Using your phone while driving/ distracted driving.

[Meier Link]

If you are one of those people that think it alright to drive and text, put on make up, blog, take videos / pictures or do anything other thing that distracts you from driving then I, along side millions of other bikers, don't like you. At least while you are in the car.

Distracted driving kills more people per year then drunk drivers. Many states have passed laws against cell phone usage while operating motor vehicles.

Riding in this day in age is a world of difference then say 10 years ago. Technology on the go has became a problem and if you are one of those people I am referring to then you are part of the problem. There is no excuse at all. You are not that good of a driver .

Why am I ranting about this? Most will think that it's because dumb **** drivers try to take me out daily on the bike and in part you are correct. The main reason is because over a year ago my woman was rear ended in her friends car by someone that thought it was acceptable to text and drive.

For over a year I have had to deal with my woman be in constant pain due to back injuries caused by the wreck and mental anguish caused by the pending law suit because the insurance of the other driver doesn't want to pay out.

Am I alone in this thought process? If you were one of those people that drove distracted and now dont; what changed for you?

Disagree with anything I have ranted by all means defend your self amd your actions. Just know somewhere in what ever country you are in a mother, brother, father, sister, son or daughter will not be coming home to their family due to people that thought they were good enough to drive while distracted.

[noxious.sunshine]

I've been anti-texting while driving since way before it even became a thing and laws started being passed.

Back in the day, when flip phones were high tech, I could text without even looking at my phone. No, I didn't read any texts while driving. I'd maybe look if I was at a red light and totally stopped, but that's it.

I personally don't even talk on my phone while driving- I don't even use my car's bluetooth or whatever.

That's partly 'cuz I'm not much of a phone talker in general though unless I'm drunk and mostly because I need music blaring.

I do get annoyed with my feyonce tho when he talks while driving. It's irritating.

EDIT: I'm also a big stickler for safe driving in general. I'm the daughter of retired truck drivers. Can't be helped. .. Even though people sometimes say I'm a crappy driver, I've only been in like 2 or 3 minor accidents in 12 years.

[Alpha]

I've never touched my phone while driving, at all. I don't feel the need to check it that compulsively, and all of my alerts, including incoming calls, are on silent.

Using a cellphone is probably as dangerous as drunk driving, IMO... although the rate of drunk driving seems to be higher, at least in NZ. How do I know? I made a map once. Here's a link (only really works on desktop, sorry...)

Each dot represents one accident, approximately in the last 9 months. There are more accidents due to driving drunk... but I still don't know if that's because drunk driving is more common or actually more dangerous per unit of driving...

Screenshot from 2015-09-02 22:17:58.pngScreenshot from 2015-09-02 22:18:16.png

[Pete]

I'll check my phone at red lights, that's about it. I have Bluetooth connected to my car so if someone calls, it goes right through the car speakers, and I can answer with a button on my steering wheel.

I'm not a fan of people who text and drive, especially when they suck at both

[Robbo]

I don't drive myself, shits expensive.

However I do hate it when my buddy texts when he's driving I've told him before but he doesen't seem to care he really only does it on open roads or in slow traffic, even so I can't help but to pay more attention to the road when he's doing so. I don't understand the need to respond to a text urgently anyway, If it was important surely someone would bell him.

[Yoko]

I have a work phone. I am on call usually 24/7. Even when driving. Texts I will usually ignore. Emails from clients, I will do my best to ignore, then my boss will text/call me 10 minutes later asking if I got that e mail. It's frustrating. Then it usually prompts me to yell at Siri for 20 minutes trying to send an e mail with two sentences. That's ultra frustrating.

I can handle calls since I have handsfree bluetooth. Emails and texts are the bane of my driving existence. They don't end and there isn't much I can do unless I pull over. I hate pulling over because it means I have to completely get off the highway, find a good place to stop, and work for 20-30 minutes when I could very well be at the comfort of my own home by the time I've finished something really simple. Sometimes things can't wait. If it something I can do while driving, I'll do it. Otherwise It'll wait.

I also use a mount that sits on my dash.



I'll have google maps open a lot to find the fastest route home. Since traffic literally changes minute to minute, it's really helped me a lot. I'll glance over, fix my route or send a quick text if I need to, and I don't look down. I know it doesn't really help the anti-text/phone using dilemma, but it's helped me keep on top of work issues without getting majorly distracted.

Oh, and I ALWAYS look for you bikers. You're all sneaky little buggers that literally pop out of nowhere, but I look for those motorcycles!!

[OceanEyes28]

I use the maps function sometimes, and if I'm doing that, I'll hold it up near the wheel and glance to see if I have a turn coming.

Otherwise, it pretty much stays in my bag. I do check the time at red lights if I'm running late somewhere, because I'm compulsive?

My mom was in a bad motorcycle wreck when I was a little one, messed up her knee, broke ribs, etc. Her helmet saved her. It happened because an '86 Plymouth didn't see her, pulled out across the road, panicked and stopped, and she hit it. Not cool seeing your mom all hooked up with tubes and doped up on pain meds.

I'm protective of bikers.

[Meier Link]

I am fine with people using maps or navigator. I blue tooth them into my head set so I can hear the turn by turn instructions.

Every time I get on the bike someone tries to take me out and 99% of the time as I am either knocking on their window or kicking a door panel in they have their faces plastered to their phones. I ride in 2 states: agresive and on the offence. Riding defence you ride dead.

Oklahomas law comes into effect this month. Hopefully it keeps some of the idiots at bay. I know I have a pocket full of pennies and my end cap on my clutch hand weighs approximately .75lbs. Few will understand that.

[01habbo]

I don't like it if i know someone is driving and they send me a message ill yell at them to look at the road. I really think you should be able to do a sort of neighbourhood watch thing on this kind of stuff. It would be so much easier if we could note down license plates and report them.

[Unknown Entity]

I don't drive, but I'm usually a passenger. Which means I answer the calls, send the messages and navigate for the driver.

I don't even like it when drivers drink from a bottle or smoke in the car while moving. Get a straw or just ****ing wait or something. =/

[Rowan]

Only to change music if im at a red light, dont see how thats any different to using the player on the dash. I wont text while driving because theres no reason too. I may answer the phone while driving but put it on speaker so I dont have to hold it.

[Clint]

The only time I use my phone while driving is for GPS or music, and even then, I set it up before I start driving, and I don't touch it until I reach my destination. Distractions like a cell phone cause people to drive worse, as if people didn't already suck at driving. I feel like it's too easy to get a drivers license. I don't think people should be able to do it through high school, and I really don't think 15 year olds should be allowed to operate heavy machinery. I didn't get my license until I was 18, and I got it the hard way; through the DMV, and it made me a better driver. Being afraid of driving also made me a better driver.

[Josh_R]

I use my phone when I am in my car for music that is it. I don't **** around with taking pictures, or texting and shit like that. To years ago I lost a good friend who was on his way to work on his motorcycle and was side swiped by someone who ran a red light because he was texting on his ****ing phone. Since I have been anti texting have even yelled at people I see ****ing around on their phone and not paying attention to the road.