The blind driver

[honkerman]

I was reading a post here last night and it reminded me of how vulnerable we are on two wheels. I've written a bit about what I do to stay visible. This is just personal visibility though, not scooter visibility.

http://scootinfool.blogspot.com/2015/09 ... e-man.html

What do you do to stay visible?

[Mel46]

I have found that our biggest problem here, and i mean BIGGEST, is drivers texting while driving. Even the accident we were recently involved in seems to come back as driver inattention due to texting. Yesterday i watched as a lady stopped dead in traffic and looked down at her cellphone. Then, while still looking down, she turned across traffic and headed for the inside lane where she eventually did an illegal u-turn and came back in the direction she had come. It seemed to be up to everyone else to get out of her way. She never used her turn signal. It was 5 o'clock traffic on a really busy street that had 3 lanes in each direction. Imagine going from the outside lane to the inside lane by just turning across traffic without looking. If I had been on my scooter or in my car, it would not have made a difference. She almost hit a huge Suburban, and that was what she was driving. How do you compete with a cellphone?!

[tbln930]

Yep. I don't ride in much traffic most of the time but the cars I do see are often weaving because they are texting. Missouri has electronic signs up that sometimes say don't text and drive but we have no laws against anything involving phones and driving unless you are under 22 years old. For me a 60 year old woman texting is the most dangerous thing on the rode no matter what I am in. I often honk at them and they give me dirty looks. I think we are still one of the 4 states left with no laws regarding this.

On the other hand we are armed to the teeth with everything including silencers. My entire family has conceal permits.

[WhiteNoise]

Perfectly said Mel. We have the exact same shite here! Damn how they just zip across two lanes into yours and then exit off. Just missing every vehicle around them! Amazing how "they feel they are" the only ones on the road. I see this happen daily.........I said daily!!!

[Brent]

Sometimes I wish I could drive a tank and personally give careless drivers a FREE prostate check and colonoscopy with the tank barrel!

Idiots!

[you you]

As a counterpoint to random angst I haven't had any problems in almost 40 years of riding

Other than those of my causing.

[Mel46]

You have been exceptionally blessed if you haven't had to deal with the texting driver yet. We have laws in our state about not texting while driving, but we also have laws about illegal U-turns, and stopping at red lights, and not passing stopped school buses. None of those matter to people who think they are entitled. Slowly but surely the law is catching on. Now school buses have cameras to record the plate of those who pass the stopped school bus, and more and more intersections now have traffic cams. As for texting while driving, they are still trying to figure out how to best handle those situations. How do they prove that someone was texting while driving without pulling the cellpbone records, which is what they are having to do. That is a lot of wasted resources to have to expend over and over again, and the number of accidents caused by those texting is still climbing. My thought would be to have dead zones while driving, but that takes texting away from everyone, including the passengers and police, as well as cell service for everyone. If drivers get caught texting, maybe they should get their phones taken. That could get expensive enough after a while.

[tbln930]

If you can you are much better off living where there are fewer people. Less crime and less traffic.

[j.d.b.]

I'm shopping for one of these. I figure after a week or so on the street respect will be accorded!

[you you]

You have been exceptionally blessed if you haven't had to deal with the texting driver yet. We have laws in our state about not texting while driving, but we also have laws about illegal U-turns, and stopping at red lights, and not passing stopped school buses. None of those matter to people who think they are entitled. Slowly but surely the law is catching on. Now school buses have cameras to record the plate of those who pass the stopped school bus, and more and more intersections now have traffic cams. As for texting while driving, they are still trying to figure out how to best handle those situations. How do they prove that someone was texting while driving without pulling the cellpbone records, which is what they are having to do. That is a lot of wasted resources to have to expend over and over again, and the number of accidents caused by those texting is still climbing. My thought would be to have dead zones while driving, but that takes texting away from everyone, including the passengers and police, as well as cell service for everyone. If drivers get caught texting, maybe they should get their phones taken. That could get expensive enough after a while.

I've seen people texting whilst driving but interfered with my riding tbh

[iceman]

You have been exceptionally blessed if you haven't had to deal with the texting driver yet. We have laws in our state about not texting while driving, but we also have laws about illegal U-turns, and stopping at red lights, and not passing stopped school buses. None of those matter to people who think they are entitled. Slowly but surely the law is catching on. Now school buses have cameras to record the plate of those who pass the stopped school bus, and more and more intersections now have traffic cams. As for texting while driving, they are still trying to figure out how to best handle those situations. How do they prove that someone was texting while driving without pulling the cellpbone records, which is what they are having to do. That is a lot of wasted resources to have to expend over and over again, and the number of accidents caused by those texting is still climbing. My thought would be to have dead zones while driving, but that takes texting away from everyone, including the passengers and police, as well as cell service for everyone. If drivers get caught texting, maybe they should get their phones taken. That could get expensive enough after a while.

