Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[helimd]

Anybody looking for a good deal on a low mileage, 2010 CVO Softail Convertible?  I'm done.  Yesterday, I happened to see an old friend of mine in a plumbing supply house.  He was hobbling quite badly and looked terrible.  After the opening hello's were out of the way, I asked him what happened.  Having an idea that his Road Glide was involved, he proceeded to show me his right leg.  With probably 10, or more, scars visible, he told me about being center-punched by a teen-aged girl at a major intersection here in Oklahoma City.  The girl was texting, blew through a red light, and destroyed my friend's RG.  Sadly, his long-time girlfriend was killed, and he spent the next several months recovering.

The cage driver had no insurance, dead-beat parents, and absolutely no means to pay off any judgments that would ever be levied against her.  My friend is now stuck with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, a ruined life, and the knowledge that this little bitch is getting off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. 

I don't know about any of you guys, but since the invention of cell phones and texting, I have come closer to being killed by cagers than I did in the first 40 years of my riding motorcycles.  I'm finished, tired of having my head mounted on the proverbial swivel, trying to avoid these idiots.  Maybe Mr. Trump will introduce legislation that will mandate the death penalty for those found to be using their phone while driving. 

Good luck out there and be safe.

[mr_magoo]

It is a lot more dangerous out there these days,  I think 1 in 5 people are on there cell phone that I see on my way home in heavy traffic every day.  It's getting to the point that I don't feel like riding much in town.

[RayG]

That's a tough call to make, but I completely understand.  I don't think there is a person who puts on some decent mileage on there bike that hasn't had a number of close calls. 

A few years ago on July 4th I broke a belt 4.5 miles from home.  My wife and I each heavy boots which gave us some blisters walking home.  I was pissing & moaning all the way back.  Picked up the bike with the trailer and was sitting down to rest after the ordeal only to hear that a guy about 8 miles from where I live just got home from vacation and while his family was unpacking he went for some take out food on his bike.  Some young girl from out of State dropped her cell phone and while trying to retrieve it crossed the centerline and hit the rider head on.  He didn't pass away from the hit, it was being pinned under the car and scraped against the high curbing.  It was a horrible situation.  My wife and I just looked at each other knowing full well that lives were changed forever.  The girl was charged for driving to endanger and that was it.  It is getting more dangerous out there and that is a fact and without stiffer consequences there is no end in site.   

[ultrarider123]

It is a lot more dangerous out there these days,  I think 1 in 5 people are on are NOT on their cell phone that I see on my way home in heavy traffic every day.  It's getting to the point that I don't feel like riding much in town.

I've updated your post, Magoo to reflect what we experience locally.

 I've had two close encounters in Oak Ridge recently similar to that described by the OP.  One a young person not even slowing down for the light that had been red for at least 5 seconds....head looking to his steering wheel with both hands holding a phone.  The second was what looked to be a lady in her 70's.  She wasn't texting but had her attention on the phone in her left hand (which was blocking her vision on the left side and left side mirror), handicap placard on her interior rear mirror.  Running normal speed on the OR Turnpike but completely missed the light that was red....she never slowed.  If I had not been attentive in my operation of the bike, the first example would have had me as a hood ornament.

Cell phones in general along with the recent addition of texting has made our local roads extremely dangerous.  Helimd, when the fun time spent on two wheels has been overshadowed by having to avoid the bull with you as the red cape, I agree it's time to hang it up...

[Twolanerider]

I'm not an advocate for significant governmental intrusion in to the personal lives of its citizens.  This is an area where I allow myself some inconsistency.  I've had a few close calls also.  We probably all have.  Perhaps more than we've realized just because we didn't get nailed and didn't realize it.

I have no faith at all that this will get better behaviorally on its own.  Traffic fines won't make any real impact.  This will require a technological solution.  Cars and/or phones will have to be equipped and/or programmed such that texting functions are disabled while the vehicle is moving.  It'll have to be Federal.

[ultrarider123]

Cars and/or phones will have to be equipped and/or programmed such that texting functions are disabled while the vehicle is moving.  It'll have to be Federal.

Hey Don, I'll go a bit further on that.  If the car is in a drive mode either in gear for a manual or in D or R for an automatic, a "device" in the vehicle will block all cell coverage.  I emphasize everyday to our company drivers that there is NOTHING that can't wait to answer/respond until you can safely pull over to respond OR wait until you reach your destination to park and respond.  So dangerous.

