Road Unsafety.

[Peter Miller]

I live on the local dog and pram walk.  I regularly see the walkers going past with their dogs and prams but with their eyes glued to a smart phone. So much for the beautiful vista across the country side.

However today my Amazon Vine listing included the offer of a smart phone clamp for ones cycle handle bars. Now is it just me or is that asking for more cyclists to get killed.

And how do they stand legally. After all one can get fined for using a mobile phone in a car. Are cyclists exempt?

I can only say that my dash cam is always on!!!

[Don Fry]

Some folk use their phones as navigators. Or as a dash cam.
Funny world, isn’t illegal to use it as a phone. Still, it is a means to improve herd IQ.

[Geoff S]

I think the clamp is primarily to hold the phone so that it's easily accessible if you get a call (obviously stop before answering it).  I carry my phone in my rack pack so it tkes quite a time to get it out after I've stopped and got it out (not that anyone phones me ? ).  It's also useful if you're using the GPS facility for navigation.  My Garmin GPS is in a handlebar mount where it displays speed, distance and altitude as well as recording my ride for later perusal.

 

I would agree, no-one driving or riding a vehicle should be using a phone (including hands-free IMO)

 

Geoff

[Chris Walby]

I used to do a lot of cycling + motor cycle racing and my children horse riding and what was critical was "never carry things in your pockets that you want the A&E doctor to remove through surgery following an accident?

 

I did come off the bicycle due to ice a couple of times and nothing worse that bruising and light concussion (time for another new helmet!), but  heard of plenty of injuries caused by phones and foreign objects (keys etc) in jacket/trouser pockets. I used to pack everything into a panier for road or specialist MTB rucksack  as a matter of course. 

 

[Andy48]

46 minutes ago, Don Fry said:

Some folk use their phones as navigators. Or as a dash cam.
Funny world, isn’t illegal to use it as a phone. Still, it is a means to improve herd IQ.

I've got a top of the range car with all the bells and whistles, but no sat nav or music function, yet a high quality sound system fitted. You plug your phone in for sat nav and music. Sensible really, why have loads of separate expensive bits of kit all doing the same job.

[Dave S.]

I have a handlebar clamp so I can use my phone as a satnav when I'm cycling. If it rings, I pull over before answering.

[Dwain Dibley.]

Answering a phone on a Pushbike, is the same as hands free in your car. I use my phone to record my ride, and as a beacon thru STRAVA (I am epileptic) so my missus knows where I am. If a call comes in, I answer via headphones, so I still have both hands on the bars.  My phone is in my pocket, saddlebag, not on the bars, I have a separate computer on my bars, time, speed, and distance etc.

Anyone who does other wise, like we see very often in cars, and vans, is an idiot. IMHO.

D.D.

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by Dwain Dibley.

[Geoff S]

5 hours ago, Chris Walby said:

I used to do a lot of cycling + motor cycle racing and my children horse riding and what was critical was "never carry things in your pockets that you want the A&E doctor to remove through surgery following an accident?

 

I did come off the bicycle due to ice a couple of times and nothing worse that bruising and light concussion (time for another new helmet!), but  heard of plenty of injuries caused by phones and foreign objects (keys etc) in jacket/trouser pockets. I used to pack everything into a panier for road or specialist MTB rucksack  as a matter of course. 

 

 

I used to ride a lot with a former international road cyclist who went on to be the national women's road coach (she was at the Seoul Olympics).  After retiring from competition she became a sports masseur and eventually an osteopath.  She always said that carrying hard stuff in a jersey pocket is not a good idea hence the reason my phone travels in my rack pack/saddle bag.  

 

It's always puzzled me why road riders in events like the current Giro d'Italia carry the communication radio on their backs. It seems quite dangerous to me and, in fact, a rider fell this week and there was talk that his radio caused back injuries.

 

So having a bracket to carry a phone can be a good idea.

[Mike T]

I think a smartphone on the handlebars could be really useful, particularly for relaying public service announcements like:

 

"ride in single file"

"move over"

"stop at red traffic lights"

and

"get off the pavement!"

8 hours ago, Andy48 said:

I've got a top of the range car with all the bells and whistles, but no sat nav or music function, yet a high quality sound system fitted. You plug your phone in for sat nav and music. Sensible really, why have loads of separate expensive bits of kit all doing the same job.

My car is the only place in which I actually need sat nav and a source of passive entertainment, so I do have them.  My phone came with them too, but AFAIC they are incidental to its role as a device for speaking with people...?

[Rich Griff]

Ride single file!!  Hear hear!!!!

 

Riding well away from the curb/road side where all the glass, broken lenses, bits of car, bits of exhaust and tyres are is a good idea and not a problem, but riding 2, 3, 4 abreast, and pulling out to overtake the "pack", on a left hand bend, unexpectedly, when the rider can hear a vehicle behind, is just idiotic !!!!

 

Cyclists just don't seem to have much road sense, just like the vast majority of car drivers.....male or /and female !

[Don Fry]

Mike, as one who has survived hundreds of thousands of miles on two wheels, might I gently remind, the creature on two wheels is dead, or is going to die. 
Don’t hurry the process. 

 

[Peter Miller]

Now it is interesting.  We seem to have a collection of sensible users on this forum. BUT!!!

 

A friend who lives on the walk home from school tells me that all the kids walk along with their eyes glued to their smart phones. Tell me, can you honestly believe that those same kids having their phone clamped to the handle bars of their bikes would be an sensible? 

 

As someone who worked in a school I tell you that if you believe that you are living in cloud cuckoo land!!!

 

Talking to a friend this evening, he told me that he hooted at a woman cycling along concentrating on her phone.  HE was jumped on by a policeman for hooting at her!! The policeman said the using a phone while cycling was NOT illegal!