Mel, in London we deal with all that and all you mention is illegal (with the exception of the school bus). Makes no odds - a good %80-90 of drivers in London are now so bad at driving or just don't give a ****, it's out of control as the police and governments do nothing. The only way to stop it is to have 100's of unmarked cars driving around videoing all the see, pulling over those that text, don't indicate, speed, tailgate, and crushing the vehicle (if it's not stolen), massive fines for the 1st offence and imprisonment for repeated offenders. Money raised from millions of bad drivers would more than pay for the scheme. Most of the bad driving would soon stop if they did that.

[you you]

You have been exceptionally blessed if you haven't had to deal with the texting driver yet. We have laws in our state about not texting while driving, but we also have laws about illegal U-turns, and stopping at red lights, and not passing stopped school buses. None of those matter to people who think they are entitled. Slowly but surely the law is catching on. Now school buses have cameras to record the plate of those who pass the stopped school bus, and more and more intersections now have traffic cams. As for texting while driving, they are still trying to figure out how to best handle those situations. How do they prove that someone was texting while driving without pulling the cellpbone records, which is what they are having to do. That is a lot of wasted resources to have to expend over and over again, and the number of accidents caused by those texting is still climbing. My thought would be to have dead zones while driving, but that takes texting away from everyone, including the passengers and police, as well as cell service for everyone. If drivers get caught texting, maybe they should get their phones taken. That could get expensive enough after a while.

Mel, in London we deal with all that and all you mention is illegal (with the exception of the school bus). Makes no odds - a good %80-90 of drivers in London are now so bad at driving or just don't give a ****, it's out of control as the police and governments do nothing. The only way to stop it is to have 100's of unmarked cars driving around videoing all the see, pulling over those that text, don't indicate, speed, tailgate, and crushing the vehicle (if it's not stolen), massive fines for the 1st offence and imprisonment for repeated offenders. Money raised from millions of bad drivers would more than pay for the scheme. Most of the bad driving would soon stop if they did that.

Bad day in the office...

[iceman]

No ,you you - what needs to be done - it's terrible in London but may be good where you are, as you say you've not had a bad experience in 40 years of driving - really!

[honkerman]

No ,you you - what needs to be done - it's terrible in London but may be good where you are, as you say you've not had a bad experience in 40 years of driving - really!

Believe yer bein' trolled there Ice.

I drive primarily rural and have 24 years of driving experience under my belt, and still have tons of close calls every month because of idiots. Usually they are on the scoot, but I had several on my Sabre a few years back and even in my Jag (which is not a small car), I have close calls almost weekly.

[Mel46]

If all the scooter riders bought one of those scooters like jdb showed, maybe we would get some respect....or maybe they still wouldn't look up from texting until the barrel of the gun was sitting in their lap.

[Bash On!]

If all the scooter riders bought one of those scooters like jdb showed, maybe we would get some respect....or maybe they still wouldn't look up from texting until the barrel of the gun was sitting in their lap.

I never got tailgated when (in the old days) I had a gun in the rear window rifle rack of my truck. Yee haw!

[honkerman]

If all the scooter riders bought one of those scooters like jdb showed, maybe we would get some respect....or maybe they still wouldn't look up from texting until the barrel of the gun was sitting in their lap.

I never got tailgated when (in the old days) I had a gun in the rear window rifle rack of my truck. Yee haw!

Funny story. I have a PA "License to carry firearms" which allows me to carry concealed, but in the summer, it's far too hot and since PA is an open carry state, I'll just have it out there on my hip. Funny how people will come screaming up behind me, then suddenly drop back. I've had it happen more than once.

[WhiteNoise]

Boom! Okay, okay we get the idea....let's not go (you know where) "There!"

Traffic is bad, it will get worse. We must be watchful, do the best we can. Do not let anger get the best of you, it will do You harm. Enjoy yourselves, smile, breath, Life is good. Can't enjoy it unless you're here! Be well, stay well, and by God! Have FUN!! Group Hug sent!

[WaunaPCX]

Freakin Facebook, man. Some people are always on that thing.

[you you]

No ,you you - what needs to be done - it's terrible in London but may be good where you are, as you say you've not had a bad experience in 40 years of driving - really!

Believe yer bein' trolled there Ice.

I drive primarily rural and have 24 years of driving experience under my belt, and still have tons of close calls every month because of idiots. Usually they are on the scoot, but I had several on my Sabre a few years back and even in my Jag (which is not a small car), I have close calls almost weekly.

I used to have one of those until last year. Not keen on the jag you've put on the bonnet though. That'll cause some damage if you hit a pedestrian

Or a scooter rider