Dear Incompetent Motorists...

[wombat2u2004]

Nope, not me. I hate the drunks.
Had a mate who's 17 year old daughter was killed by a drunk one morning on her way to work. She'd only had her licence for a week, and she was a good careful kid. She stopped at a red light and this guy hit her from behind. When the police came, the drunk was so inebriated he couldn't even stand up. Such a waste of life.
Wombat

I'll take the drunker driver anyday, as long as he's not running red lights or tail gaiting. They actually say that being on a cell phone when your driving is worse than drinking and driving.

[Riptide]

I vote you turn on your tail lights to make him think you're breaking.

[critter crazy]

Break Checks must be done on a regular basis around here!

[CathyBogart]

...and people think motorcyclists are the ones with a problem.

[Cataholic]

...and people think motorcyclists are the ones with a problem.

Again, who are the 'people'? I didn't know motorcyclist (responsible, careful drivers of motorcycles) were seen as causes of accidents, like the argument that cell users are. I do think motorcyclists have inherent problems on the roads, irrespective of the types of drivers they may think they are. The fact is that they do not have a shell of steel, metal, hard plastic surrounding the bodies, so, when they take a hit, it is usually sigficant.

Like everything in life, there is a risk. To ride a motorcycle, better make sure you have proper insurance on the bike, the rider, adequate physical protection, and a guardian angel. People just don't see motorcycles, they see cars/trucks.

I would rather take a bus. I gave up riding bikes on the road, and running along roads without sidewalks, for similar reasons. Too darn risky.

[sparks19]

...and people think motorcyclists are the ones with a problem.

I didn't realize we had to be so specific but I have heard people (forgive me for not listing all their names and stats lol ) say how dangerous motorcycles are. Well sure they are but it's not because they drive like idiots (although some do) most of the time a motorcycle accident is caused by a car.

I actually witnessed an accident when I was just a little girl. it was horrifying. A car decided to speed up and cut a motorcyclist off, the guy on the cycle had to swerve to avoid hitting the car and he wiped out. he was all kinds of hurt. the car didnt even stop.

I also had a friend who's father rode a motor cycle and he got cut off by a car. Once the car was in front of him it slammed on it's brakes. He was too close to stop safely so he tried to just bail out and dump the motorcycle. he had on all the appropriate gear so he figured he wouldn't get hurt as badly as if he slammed into the car and flew over it. unfortunately, he was so close to the car that the motorcycle bounced off the back end of the car and landed on my friends father. it broke his neck instantly and he died.

I am deathly afraid of motorcycles. I won't ride on one and I get nervous when there is one near us in the car. i get so scared that something is going to happen and I will have to relive that awful day all over again. My brother rode a motorcycle for years and always tried to get me to take a ride with him. I never did. Luckily he mainly stuck to back roads that weren't very busy and he rode in a "gang" LOL just a group of friends that would get together on weekends and just go for a nice ride. Thankfully he was one of the lucky ones and he decided to stop riding after a friend of his was killed in an accident. he has 3 1/2 children and it wasn't worth the risk anymore and losing his friend only made it all too real.

I just don't understand the absentmindedness that people are suddenly struck by when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle. do they not realize they are driving a machine capable of major destruction and death?

[areias]

I won't get on a motorcycle, period. They are just too dangerous, unfortunately. I do have to say that a lot of people on street bikes can be idiotic when they are out there-weaving in and out of traffic and doing wheelies going 100mph.

The same thing with horses-I will no longer ride my horse near traffic. People are absolutely idiotic when it comes to that-beeping their horns as they go by or FLYING by.

[CathyBogart]

Some people seem to be under the impression that in California, it is illegal to lanesplit. These people love to lament motorcycles lanesplitting as a cause of accidents. I don't have a more specific "some people", becuase it's precisely that. Scattered opinions, but enough of them to make the road more dangerous for folks with only two wheels beneath them.

Some people get angry when they didn't see the bike they hit, blaming the biker instead of the fact that they weren't looking closely enough to see a skinny two-wheeled silhouette because they were only looking for cars. The biker "must" have been "flying" by them for that to have happened, right? Never mind that the person in the car was probably changing lanes without signaling when this happened.

