Chatting with my buddy...

[Valkorado]

who works in our local hospital.  Says they see lots of bike accidents in our small but unfortunately growing and touristy town.  He sold his V-Strom last year, hasn't looked back but does love riding so I can see him doing so again or getting a Slingshot or something cool like that.  Anyway, I digress...

He just told me they have had three flight for life accidents (to the "big" hospital, likely in Grand Junction) in two weeks. Kicker is, word is out that in ALL THREE cases distracted cagers were the culprit.  TEXTING cagers.  

I'm all for mandatory year loss of driving privileges on the FIRST OFFENCE (like DUI), at least until tech and auto manufactures pull their heads out and make an automatic text and data disabling feature.  Yeah, I have heard the argument that doing so would infringe on the rights of the passengers, etc.  Phooey!

Be careful out there.

EDIT for detail.  One of the critical had his helmet knocked clean off.  Good MRI, but lungs not functioning w/o a respirator.  My friend is not sure if it was that or another accident, but the wife was on her bike and saw it happen.  She was hysterical, and talking about how the person must be prosecuted.  In another group, the guys said they saw the oncomer keep veering into their lane, their buddy tried to evade but no luck and was creamed.  I guess one of the guys was overheard saying the driver was looking down until after the impact.  Guess one of the critical IS a retired L.E.O..

[..]

The sooner the better.

Self centered f'wits that have to be in social media contact unless their worthless little lives are revealed as a fart in a gale.

I say shoot the bastids in the buttock with a low velocity .22.

[Hooter]

I would agree that a years suspension would be good but, not unlike any other suspended driver they will drive and take their chances on getting caught over and over. It doesn't stop most from driving.
I arrested a certain individual 3 times in 1 year for suspended which took his total suspensions to 5. Finally the judge sentenced him to a year in the can. I haven't seen him since.. Before he went away It never stopped him or many others from driving anyway and never will. The blocking of calls in a vehicle once put in drive with the exception of 9-1-1calls would be the best solution, no matter how some disagree with it.

There is a black box in every vehicle that most don't know about or where it is. I've removed a bunch of these for information in the event of a serious or fatal accident. It could be incorporated into the box. If it was removed by an owner to circumvent the system then the vehicle would not run. I'm sure someone would find a way around any preventative but something has to happen!

[Skinhead]

I'm all for 1 yr suspension, first offense, if caught driving under suspension 1 yr jail time, hard to drive under suspension if locked up, and license not returned until you pay the cost of your incarceration,.  As far as disabling,if in a moving vehicle you must click a button that you are not the driver, before you can use  your cel, if you click you are not the driver, when in fact you are, it should be automatic 5 year suspension if caught, and 5 yr jail time if you cause an at fault accident.

[RDKLL]

I live in AZ and this state is so f@#king stupid when it comes to anti texting and cell phone usage. They just passed a law that is so ridiculous as to be laughable. The law is for new drivers who cannot use a phone while driving for the first 6 months. I see it all the time and the LEO's are no better using their mounted laptop, although they call it something else. I followed a Mesa PD car for about 15 miles on the Loop 202 (interstate like with 65 mph, 4 lanes with HOV lane) and he was all over the road...I keep saying that nothing meaningful will be done until the "right " person is killed. The picture is from a few years ago that I stumbled upon looking for something else.

[Valker]

If some of you are serious about the manufacturers making cell phone use while moving almost impossible, encourage bikers hit/ injured/ killed by texting drivers to sue the car manufacturers for being part of the cause. Losing several (possibly hundreds) of millions of dollars would get it accomplished. They have the technology, not implementing it is complicity.

[sandy]

Britman and I know that CDL bus drivers live under a law that you can't use a cell phone while driving. You can't even hold it in your hand, even if it's turned off. This law should be apply to all drivers of any vehicle. That way passengers rights would remain intact.
BTW: I retired from school bus driving in January of this year (13 yrs).

[..]

