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As a cyclist I'm elevated above most drivers on the road. So I can see many distracted drivers who try to be more subtle about it. Distracted driving is a daily

As a cyclist I'm elevated above most drivers on the road. So I can see many distracted drivers who try to be more subtle about it. Distracted driving is a daily problem, but there's almost no enforcement of it. I can recall one time where I talked to a driver stopped at a stoplight about how he wasn't paying attention and couldn't stay in his lane. I told him to put down the phone and watch the road. This driver tried to change the subject, acting outraged that before he passed me I left the bike lane for less than 10 seconds to pass another cyclist. I told him that's not illegal but he wasn't having any of it. Apparently I'm just as bad as he is, which makes his distracted driving okay. Except that what I did was legal and perfectly safe, yet what he did was illegal and rather dangerous.

WhompingWindows 7y ago
Everyone gets defensive about their culpability on the roads...it's the same in online gaming or work. If you point out what someone's doing wrong, especially if they have no relationship to you, most self-conscious, ego-centric people will react defensively and rudely.
wahern 7y ago
On the occasions I've felt I needed to glance at my phone while driving, I've held it up and in front of me so I still had peripheral vision of the road. People using their phone and doing so from their lap or console, not to mention actually interacting with the phone... I can't even.... One time I switched lanes rather abruptly as the person in front of me was erratically speeding up and slowing down. (No, I wasn't tailgating; I think they were drunk or maybe having an argument.) The person in the next lane apparently got pissed that I merged so closely behind him and a few blocks later pulled up alongside me to yell. I apologized. From his perspective it was a dick move; I got it. The look of shock on his face when I apologized was priceless; he almost looked dejected. People get so self-defensive; it doesn't make any sense. It's like people turn 18 and stop growing up. Their loss, I guess. Whenever someone cuts me off or wanders into my lane, rather than getting angry I try to remind myself that that's me during an inattentive moment, which we all have regularly. We just don't realize when we have them because, well, we're distracted.
- btrettel 7y ago
  > On the occasions I've felt I needed to glance at my phone while driving, I've held it up and in front of me so I still had peripheral vision of the road. People using their phone and doing so from their lap or console, not to mention actually interacting with the phone... I can't even.... You're right. The lap people are worse because they are trying to hide what they are doing in a way that makes it more dangerous! > I apologized. From his perspective it was a dick move; I got it. The look of shock on his face when I apologized was priceless; he almost looked dejected. As a cyclist I talk to a lot of drivers. I'd guess, just based on my intuition, that about 1/3 of drivers will apologize outright for dangerous driving when I talk to them. I'm not surprised this would disappoint some people but I think it's the right response. I myself have tried to get better about pausing to evaluate my situation when I've been accused of doing something bad and apologizing if necessary. It takes practice.
- Carpetsmoker 7y ago
  > On the occasions I've felt I needed to glance at my phone while driving, I've held it up and in front of me so I still had peripheral vision of the road. People using their phone and doing so from their lap or console, not to mention actually interacting with the phone... I can't even.... I'm not sure if it really matters that much. Humans are very bad at paying attention to more than one thing. It's the attention that really matters, not so much the vision. Besides, peripheral vision essentially just tracks movements, and traffic is always moving regardless. I suspect that if there is a difference at all, it will be smaller than you'd expect.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
downerending 7y ago
As a pedestrian, I'm often passed at close range, at speed by bicyclists that have their head in their phones. It's difficult to fathom this level of negligence.
- btrettel 7y ago
  Yes, I'm somewhat amazed by those cyclists. The "best" (i.e., most dangerous) distracted cyclists have no hands on their handlebars at all. Yet they might still be traveling at an appreciable speed. There are jerks in every transportation mode.
- frenchman_in_ny 7y ago
  I understand the frustration at a cyclist doing this, but are you more bothered by a cyclist doing this or a driver doing this? You say "it's difficult to fathom this level of negligence", but a driver doing this is significantly more dangerous -- yet current laws don't take this into account. For example: a ticket for a cyclist running a red light in NYC is greater than a ticket for a driver texting on their phone.
  - downerending 7y ago
    For the same act, of course a car is much more dangerous than a bicycle. But, I've never been buzzed by a car going 20mph at a distance of under one foot, and certainly not while I'm walking on a sidewalk. I am regularly buzzed by bikes in this manner. In general, drivers act with the knowledge that if they even tap a pedestrian, they're likely to severely injure or kill them. They might be sloppy or distracted, but they almost never willfully do this. I encounter bicyclists playing "chicken" with me on sidewalks all the time. There's a cold or smug look on their face as they ride directly toward me--it's clear that I'd better step aside or be struck. So, regardless of the actual numbers, cyclists seem more dangerous. I don't think accurate statistics are being collected on this sort of thing, and I think we should start. (P.S. Have you really seen a bicyclist getting a ticket in NYC? Never seen that in my life. Wow!)
    - 7y ago
ecf 7y ago
I sometimes ride 100+ miles a week, so me moving out of the Bay Area probably extended my lifespan by a good 5-10 years. Seriously the drivers in that area are so terrible, with Uber drivers taking it a step higher. For the average cyclist, it’s a matter of when, not if they will get hit.
- btrettel 7y ago
  I'm not keen on the Bay Area anyway but I'll keep that in mind when moving. Also not surprised about ride share drivers. A few months ago I had one try to attack me with a screwdriver! Helmet cam video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trSB3mK78bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trSB3mK78bs (I believe the guy has been arrested now, not sure though as he might have skipped town.) (Yes, I've heard that I should not confront drivers, but I think on a whole me doing so has led to greater understanding between cyclists and drivers. In this case the Uber driver nearly hit me head on, probably because they were distracted. If anyone thinks I was rude to the driver in any way, I'm interested in learning why.) Right now I'm in Austin but don't intend to stay here long term. While people say driving is terrible everywhere, some places are worse. In Texas drunk driving is basically socially acceptable, plus you have people driving huge trucks, often with frivolous "grille guards" that would butcher any pedestrian or cyclist hit by them.

