Be careful out there

[Jeffhorn_imp]

He Y'all, leaving my workplace for an appointment just a few miles away, I was forced out of my lane before I even got out of the parking lot then a couple of hundred yards down the road was again forced out of my lane. All within a just a minute. Let's be careful and alert out there. I want see all us ride another day.

 

[pdedse]

He Y'all, leaving my workplace for an appointment just a few miles away, I was forced out of my lane before I even got out of the parking lot then a couple of hundred yards down the road was again forced out of my lane. All within a just a minute. Let's be careful and alert out there. I want see all us ride another day.

There are days, it seems, when the entire automobile world seems to have it in mind to bring about your personal destruction as you ride. May they be few and far between.

 

[Elevenminusoneblade_imp]

I've been riding for 20+ years. I've never taken a spill. I've never been in a wreck. That said, I pretty much ride like every driver is insane/asleep/drunk/out to get me. It's constant Nixon-level paranoia.

That's the background, here's my question: how are we as vulnerable riders to confront (if at all) the distracted driver? I've seen so, so, so many drivers texting and looking down at their devices, now up, now down again, and still down, oh, now up...that it's beyond unnerving and into the what the heck do I do about it territory. And what I mean is generally since the motorcyclist is the weak link (i.e. the party most likely to get killed in a wreck or in some road-rage incident) I've never confronted even the most irresponsible of drivers. Blow through a stop sign, I won't even honk. You missed me and you may be drunk or maybe your girlfriend just left you and you're one finger away from snapping so imma let it go. But the preponderance of distracted drivers has me re-thinking my tolerant attitude. Should we be shaming them? Honking and pointing? Honking, pointing, wagging our fingers and shaking our heads? Or should we be just keeping our distance, because that's what I'm doing and that only seems to lead to me being closer to ANOTHER distracted driver.

Not intended as a thread-jack, I'm just frustrated with what I'm seeing out there.

 

[the Ferret]

There is nothing you can do about distracted drivers except get away from them when you spot one. It's the new reality.

 

[crutch_imp]

I agree, thought long and hard before getting back in to motorcycling, cellphones are a plague on human attention spans.
I try to take the back roads as often as possible, less traffic, less opportunities for danger. Usually better scenery as a bonus.
crutch

 

[dave]

Here in California they passed a law to legalize "recreational use" of marijuana. I used to smell it frequently at intersections coming out the windows of cars, but now I am smelling it more. I take a walk during my lunch break every day and I smell it in the park I walk through, and on public streets. I'm not sure what the law is concerning public consumption, but it really scares me when I ride now to think about how many more idiots there are out on the road driving half-stoned. A friend of mine has friends in Washington (husband and wife) who sold their motorcycles because the state of Washington legalized pot. That was good advice above on how to live longer while riding a motorcycle.

 

[Ben70_imp]

Like many of us, I returned to riding after a many year break. I rode my highly maneuverable Yamaha SR 500 for daily commutes in Tucson and Sacramento years ago.
I wouldn't do it today. Times have changed, people are more distracted and everybody runs around like they learned how to drive watching Fast and Furious. I can still negotiate city traffic, but it's not a pleasant experience and I avoid it as much as possible.
So I agree with a total defensive riding strategy, and whatever you do, don't use a Go Pro. From looking at Youtube they appear to draw wrecks like flies.

Ben

 

[pdedse]

Like many of us, I returned to riding after a many year break. I rode my highly maneuverable Yamaha SR 500 for daily commutes in Tucson and Sacramento years ago.
I wouldn't do it today. Times have changed, people are more distracted and everybody runs around like they learned how to drive watching Fast and Furious. I can still negotiate city traffic, but it's not a pleasant experience and I avoid it as much as possible.
So I agree with a total defensive riding strategy, and whatever you do, don't use a Go Pro. From looking at Youtube they appear to draw wrecks like flies.

Ben

Haha, funny even though the topic is sober. I don't mind watching the videos because they remind me to stay alert and ride within my capabilities, and yes, of course, that doesn't keep others from driving drunk, stoned, cell-distracted. But my own "good" behavior does reduce overall risk...hopefully, enough.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

Here after a long winter, car drivers are not looking for bicycles or motorcycles. The city puts up signs to remind car drivers of this.

The bigger the city, the worst the rush hours are. People become impatient, more aggressive, and less courteous. As my dad use to say, "Nobody picks up other people's good habits."

I was just as guilty. When I retired, it took about a year of nagging from the second driver to get me to relax. We now avoid going downtown if at all possible. We live in a quiet suburb on the outskirts of the city. Everything we need is available here, but we still avoid the rush hours. We also avoid shopping on the weekends because the people that commute still drive like it is rush hour. Plus the stores are crowded with impatient people.

I ride the back roads on the weekdays because there is less cottage traffic. I am lucky because there are quiet 80 KPH (50 MPH) roads outside the city just 5 minutes from my home. All my day trips are planed to avoid busy highways. It may take a few minutes longer, but is much safer and enjoyable.

