Mobile phones

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I've only just stumbled upon this thread, and haven't read all the posts; it's clearly got quite bad-tempered and I don't wish to become part of that, however I felt I had to comment on the above, because I cannot make sense of it. If road safety in general is a big deal for you, how can you divorce mobile phone use from that? Texting/Facebooking or just talking on a mobile whilst driving is incredibly dangerous.

I just cannot reconcile the two sentences above. If road safety is a big deal for you then mobile phone use has to be as well.
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It,'s like saying 'I'm opposed to arson and only set fire to public buildings when feeling particularly festive'. You can't support making the roads safer and at the same time be ambivalent about drivers fiddling with mobiles, it's contradictory and hypocritical.
 

Miquel In De Rain

No Longer Posting
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20857434

That's unusual. As is:



article-2247616-167ECBFB000005DC-797_306x752.jpg


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-pensioner-Mary-Rutherford-texting-wheel.html

That's the sort of self-centered pig ignorance we've seen on this thread. You're walking to your court appearance after tearing a family apart by driving whilst texting, and fiddling with your phone on the way. A special kind of person. Still, it wasn't my family, so it's not a huge deal.

This is todays society.I can't say im surprised in the least.
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
You know Boris, you've earned quite a lot of respect from me over time. I didn't think too highly of you at first, but I was wrong.

I have to say though, here I think you're incorrect. Your two stances on road safety and phone use seem extremely contradictory to me. It's very similar to you saying "I used to have one for the road, but I only stopped when it became illegal. Drink driving isn't an issue for me."
 
You know Boris, you've earned quite a lot of respect from me over time. I didn't think too highly of you at first, but I was wrong.

I have to say though, here I think you're incorrect. Your two stances on road safety and phone use seem extremely contradictory to me. It's very similar to you saying "I used to have one for the road, but I only stopped when it became illegal. Drink driving isn't an issue for me."

This warrants a reply. BM, you will be aware that the respect is mutual. I've said as much in the past.

I do like to post absurd, off-topic nonsense, but I can be serious too.

In thinking I'm wrong about 'phone use, you are in a club with my wife, my mother-in-law, my brother, my children and countless others.

I do not pretend that I'm right or want others to agree with me. I just don't see phone use at the wheel as a big deal.

I do not see my stance as contradictory.

I understand the drink-drive comparison, but I disagree with its applicaton here. To be frank, even though I am almost tee-total, I do not get as upset by drink driving as some of my peers. I accept that it is (very) dangerous, but I have a fairly fatalistic view of it. On 'phone use, I realise it can be dangerous, but I've driven and been driven in so many situations in so many countries where it happens and happened all the time that I just see it as normal and not a big deal.

I am quite happy to be wrong on this and perfectly happy that the majority disagree with me.

It was the inappropriate imagining of family funerals from another poster I found gauche and mawkish. I still do.
 
Any driver behaviour that would - were he(she) sitting his driving test at the time - see him fail, should see a driver taken off the roads, his licence torn up and his return to the roads conditional on remedial lessons and re-sitting the test.

"When I tap the dashboard thus, I'd like you to make a controlled, emer.."
"Sorry mate, just remembered I need to text Becca and Minge about tonight. One second.... You were saying?"
"When I tap.."
"Hold on, look at this cyclist self-gratification artist taking all of the road approaching the pinch point! How am I supposed to get past? I'm just getting out to put him straight on who the roads are for: back in a sec.... How am I doing so far?"
 

campbellab

Senior Member
Location
Swindon
This warrants a reply. BM, you will be aware that the respect is mutual. I've said as much in the past.

I do like to post absurd, off-topic nonsense, but I can be serious too.

In thinking I'm wrong about 'phone use, you are in a club with my wife, my mother-in-law, my brother, my children and countless others.

I do not pretend that I'm right or want others to agree with me. I just don't see phone use at the wheel as a big deal.

I do not see my stance as contradictory.

