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Distracted Driving

Started by doctorb, June 27, 2012, 08:08:59 PM

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doctorb

I was driving home Monday evening at 7:30PM.  I was at a stop light beyond which this four lane road narrows to two lanes.  As I was sitting at the light, an SUV pulled up to the light in the lane on the passenger side of my car.  I didn't notice the driver's details - gender, age - I have no idea.  What struck me was that the driver was holding a tablet, like an iPad, in the center of the steering wheel.  I could see him/her single finger typing on the keyboard, so I know it was an iPad or iPad like device.  It was the corrtect size.

After the light turned green. this SUV went ahead of me, and I followed it up the two lane road single file.  The SUV swerved over the double yellow line 17 times over the next 3.5 miles.  It swerved over the white line on the right-hand shoulder as many times as that.  I deciided to take a video of this SUV and got a few hundred yards of its travel, including a couple of yellow line crossings, before he turned left.  Prior to my taping, he stopped for a trafic light even though it was still green.  He/she sat there for 10-15 seconds, before proceeding.  I thought about what to do.  I wanted to follow him/her to their final destination and let them know what I felt about their recklessness, and began to do so.  I then thought better of that, not knowing who I was dealing with, and broke off my surviellance and drove home.

I wouldn't mind trying to find out who this was, and inform them, impersonally, about their distracted driving.  If it was a kid, their parents should know.  While I can not, of course. rule out alcohol or drugs as an added factor, seeing the driver working on that tablet burned me up.

So that's my dilemma.  What would you do? 
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

fuzzybear

Turn the copy of what you recorded over to the state police and let them deside what to do. A visit from a trooper should/may scare them straight.
FB
I never met a tree I didn't like!!

Chuck White

I would have laid on the horn!

I've done that here.

I've noticed that a lot of people (on-coming traffic) will actually drive on or across the centerline on the county roads in this area.

They are well clear of the line and then as they approach an on-coming vehicle, they'll slowly cross that darned centerline!  I lay on the horn then too!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Ron Wenrich

So, were you driving while you were videoing the other car?  Seems like that would be distracted driving, as well.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

doctorb

Ron, I couldn't agree more.  It was a good thing that we had a stop sign for me to get my iPhone set up for the video.  I am not facile enough with it to do that while driving.  Even the taking of the video falls under the heading of distracted driving.

But the question still stands, Ron, would you have just ignored this, informed someone, talked to him or the authorities.......?

I don't think blowing my horn would change his, or anybody else's, long-term behavior, which is what I would hope to do.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

Magicman

We had a 24 year old highway worker killed yesterday.  The girl was apparently distracted, left the highway, and hit him.
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Patty

I have seen it all....folks driving while reading the newspaper (before iPads), folks driving while shaving or applying make-up, driving while reading a map, eating, turning around to smack the kids in the back seat, driving while trying to pick up something off the floor, the list goes on & on.   Texting is just the latest distraction while driving. So what do we do? Forbid all of the above? Where will it stop? I've seen folks go off the road trying to tune the radio, or dig for the right cd to play. You cannot eliminate bad behavior, you just need to protect yourself the best you can from it. Be alert, drive defensively....EXPECT the other driver to be stupid and careless, or both, it may save your life.

As for the highway workers.....I am so sorry when they are killed or injured while working. I have often thought maybe a patrolman every 100 yards or so spaced along the construction area, but I am afraid they may cause as many accidents as they prevent. Some folks really freak out and over react when they see a cop.   
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

Misfit

Quote from: fuzzybear on June 27, 2012, 08:29:07 PM
Turn the copy of what you recorded over to the state police and let them deside what to do. A visit from a trooper should/may scare them straight.
FB

+1 on that.
I am neither a Philopolemic Blatherskite nor a Bloviating, Sialoquent Blatteroon.

"Say nuthin and saw wood."

Patty

I saw a new one yesterday. I pulled up to a stop light and looked over at the driver on my right. She was FLOSSING HER TEETH!  Not only was it disgusting to see, but you had to wonder.....she was driving with her knee apparently but with what was she watching the road?!  ???       I guess she thought she could watch the road in front of her while examining her teeth in the rear view mirror.  ::)

No, I did not alert the police.  :D
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

Cypressstump

You hear of younger drivers getting killed all the time with the cell phone, texting or whatever the cause, hear that all the time. Too much technology these days, and in the new drivers, not yet enough respectful of the road  nor others in cases.

Two weeks ago, I was headed home, late evening, 50mph, minding my business , a large car was coming towards me, the closer it got the more it neared the centerline, so much so , that at 75 yards from me, it had crossed the centerline completely by 3 feet or better. I had already planned my evasive move, was on the shoulder pretty hard and was about to go even more. All the time on my horn. Too little time to slow or stop as he would have hit me head on. When he had crossed the line, nearing me, I could see the businessman plain as day, in his 50-60s, on one phone held to his ear via shoulder w/cocked head and texting with both hands on another phone, apparently driving with his knee. As he heard my horn and saw the front end of my F-350 lifted 4X4 truck in his face, he dropped everything and over corrected, the tail end of the car nearly hitting me instead of the front. He went off the shoulder on the other side of the road, got the car straightened out somehow without hitting the few cars following me, and then flat out hauled butt outta there.