This should also apply to law enforcement...at least he's on an HD....

[Twolanerider]

Hey Don, I'll go a bit further on that.  If the car is in a drive mode either in gear for a manual or in D or R for an automatic, a "device" in the vehicle will block all cell coverage.  I emphasize everyday to our company drivers that there is NOTHING that can't wait to answer/respond until you can safely pull over to respond OR wait until you reach your destination to park and respond.  So dangerous.

This should also apply to law enforcement...at least he's on an HD....

I'll readily admit I wouldn't be terribly opposed to just blocking the damned things in vehicles that aren't in motion.  Wouldn't break my heart at all if there weren't deployable tech to get the job done short of that.  The only "short of that" that I'd consider as exception are things like nav and just a few others that are truly benefits to the process.  They'd have to be hands free and primarily voice.  But if that still led to statistically appreciable issues I'd block 'em all.  Cars moved just fine for a century without the drivers having to be connected. 

Some evolutionary solution will be the greater connectivity of the cars themselves that we're starting to see more and more now.  That will deploy in ways that distract drivers less.  If not at first then after a car manufacturer or two gets nailed by a large settlement for abetting a driver's distracted control.  But it's still a mess.  Head on a swivel all the time.  I almost never ride to work at the High School because of the chaos that is all the students pulling away at the end of the day.  Truly don't know how they keep from bouncing off of each other in large quantities every day as 80% don't look outside.

[grc]

More unenforced or unenforceable laws aren't the answer.  It's been illegal to use a cell phone while driving around Chicago for a long time, and yet any time I drive one of the major highways and toll roads in the area I estimate a full 50% of the people I pass or that pass me are on the phone.  And that doesn't include the ones that hide the phone in their laps.

Twolane  and Haird are on the right track, IMHO.  I've been suggesting for years that all vehicles be required to include cell phone jamming technology that engages any time the vehicle is moving.  The chance of ever seeing such a thing is less than slim however, considering the political climate.  Perhaps if enough legislators lose a close family member to the dimwits using mobile devices while driving they will take it seriously, but right now we are all at the mercy of the "the rules are for everyone else but me" crowd. 

Jerry

[iski]

Texting and driving is a bad idea & have had to avoid a few unaware drivers both in the car & on the bike.  When I traveled it was almost daily, in some areas more than once a day (Miami, Atlanta, Houston).   Rural roads they cross the lines unawares. But talking and driving has been occurring since the first horseless carriage, with a passenger (s) telling the driver to slow down, quit hitting so many bumps, look at that squirrel! etc..

In a few years technology will make the "looking down & thumb typing" stuff obsolete.  It already is for some people. At some point it will be all voice.  See that now some, people carrying on conversations with their windshields.  Before cell phones got popular, they were singing ABBA songs to their windshields.  Not sure which is worse. 

[Dean_Nelson]

I use to ride to work all the time...over the last 20 years. I do not any more. I stopped 2 years ago.
now I only ride on Sunday, get up  and ride west only to get away from Chicago.
they just don't care any more out their......they are just so special they need to be on that phone all the time.

Dean Nelson

[BigLew]

It is very different that's for sure. I just make sure I pray before I fire her up. I have more peace than ever about riding. I found it amazing when we were group riding at MV GTG this year when we invited some folks to join us for a group prayer before we left in the morning, that some folks just refused. That was hard to understand. I know lots of folds that don't believe and that's ok, I would want to hedge my bet every chance I got. But usually I just out run the cagers! LOL

BigLew

[08glide]

AMEN !  Mike

[TraumaSlave]

During MV, our group was returning with me in the lead. We had followed a young girl for about 20 miles who was driving with her left foot propped in the window and chatting away with her passenger. She moves into the turn lane to make a left turn into a gas station/McDonald's and just as my front tire got next to her bumper, she decided she didn't want to turn and started back into the lane. As the crash flashed before my eyes, I slammed on the brakes, locked the rear enough to get it a little sideways, and counted the centimeters close. No where to go with the group riding staggered and no time to assure not taking out another bike. I got real lucky. So did she. Every bone in my body wanted to go back and make sure that dumb chick looked from then on. Not sure I could have controlled my anger enough to express how close she came to seriously injuring me. Then I realized how stupid I was for putting myself in the position of getting hurt.

[dayne66]

I always assume EVERYONEon the road is trying to kill me...and try to act accordingly.

[grayghost731]

You Guy's act like you have a choice of how you want to die.        Live  Your  Life!