 

A friend tells me that he was driving along a local main road and had a cyclist riding towards him on the wrong side of the road!!!  At least he wasn't on a phone so perhaps one of the slightly more intelligent ones.  MY friend promptly drove straight to Argos and bought a dashcam.

 

As I say the sensible users have commented here. The main trouble is the the less sensible users may get spattered thereby raising the average intelligence quotient of the world at the expense of the poor driver who will of course get blamed for flattening a moron

 

 

[Engine Doctor]

Those of us who are not phone addicts must have noticed how WE have to navigate around these imbeciles as they walk amongst us totally immersed in their phones. On a couple of occasions I have just stopped and not tried to get out of their way. When they walk into you they have the nerve to blame you ! 

I just laugh and walk away. The world has gone mad 

 

 

[Peter Miller]

Oh YEs! And the people in the supermarket standing in the aisles with their trollies gabbling away when I am trying to get my shopping done.

At least my Waitrose has very wide aisles so I can get past without having to kick them aside.

[RottenRow]

15 hours ago, Peter Miller said:

A friend who lives on the walk home from school tells me that all the kids walk along with their eyes glued to their smart phones. Tell me, can you honestly believe that those same kids having their phone clamped to the handle bars of their bikes would be an sensible? 

 

Ha ha... they are commonly known as smartphone zombies. Paints a pretty reasonable picture I think.

 

15 hours ago, Peter Miller said:

As I say the sensible users have commented here. The main trouble is the the less sensible users may get spattered thereby raising the average intelligence quotient of the world at the expense of the poor driver who will of course get blamed for flattening a moron

 

Yes, the Darwinian theory I guess, as long as it happens before they've had a chance to breed. Alas some do-gooder will no doubt get air time on Jeremy Vine spouting off about how the roads should be closed to motorised vehicles to protect these people.

 

1 hour ago, Engine Doctor said:

The world has gone mad

 

How true!

 

Brian.

[Peter Miller]

Or my favourite quotation "Those whom the Gods seek to destroy, first they make mad"

And my favourite prayer! "OK, you have sent them mad. Now please get on with the destruction part!!"

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

2 hours ago, Peter Miller said:

Oh YEs! And the people in the supermarket standing in the aisles with their trollies gabbling away when I am trying to get my shopping done.

At least my Waitrose has very wide aisles so I can get past without having to kick them aside.

I have to hold my hands up to that - on the odd occasion I'm tasked with a trip to Asda I often need to check in with the powers that be in order to locate the correct comestible or suitable alternative.

[Peter Miller]

When I do my weekly shopping I have to do it for my next door neighbour. These days if they haven't got what she wants shoe goes without as I won't phone and she doesn't like my alternatives.

 

I will just mention that she has a retired son who lives a few hundred yards away.  I will make no comment on him!!!

 

 

[Don Fry]

Calm lads, think of yer blood pressure. Imagine a goldfish swimming calmly round a pole. 

[Alex Ferguson 2]

8 hours ago, Don Fry said:

Calm lads, think of yer blood pressure. Imagine a goldfish swimming calmly round a pole. 

Now you've brought in global warming "a goldfish swimming calmly around the pole."

 

There are bicyclists and bicyclists. At times I was doing well over 10,000 km a year. One rode with eyes open. Yes I hit a few cars, cars turning in front of me with out (them) looking. A cat running under the front wheel on a dark night. At least one car door in a very narrow busy street. Black ice on a cold morning. At least I'd learned how to fall, tuck & roll, so didn't damage myself.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

9 hours ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said:

I have to hold my hands up to that - on the odd occasion I'm tasked with a trip to Asda I often need to check in with the powers that be in order to locate the correct comestible or suitable alternative.

 

9 hours ago, Peter Miller said:

When I do my weekly shopping I have to do it for my next door neighbour. These days if they haven't got what she wants shoe goes without as I won't phone and she doesn't like my alternatives.

 

I will just mention that she has a retired son who lives a few hundred yards away.  I will make no comment on him!!!

 

 

I realise that you're not married Peter so I'll make allowance for your lack of appreciation for the consequences of failing to complete my assigned task! ?

[Peter Miller]

8 hours ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said:

 

I realise that you're not married Peter so I'll make allowance for your lack of appreciation for the consequences of failing to complete my assigned task! ?

OH! It is quite simple. If she fails to appreciate my shopping she can always get her son to do it. I hear enough moans about him now...I would be hearing screams of anguish at his (and his wife's) efforts on their shopping for her.  I do now from time to time.

 

I shopped for my mother for many year and for myself. I am extremely good at it!!

[J D 8]

While serving as a Coastguard we had a sign in the office that said.  

    H M COASTGUARD  working against the laws of natural selection since 1822.

  

  P.S. A pet hate was cyclists of the full lycra type who were so intent on keeping up their times they would not move over or stop to let our rescue truck get past even though it was on full blues and two's !!!

[Peter Miller]

I am reminded of an old expression that my father used to use (and I do now)

 

"If they had any more brains they would be halfwits!"

[Engine Doctor]

As Stephen Fry once said " Saninsbury's is a jolly good supermarket, it helps  keep the riff raff out of Waitrose " 

I always think of that when we have to visit our local supermarkets. Always brings a smile.

And every cloud ike the pandemic does indeed have a silver lining as we now have the delivery service that is very popular and we try to use as often as possible.? Well worth the small extra charge as you don't use your own fuel , don't have to endure screaming rude children (of all ages),don't get tempted to buy stuff you don't really want and do t get you car dented you the morons who can't drive or just don't care . 

Edited May 16, 2021 by Engine Doctor