Britman and I know that CDL bus drivers live under a law that you can't use a cell phone while driving. You can't even hold it in your hand, even if it's turned off. This law should be apply to all drivers of any vehicle. That way passengers rights would remain intact.
BTW: I retired from school bus driving in January of this year (13 yrs).

 

I start work again Aug 13th for a local private school driving field trips and sports.

School has....................... wait for it.............................................a

Precision rifle team  and.............................................................. wait for it...........................
A bass fishing team!!!

Their biggest team sport is swimming.

[Sorcerer]

You would really need to kill all electronics. Regardless they are all an distraction. GPS locked once in motion. Factory/ after market radio, locked once in motion. I pads, I pods, locked once in motion. Blue tooth helmet “SENA “ and the like, locked once in motion. Built in rider to passenger intercoms, locked once in motion. The little video screens on the rear of seats in passenger vehicles, locked once in motion. And CELL PHONES, locked. How many of you are willing to give up ALL “ devices “ once in motion? You decide you don’t like that play list you chose, pull over. Voice commands for those devices, locked once in motion.

[Bighead]

You would really need to kill all electronics. Regardless they are all an distraction. GPS locked once in motion. Factory/ after market radio, locked once in motion. I pads, I pods, locked once in motion. Blue tooth helmet “SENA “ and the like, locked once in motion. Built in rider to passenger intercoms, locked once in motion. The little video screens on the rear of seats in passenger vehicles, locked once in motion. And CELL PHONES, locked. How many of you are willing to give up ALL “ devices “ once in motion? You decide you don’t like that play list you chose, pull over. Voice commands for those devices, locked once in motion.

I'd vote for it now.

[Valkorado]

You would really need to kill all electronics. Regardless they are all an distraction. GPS locked once in motion. Factory/ after market radio, locked once in motion. I pads, I pods, locked once in motion. Blue tooth helmet “SENA “ and the like, locked once in motion. Built in rider to passenger intercoms, locked once in motion. The little video screens on the rear of seats in passenger vehicles, locked once in motion. And CELL PHONES, locked. How many of you are willing to give up ALL “ devices “ once in motion? You decide you don’t like that play list you chose, pull over. Voice commands for those devices, locked once in motion.

I'd vote for it now.

Me too.

[Valkorado]

An interesting test here.  

http://www.westword.com/marijuana/colorado-drivers-drink-beers-toke-up-and-drive-with-sheriffs-deputies-10548792

"According to Mitchem, the texting drivers performed the worst on the course, hitting the most cones while driving. They were followed by cannabis users, then alcohol drinkers."

This is tough?
https://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/01/texting-while-driving-colorado/

[hubcapsc]

They could mandate that cell towers be programmed to not service
people moving down the street.

-Mike

[Moonshot_1]

Perhaps a solution, albeit not a perfect one, is to simply have the phones disable the texting ability if moving over 25 mph. You can still talk on the phone, therefore no 1st amendment issues arise. While you may need to look away to dial, it is brief in duration.

The main hurdle is that there are a lot of people who are in motion that can't be punished for simply riding a bus and texting. Or a taxi, or a train.

[old2soon]

I'm guessin that in the 9 years 5 months since I retired from over the road trucking it ain't got NO better. Texting sex talking eating while driving. I've seen way More than my fair share of stupid. Just around here in semi rural Ozarks of Missouri had it Not been for my air horn-well close call(s) sorta covers it. Some of the lane encroachers on 2 lane roads were using some electronic whizz bang. And some-well NO a lot of them you honk at to wake em up assume it's my fault fer wakin em up in the first place!  dumb asses. After 5 M P H they shut off cept fer 911. You have NO right to put my life or my families lives or my friends lives in jeopardy. Simple really. RIDE SAFE.

[solo1]

For many years I studied and put into practice all that I could learn about safe riding.   I felt that I could predict just about every dumbarse maneuver that drivers could do..................Until three years ago.

I backed the Vstrom out of the garage and then pushed it back in and sold it.   Why?

First of all, my knees, then thinking that I would be one massive bruise even with a laydown and despite my protective clothing.