 

[Rebel73_imp]

I am utterly disgusted at the amount of people I see on their phones while driving. It really boils my blood. I think the best thing we can do is take the fight to the political arena and support the AMA in lobbying for tougher laws and stricter enforcement. Right now they amount to not much more than a slap on the wrist. I say the penalty should be close to that of drunk driving, because statistics show it is just as dangerous, if not more so. For the time being, the best we can do is practice hyper vigilance and to continue to improve our defensive skills. So yeah, hit these selfish idiots hard and where it hurts, in their pocketbook. They'll think twice about doing it if they have to cough up $2,000.

 

[kvdv_imp]

I am utterly disgusted at the amount of people I see on their phones while driving. It really boils my blood. I think the best thing we can do is take the fight to the political arena and support the AMA in lobbying for tougher laws and stricter enforcement. Right now they amount to not much more than a slap on the wrist. I say the penalty should be close to that of drunk driving, because statistics show it is just as dangerous, if not more so. For the time being, the best we can do is practice hyper vigilance and to continue to improve our defensive skills. So yeah, hit these selfish idiots hard and where it hurts, in their pocketbook. They'll think twice about doing it if they have to cough up $2,000.

If I were king of the world, there would be zero tolerance and MEGA penalties. Texting and driving would be immediate impound and auction of the vehicle + lifetime revocation of the driver's license. Maybe even toss in a night in jail to sweeten the deal. I'm not kidding, either. I don't understand why it's anything less than that when one stops to think of what's at stake. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and should be managed as such. Rant over

 

[Nortoon_imp]

I don't understand why the all the androids need to be on their phones 24/7. Do they really receive that many emergency calls? I am 70 years old and never had a phone call in my life that needed to be made or answered RIGHT NOW.

I carry a cell phone when I ride. It is an old flip phone that my wife passed on to me in case I was involved in an accident while riding. That is the only time I carry it, and it has never been used.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Until we enforce the laws we already have, I fear distracted driving is only going to get worse. DUI in Colorado was only a misdemeanor until recently. Lots of stories on the local news about 7-,8-,9-time DUI offenders getting into another wreck and killing someone. All they got was community service and a suspended license.

 

[aschem_imp]

It is still legal to use a hand-held phone here in Idaho :>(
I think self-driving cars are a good idea if they can actually detect motorcycles. If so, then car manufactures need to bring-em out at lightning speed :&gt
Other driving news. Utah Governor Gary Herbert has signed a bill lowering Utah's DUI level from .08 to .05, making it the lowest in the nation.

 

[Blockhead_imp]

Last Fall I saw a kid on a sport bike texting with one hand and driving with the other...couldn't believe it!

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Using a hand-held phone while driving is legal in CO, too. Seems like everyone does it. Texting is illegal.

 

[c-breezy_imp]

Last Fall I saw a kid on a sport bike texting with one hand and driving with the other...couldn't believe it!

I saw this recently too...guy on a Gixxer taking a Snapchat selfie while waiting at a light!

Using a hand-held phone while driving is legal in CO, too. Seems like everyone does it. Texting is illegal.

Thankfully in California it is now illegal to hold your phone AT ALL while driving. I have friends that have been ticketed for holding their phones even while waiting, fully stopped, at red lights. The motorcycle cops will creep by and if they see you they tell you to pull over. I know it probably seems like overkill but hopefully over time it will train people to stay off their phones!

You're only allowed to make a single tap or swipe on your phone as long as the phone is mounted or fixed to the vehicle.

 

[the Ferret]

Too late to outlaw it now. People had tried it, and liked it. they are not going to gove up their phones.

It's been against the law to drive without a seatbelt or drive under the influence here for 10 years or more. Pretty substantial ticket if spotted, or pulled over, yet every night on the news when they are reporting the auto carnage on the highway, they report " alcohol or drugs was believed to be involved and neither driver was wearing a seatbelt".

 

[Captainwoot_imp]

Seems like the whole world is slowly going to he** in a hand basket...
Technology is cool but nobody can live 5min without their phone and a constant supply of social media. The new vehicles they create now will park for you, give you 360 camera views (nobody can turn their head or use a mirror). Add up traction control, electronic stability programs, antilock brakes, collision mitigation software, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, lane keeper systems (i am sure i have missed some). We now have an entire generation of people that can't drive and are right at home on their phones because the cars do most of it for them. Now with addition of mobile wifi in your car , I'm sure it will get better lol (insert sarcasm):huh:
Where will it end????

I agree with the thread starter, We need to be careful out there!
Ride safe everyone!

 

[pdedse]

Too late to outlaw it now. People had tried it, and liked it. they are not going to gove up their phones.

It's been against the law to drive without a seatbelt or drive under the influence here for 10 years or more. Pretty substantial ticket if spotted, or pulled over, yet every night on the news when they are reporting the auto carnage on the highway, they report " alcohol or drugs was believed to be involved and neither driver was wearing a seatbelt".

Yet, respectfully, while it may be that a very high percentage of accidents they report do involve "under the influence" and / or no seat belts, that doesn't mean that laws are not having a positive effect. There's no way to document "accidents that never happened" because some citizens DO make decisions based on tough laws and refrain from drinking while driving, and do buckle up, and do avoid texting...and maybe some of us have been the benefit of these "non-accidents" that could have been...hopefully that make sense. So even if some will always text / drive under the influence despite laws, some others will curb such behavior because of the laws and the net effect is positive.