Some bikers speed and weave in and out of traffic. Some people do that in cars too. I don't appreciate that generalization about folks on sport bikes. (Not that anyone here was making that generalization, but it does seem to be a prevalent one in the world at large)

[areias]

Nope, not me. I hate the drunks.

I have to remember to like-put *internet sarcasm*. No, I'd rather a tail gaiter than a drunk, I wasn't serious.

Came across a new one today..."yielding" does not mean drive as fast as you can to cut me off.

[CathyBogart]

Here's one....if there is not a stop sign or a red light at in intersection, DON'T STOP. Certainly don't look all offended when I honk at you.

[Cataholic]

I can't get to either of those links, LH! ??? I found something done by Fox News, or, at least reported by Fox news...but, it doesn't really say anything about how drunk...I guess I should start drinking and driving! (Not).

[areias]

I can't get to either of those links, LH! ??? I found something done by Fox News, or, at least reported by Fox news...but, it doesn't really say anything about how drunk...I guess I should start drinking and driving! (Not).

Don't click on the links, just copy and paste it into your address bar. It should work then.

[Cataholic]

LH fixed 'em...I did cut and paste, nothing was working. Here I was blaming my computer.

Anyhow, I will read them. My point in wanting to know the 'they', and then see what 'they' tested is that studies often have a conclusion not supported by the testing mechanism.

For instance, for the study to test people that drank a twelve pack against people that have a casual conversation on the phone (with a hands free device) probably wouldn't result in a statment that cell phones are as dangerous as drunk drivers.

But, if the test was, say, someone at a .10/BAC vs. a cell user holding an argument over the phone, okay, I could see that.

People should know their limits. Some people shouldn't drive, period. I have had several fender benders in the last 20 years of driving. None of them had anything to do with a cell phone. (nor, drunk driving ). I see absolutely no difference between holding a casual conversation with a front seat passenger and a casual conversation with someone over the phone. Maybe I can handle it? Past experience suggests that I can.

I will, for as long as I live, remember being attacked by this woman for being on a cell phone. I was in my car, in the parking lot of a public library, backing up. Seatbelt on, physically moving in reverse (slowly, as it is a parking lot), on the phone. This idiot adult woman RAN behind my car- from her car to the entrance. I slammed on my brakes. She cursed ME for being on my cell phone. Incredible. I WAS on my cell phone, but, that had nothing to do with what happened. She was completely and totally at fault for running behind a moving vehicle, in a parking lot. Sheesh. Total knee jerk reaction, IMO, when someone sees someone on a cell phone. (I didn't hit her....).

[RedHedd]

When I'm on the phone I want to provide my undivided attention to the person on the other line and expect the same in return when I call others; it's called manners. When I'm driving, my undivided attention should be and is on the road, which is about manners and safety. Seeing drivers backing up, parallel parking, changing lanes or just plain driving down the freeway, or even worse in San Francisco traffic, while on the cell phone is just plain asking for it IMHO. I cut those people a very wide swath if I see them while driving or walking, as I know their undivided attention is not on their driving. I've seen way too many close calls to call this safe behavior.

[sandragonfly]

it's about dialing too, unless you suspect a unmarked policecar. "421-345..oops! 421-344 .. noo, that doesn't look right.. (searches for paper..) I was right, 42...." and you're dead.

three years ago, on my way to second last performance, I got whipped. first thing I saw in my rearview the woman behind me was glancing off the road at her cellphone multi-times.. I said to my passenger who was part of cast too, "let's hope she won't crash into us! tailgating makes me nervous, we cannot get hurt, I wish she'd get off the phone!!" I speed up a bit to pass the car on right of me so I could let her pass! until then I see she was far away from me.. then there was a traffic coming up, we stopped and I forgot all about her - boom!

(pencil flew out of friend's hand in slow motion) .. boom!

..then boom again. my car bounced off the van in front of me back to that cell driver's car. last thing I saw was her sleeping. dead.

drunk drivers vs cell drivers - reminds me - people got killed by donkey more than car crashes...it was true...don't know if it still stands a fact afterall so many crashes around here.

- I remember my first hit and run by a drunker. it was my first week of driving!! caught the license plate. lucky. honestly, I'd take cell drivers any day, it's shorter than drunk drivers! I'm a good multi-tasker but you never know what's out there by second to second...deers are world's favorite surprise. sigh.