WhompingWindows 7y ago

Everyone gets defensive about their culpability on the roads...it's the same in online gaming or work. If you point out what someone's doing wrong, especially if they have no relationship to you, most self-conscious, ego-centric people will react defensively and rudely.

wahern 7y ago

On the occasions I've felt I needed to glance at my phone while driving, I've held it up and in front of me so I still had peripheral vision of the road. People using their phone and doing so from their lap or console, not to mention actually interacting with the phone... I can't even.... One time I switched lanes rather abruptly as the person in front of me was erratically speeding up and slowing down. (No, I wasn't tailgating; I think they were drunk or maybe having an argument.) The person in the next lane apparently got pissed that I merged so closely behind him and a few blocks later pulled up alongside me to yell. I apologized. From his perspective it was a dick move; I got it. The look of shock on his face when I apologized was priceless; he almost looked dejected. People get so self-defensive; it doesn't make any sense. It's like people turn 18 and stop growing up. Their loss, I guess. Whenever someone cuts me off or wanders into my lane, rather than getting angry I try to remind myself that that's me during an inattentive moment, which we all have regularly. We just don't realize when we have them because, well, we're distracted.

btrettel 7y ago
> On the occasions I've felt I needed to glance at my phone while driving, I've held it up and in front of me so I still had peripheral vision of the road. People using their phone and doing so from their lap or console, not to mention actually interacting with the phone... I can't even.... You're right. The lap people are worse because they are trying to hide what they are doing in a way that makes it more dangerous! > I apologized. From his perspective it was a dick move; I got it. The look of shock on his face when I apologized was priceless; he almost looked dejected. As a cyclist I talk to a lot of drivers. I'd guess, just based on my intuition, that about 1/3 of drivers will apologize outright for dangerous driving when I talk to them. I'm not surprised this would disappoint some people but I think it's the right response. I myself have tried to get better about pausing to evaluate my situation when I've been accused of doing something bad and apologizing if necessary. It takes practice.
Carpetsmoker 7y ago
> On the occasions I've felt I needed to glance at my phone while driving, I've held it up and in front of me so I still had peripheral vision of the road. People using their phone and doing so from their lap or console, not to mention actually interacting with the phone... I can't even.... I'm not sure if it really matters that much. Humans are very bad at paying attention to more than one thing. It's the attention that really matters, not so much the vision. Besides, peripheral vision essentially just tracks movements, and traffic is always moving regardless. I suspect that if there is a difference at all, it will be smaller than you'd expect.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

downerending 7y ago

As a pedestrian, I'm often passed at close range, at speed by bicyclists that have their head in their phones. It's difficult to fathom this level of negligence.

btrettel 7y ago
Yes, I'm somewhat amazed by those cyclists. The "best" (i.e., most dangerous) distracted cyclists have no hands on their handlebars at all. Yet they might still be traveling at an appreciable speed. There are jerks in every transportation mode.
frenchman_in_ny 7y ago
I understand the frustration at a cyclist doing this, but are you more bothered by a cyclist doing this or a driver doing this? You say "it's difficult to fathom this level of negligence", but a driver doing this is significantly more dangerous -- yet current laws don't take this into account. For example: a ticket for a cyclist running a red light in NYC is greater than a ticket for a driver texting on their phone.
- downerending 7y ago
  For the same act, of course a car is much more dangerous than a bicycle. But, I've never been buzzed by a car going 20mph at a distance of under one foot, and certainly not while I'm walking on a sidewalk. I am regularly buzzed by bikes in this manner. In general, drivers act with the knowledge that if they even tap a pedestrian, they're likely to severely injure or kill them. They might be sloppy or distracted, but they almost never willfully do this. I encounter bicyclists playing "chicken" with me on sidewalks all the time. There's a cold or smug look on their face as they ride directly toward me--it's clear that I'd better step aside or be struck. So, regardless of the actual numbers, cyclists seem more dangerous. I don't think accurate statistics are being collected on this sort of thing, and I think we should start. (P.S. Have you really seen a bicyclist getting a ticket in NYC? Never seen that in my life. Wow!)
  - 7y ago

ecf 7y ago

I sometimes ride 100+ miles a week, so me moving out of the Bay Area probably extended my lifespan by a good 5-10 years. Seriously the drivers in that area are so terrible, with Uber drivers taking it a step higher. For the average cyclist, it’s a matter of when, not if they will get hit.

btrettel 7y ago
I'm not keen on the Bay Area anyway but I'll keep that in mind when moving. Also not surprised about ride share drivers. A few months ago I had one try to attack me with a screwdriver! Helmet cam video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trSB3mK78bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trSB3mK78bs (I believe the guy has been arrested now, not sure though as he might have skipped town.) (Yes, I've heard that I should not confront drivers, but I think on a whole me doing so has led to greater understanding between cyclists and drivers. In this case the Uber driver nearly hit me head on, probably because they were distracted. If anyone thinks I was rude to the driver in any way, I'm interested in learning why.) Right now I'm in Austin but don't intend to stay here long term. While people say driving is terrible everywhere, some places are worse. In Texas drunk driving is basically socially acceptable, plus you have people driving huge trucks, often with frivolous "grille guards" that would butcher any pedestrian or cyclist hit by them.