I understand the drink-drive comparison, but I disagree with its applicaton here. To be frank, even though I am almost tee-total, I do not get as upset by drink driving as some of my peers. I accept that it is (very) dangerous, but I have a fairly fatalistic view of it. On 'phone use, I realise it can be dangerous, but I've driven and been driven in so many situations in so many countries where it happens and happened all the time that I just see it as normal and not a big deal.

I am quite happy to be wrong on this and perfectly happy that the majority disagree with me.

It was the inappropriate imagining of family funerals from another poster I found gauche and mawkish. I still do.

Boris you say you think you're (probably) wrong (because of families opinions), but that you're happy to be be wrong and you dont see that as contradictory? :smile:

I can understand being familiar with people on the phone in cars that it doesn't make you feel worried for your safety as one thing, or that you dont worry and think it unlikely that mobile phone users will affect you. I think it unlikely to happen to me and dont lose sleep about it.

But I felt uncomfortable in cars with people on the phone pre-ban and pre-research. I dont see it as morally despicable but do get pretty peeved that it rarely gets clamped down on and so many people still do it and have seen poor driving directly as a result, especially when I'm on my bike and vulnerable.
 
Boris you say you think you're (probably) wrong (because of families opinions), but that you're happy to be be wrong and you dont see that as contradictory? :smile:

I can understand being familiar with people on the phone in cars that it doesn't make you feel worried for your safety as one thing, or that you dont worry and think it unlikely that mobile phone users will affect you. I think it unlikely to happen to me and dont lose sleep about it.

But I felt uncomfortable in cars with people on the phone pre-ban and pre-research. I dont see it as morally despicable but do get pretty peeved that it rarely gets clamped down on and so many people still do it and have seen poor driving directly as a result, especially when I'm on my bike and vulnerable.

This had better be my last post on this topic, but I have been asked to explain what appears contradictory to many CC members, some of whom are clearly bright, reasonable and tolerant.

So this is a poor final attempt to clarify:

1. Southern loop of the M25 near Sevenoaks in thick fog. A car whips past me doing 25-30mph more than I am doing. My heart jumps out of my chest and I find my blood pressure rises and a little anger wells up.

2. Wet, cold bicycle commute on the A417 on a frosty morning and a car swoops past me with opaque side windows and a small scraped circle on the windscreen. Same response.

3. Tanking down Oxford Street on a roadified MTB and a Black Cab pull an illegal turn across my bows at a traffic signal, causing me to almost stand the bike on its front wheel. Similar response.

4. Entering a coned lane-narrowing contraflow while cycling on High Holborn and despite the slow, heavy traffic a car pushes for the last-moment pass and nearly has me in the cones for no ultimate advantage.... Similar response.

5. Descending in the wet on the Malvern Hills on worn and patchy Shellgrip with leaves on the ground. A Transit sits about two feet behind my rear wheel at 25 mph, making me afraid to brake for a sharp bend for fear of being walloped. Similar response.

6. Inside lane of the M4 at 70mph and a car rushes past in the middle lane, brakes heavily and cuts in front for an exit. I have to brake hard. Similar response.

7. Cycling on a DC section of the A40 and being close-passed by an artic so that I could lick its spinning wheelnuts... despite an empty outside lane. Similar response.

8. I see a driver holding a 'phone to his or her ear while driving (as I do several times a day). It barely registers with me. I wish it made me cross, so that I fitted in better with the CC mindset, but it doesn't.

This may seem contradictory, but it may not be. If I'm wrong on this I can live with it. I hope I've lost this debate with good grace and without resorting to offensive posts.

Also (as ever) I am right and anyone whose view differs from mine is both wrong and (worse still) Welsh.
 

campbellab

Senior Member
Location
Swindon
This may seem contradictory, but it may not be. If I'm wrong on this I can live with it. I hope I've lost this debate with good grace and without resorting to offensive posts.

Also (as ever) I am right and anyone whose view differs from mine is both wrong and (worse still) Welsh.

That all makes sense, but to all of the above add, 'on the phone' :smile: I wouldn't be suprised if some of those incidents actually were through lack of attention from being on the phone.
 
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