shortening the time and distance between the rider and the object of concern. Speeding does this, too.

My suggestion to those that feel that any use of a camera while riding is too risky is that they refrain from doing so and unless they always ride at or below the posted speed limit, the can refrain from criticizing my decision to take photographs from my moving motorcycle.

LOL, Cormanus has incriminated himself in that case:

Can't answer the question, pdedse, but I was thinking exactly the same thing just the other day. I'm so glad my speedo shows only km/h.

115 kph and snapping images!

Then again he did state he started this thread to created some kind of diversion to the winter doldrums.