Anymore a man has to be as much a defensive driver as he is offensive driver. You never know.
Stump

Timberking 1220 25hp w/extensions -hard mounted
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2001 F350 4X4,Arctic Cat 500 4 wheeler wagon hauler
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tcsmpsi

What other folks do, is what other folks do.  Unlimited, willful idiocy.  I am always glad to be aware of the moments application, so I can better me and mine to not be caught by it.   :D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

Texas Ranger

I run their license number, find out who it is, and make a decision on how to approach it, particularly if it is a young person being stupid.
The Ranger, home of Texas Forestry

doctorb

The video on my iPhone is from too far way.  I put it on my computer, but when I try to enlarge it it gets very blurry.  Stupidly, I didn't write it down at the time. 
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

thurlow

Been driving legally for 51 years (illegally for 2 or 3 years before that);  also untold tens of thousands of hours of 'seat time' on farm equipment, which required road time to and from the fields;  never put a scratch on anything until April 3, 2011.  Wife and I had gone to a neighboring town after church to have lunch;  were sitting in the turn lane at a red light, waiting to turn into the parking lot.  Four lane highway thru town with a speed limit of 40 mph.  Bend in the road right at the red light;  fellow driving a small pickup didn't make the bend and hit us almost head-on.....just slightly off center to our left.  Seat belts worked, both airbags blew; we're all right, though my wife was shaken up.  I saw him leave his lane about 30 ft in front of us......probably making 45-50 mph;  didn't even have time to get my hand on the horn.  He wasn't wearing a seatbelt (one ticket);  no insurance (2nd ticket);  driving into an occupied lane (3 rd ticket).  He didn't have airbags and was pretty scratched up......bleeding from a lot of superficial cuts.  The cops got there in about 3 minutes;  they got him out of his truck; he was on his feet and didn't appear to have any major injuries.  I went around and told him in a conversational tone, "I'm a good mind to knock the hell out of you."  He said, "Sir, I didn't see you."  No wonder..........his eyes were blood red and he was obviously either asleep or passed out when he hit us.  This was a small town and all the duty cops showed up.  When I became aware that the fellow wasn't going to be checked for being under the influence of 'something', I asked the cop if he could transport both of us to the hospital so we could have blood drawn/checked;  he just shook his head.  My forefinger was bruised by the air bag and was sore for about a year;  wife had external and internal bruising (heart, lungs, etc) and still occasionally has pain.  Our car ('05 CTS Cadillac) was totalled;  insurance adjuster was wonderful;  paid full retail value, plus sales tax value;  also gave us our deductible back eventually.  I 'googled' the fellow who hit us when I got home..........3 felony convictions for production/possession of meth;  there's no doubt he was under the influence when he hit us.   I'm sure he's driving around today with no insurance and half stoned.........
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Ernie

In New Zealand you just dial *555 and report them.  How you are supposed to do this when it is highly illegal to use a cell phone when driving is beyond me ???
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

bama20a

It's a law for truck drivers,Have to use hand free calling,Why not for cars also?
I almost had a local cop come over on me once will he was text'n,He would have if I hadn't set down on my horn,As an over the road driver I've seen alot,
It is better to ask forgiveness than permission

Cypressstump

Quote from: bama20a on June 30, 2012, 09:35:48 AM
It's a law for truck drivers,Have to use hand free calling,Why not for cars also?
I almost had a local cop come over on me once will he was text'n,He would have if I hadn't set down on my horn,As an over the road driver I've seen alot,

I am perfectly fine with outlawing hand held devices wheel driving!  About 6-7 years ago when I lived in Albuquerque, they outlawed hand held devices, and began ticketing for driving while yapping on a hand held, and also implemented the red light cameras. These laws were proven to reduce the traffic accidents greatly.  The red light cameras reduced intersection accident s and red light running in a huge way.
Stump

Timberking 1220 25hp w/extensions -hard mounted
Case 586E 6k forklift
2001 F350 4X4,Arctic Cat 500 4 wheeler wagon hauler
Makita 6401 34",4800 Echo 20"er, and a professional 18" Poulan PRO , gotta be a 'pro' cuz it says so rite there on tha' saw..

Autocar

The best one I ever saw was a U.P.S. truck tractor pulling a pup trailer up I-75 and when I went around him he was shaving with one hand and was working a cross word puzzle with the other [ I could see the front cover ] pretty scary stuff. You have to be on the ball it's a different world any more !
Bill

SwampDonkey

One time I was driving up the street, was two lanes. Woman with car load of kids on the cell phone. Cop car driving along side and saw her yapping. Did nothing, and everyone carried on as normal. And we have a distracted driving law. Laws are useless, because they seem to be selective from what I see. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Patty

Is it illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving up in your area, Donk?    We cannot text and drive here, but as far as I know we can still talk and drive.
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

SwampDonkey

Hands free cell is approved, not the hand held ones. No texting devices, ebooks, GPS or the like allowed to be held while driving. This is provincial jurisdiction, not a Federal law. They choose certain times of the year to clamp down, but from what I've seen on the road they just do what they want anyway. They said fines where going to double on it. But to some, if they have a vice, so to speak, they keep on doing it anyway.

Can't crimp anyone's style, their luck eventually runs out.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Corley5

I'd have called 911.  Several years ago in Fla on our way to Disney at 8AM a Toyota SUV passed us and almost ran into the concrete ditch in the median then almost hit several cars veering back on to the road and continued to drive eractically until it pulled into party store.  Dee was on the phone to 911 with the license #.  Later that spring we got a call from the Fla police with some questions.  They were wrapping up the case as a plea bargain.  The woman driver was drunk taking her three kids to school.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Clam77

Andy

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