Using an iPad while driving

[Davidsw8]

Cycling down the bus lane on Albert Embankment this morning towards Lambeth Bridge and I noticed a black cab had left a lot of space in front of him between himself and the next cab. I thought, maybe he needs to get right... No, the reason he hadn't moved forward was because he was concentrating on his white iPad resting between his lap and the bottom of this steering wheel.

Maybe it was a sat nav app, but that's still got to be illegal, hasn't it??

 

[Kies]

Picture of him and then his cab number would have been prudent. Shop any overly silly drivers.

 

[Davidsw8]

Picture of him and then his cab number would have been prudent. Shop any overly silly drivers.

Yep, it's on my cam, will clip it when I get home

 

[Rancid]

And to think cabbies are "professional" road users.

 

[Davidsw8]

Professional in that they're licensed and regulated but at the end of the day, they're self-employed and most of them seem to hate it. I know one that's been cabbying for 30-odd years and one that's been at it for a couple of months, they're only in it for the money, it seems to be an awful awful job from what they tell me.

 

[nilling]

Playing Real Racing 3? I'm sure someone was filmed recently playing this game whilst driving on the motorway!

 

[Davidsw8]

Playing Real Racing 3? I'm sure someone was filmed recently playing this game whilst driving on the motorway!

I saw that: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/reckless-motorist-pictured-playing-ipad-1886150

One thing to use it in slow moving traffic (possibly satnav given the benefit of the doubt), another thing entirely to be playing a racing game at 65 mph. There should definitely be circumstances that warrant instant disqualification.

 

[stowie]

Professional in that they're licensed and regulated but at the end of the day, they're self-employed and most of them seem to hate it. I know one that's been cabbying for 30-odd years and one that's been at it for a couple of months, they're only in it for the money, it seems to be an awful awful job from what they tell me.

I lost my sympathy with black cab drivers when I went onto one of the taxi forums (a friend was looking at getting some advice on becoming a cabbie) and saw the vitriol pouring forth. Pedestrians, passengers, anyone to the left of Enoch Powell, TfL, Private Hire, Yellow badge cabbies, other green badge cabbies and especially cyclists were fair game for abuse.

Recently I went onto the forum to see that they were discussing the new stickers given out for them to put on the cab doors to remind passengers to take look out for cyclists when opening the door. Sounds perfectly reasonable. Except they were saying they were throwing them in the bin with one comment being "f*ck cyclists". Only one post out of two pages asked why someone wouldn't want to help prevent injury to another human.

Frankly if that is their attitude there are private hire companies which are just as reliable as a black cab with mobile apps etc. What these drivers seem to fail to appreciate is that - as proven by the accounts moving from AL when their chairman had a rant over cyclists - there are senior people in firms in London who cycle and they don't like being told to get f*cked.

 

[Davidsw8]

I lost my sympathy with black cab drivers when I went onto one of the taxi forums (a friend was looking at getting some advice on becoming a cabbie) and saw the vitriol pouring forth. Pedestrians, passengers, anyone to the left of Enoch Powell, TfL, Private Hire, Yellow badge cabbies, other green badge cabbies and especially cyclists were fair game for abuse.

Recently I went onto the forum to see that they were discussing the new stickers given out for them to put on the cab doors to remind passengers to take look out for cyclists when opening the door. Sounds perfectly reasonable. Except they were saying they were throwing them in the bin with one comment being "f*ck cyclists". Only one post out of two pages asked why someone wouldn't want to help prevent injury to another human.

Frankly if that is their attitude there are private hire companies which are just as reliable as a black cab with mobile apps etc. What these drivers seem to fail to appreciate is that - as proven by the accounts moving from AL when their chairman had a rant over cyclists - there are senior people in firms in London who cycle and they don't like being told to get f*cked.

Shouldn't really tar them all with the same brush (much as people do to cyclists), the 2 cabbies I know are lovely. 1 is maybe a tad right of centre but only just (I did have a go at him the other day for reading the Daily Mail ), the other one is liberal as you like.

Saying that, after peds, my biggest regular difficulties come from cabbies, usually stopping in random places or not bothering to indicate (saving battery power??) and I'm actually shocked every time a cab gives way to me or does something else nice and decent (and normal).

Very true about the senior people sometimes being cyclists. Couple of times I've complained about the bad driving of some company vehicles and the boss has been a cyclist and right on side.

But this driving with an iPad, why would you spend years and thousands of pounds doing the knowledge and put your livelihood in jeopardy by doing something SO stupid. I'll never understand some people.

 

[MrGrumpy]

funnily enough I spotted someone in the ASDA carpark last week driving off with what looked like an iPad or tablet of some sort mounted at windscreen level. It was not switched on but if anything it was obscuring the view??

 

[ufkacbln]

I've got one fitted on teh trike!

 

[BentMikey]

@Cunobelin - awesome! Nice photoshop.

 

[jarlrmai]

it doesn't have to be a communications device right? A dictaphone or iPod would be equally illegal? The law says "similar mobile devices" broad enough to cover any handheld gadget I would have thought.

 

[ufkacbln]

@Cunobelin - awesome! Nice photoshop.

Sorry - it's genuine!

Twelve South Hoverbar

 

[stowie]

Shouldn't really tar them all with the same brush (much as people do to cyclists), the 2 cabbies I know are lovely. 1 is maybe a tad right of centre but only just (I did have a go at him the other day for reading the Daily Mail ), the other one is liberal as you like.

Saying that, after peds, my biggest regular difficulties come from cabbies, usually stopping in random places or not bothering to indicate (saving battery power??) and I'm actually shocked every time a cab gives way to me or does something else nice and decent (and normal).

Very true about the senior people sometimes being cyclists. Couple of times I've complained about the bad driving of some company vehicles and the boss has been a cyclist and right on side.

But this driving with an iPad, why would you spend years and thousands of pounds doing the knowledge and put your livelihood in jeopardy by doing something SO stupid. I'll never understand some people.

You are, of course, correct. I know a chap who is a cabbie and he is lovely.

My hackles get raised when I see such stupidity on a taxi forum, but I am assuming that all the cabbies who would be appalled at such an attitude stay away from such sites.

I have, on occasion, been the subject of some anti-social behaviour by cab drivers. Normally buzzing past far too close when the lane next is free or the standard hang off the back wheel in the bus lane trick.

The problem (as Reg knows better than me) is that, in my opinion, the people who "regulate" cabbies and deal with complaints are loath to do anything especially if the complainant isn't a passenger. Complaints on the forum are dealt with a throw-it-in-the-bin mentality, which may be bravado but may also point to the toothless nature of the investigations. So it may that your cabbie with an ipad fixation isn't likely to throw away his livelihood because it is vanishingly unlikely anyone will do anything about it.