However, the worst was the drivers texting.  All over the road, running traffic lights, turning left in front of Motorcycle (BTW, that was the highest accident rate according to Harry Hurt, remember him?)

I can now say it. Many close ones over the years but I had not had a single injury or accident.  It was time to quit, the odds became too great for me to overcome and still enjoy riding.

I do worry about my three sons riding but I won't interfere with their judgment.

As an aside, I still see many violations while driving the Miata, as these texting arseholes overlook it too because it's so small but a fender bender is better than a bruising or worse.

Wayne, solo1

[Robert]

The new phones do have the option to not text while driving

I see about 75 percent of the drivers texting, I especially hate stop lights.

Its getting worse not better.

They need to start enforcing the laws of no texting while driving.

[Bighead]

They need to start enforcing the laws of no texting while driving.

This^^^^^

[pais]

The sooner the better.

Self centered f'wits that have to be in social media contact unless their worthless little lives are revealed as a fart in a gale.

I say shoot the bastids in the buttock with a low velocity .22.

 Britman,
     I could not have said it better and you state it so eloquently!
 
     This is a serious issue that is not getting the REAL attention it so deserves! The worthless laws that are drawn up and never get enforced(how can they, damn cops are driving down the road violating) is such bulls*^t!

The new phones do have the option to not text while driving

I see about 75 percent of the drivers texting, I especially hate stop lights.

   Robert, I think your number may be a conservative estimate.

[0leman]

Oregon has some pretty good distracted driver laws on the books.  They even recently up the fines for this.  I have a friend that I visit with a bit while working out in the mornings, he is a Sargent with the local LEO's.   He recently gave a ticket to a young lady for texting while driving.  She ask why not warning ticket as it was her first.  He told her the law had been on the books for several years, plenty of warning.

Since I drive a full size pickup truck, I do see a lot of folks checking/texting on their phones while sitting at stop lights.  Heads down, some need a blip from horn to let them know the light has changed.

[Valker]

I'd support camera tickets like some places have for red lights. Any driver texting gets mailed a $750 ticket. It should increase by double every time it's a repeat offender.

[RDKLL]

They need to start enforcing the laws of no texting while driving.

In Arizona we need to have a law to enforce, other than bus drivers and new drivers. I think either friends or family of someone important has to die before anything meaningful gets passed.

[Pete]

Folks the first thing that needs to be done is DO NOT pass laws that cannot or will not be enforced.
The second thing is that actions must have real live meaningful consequences.

If "things" first and second are not done (and they will not be, probably) then nothing really changes.

Technology that can be implemented to block can and will be offset by technology that bypasses the block, making the effort meaningless. Laws or not.

I detest drivers of any vehicle that are distracted for any reason, but until they are seen, caught and properly punished for dangerous conduct nothing will really change. Waiting until they cause an accident is the wrong approach, do it before.

[old2soon]

Folks the first thing that needs to be done is DO NOT pass laws that cannot or will not be enforced.
The second thing is that actions must have real live meaningful consequences.

If "things" first and second are not done (and they will not be, probably) then nothing really changes.

Technology that can be implemented to block can and will be offset by technology that bypasses the block, making the effort meaningless. Laws or not.

I detest drivers of any vehicle that are distracted for any reason, but until they are seen, caught and properly punished for dangerous conduct nothing will really change. Waiting until they cause an accident is the wrong approach, do it before.

            How LONG-and in some states STILL an ongoing problem-have drunk drivers been given a soft wrist slap. AND drunk drivers been around way Longer than electronic whizz bangs. It's only alright for Johnny or Jane to talk and text-unless one of them git killed whilst talking and texting then you git something like MADD or SADD. And even WHEN Johnny or Jane expire from electronic whizz bang use-it Will NOT mean a cursed thing even to the friends they left behind. I've had kids and adults tell me they are experts at multi tasking. My response if they bother to listen?? Yeah right. My only response cuz ya just cain't fix stupid. RIDE SAFE.