White sunglasses? He deserved it.

Touche! Seems that was his only crime. No indication he was driving poorly. In fact, Jeff's childish behavior caused him to speed up/slow down to avoid being antagonized for driving perfectly safe otherwise.

Had he been swerving or endangering others...perhaps the ultra-macho on a small bike could take it on all by himself. In this case, Jeff set himself up childishly. We've all done stupid things, but in most cases it was when we were young and foolish.

Ride safely regardless of emotion. You had a bad experience last year, so one would think you'd put life and limb before bravado. Reading your OP actually surprised me. Always found your riding integrity to be admirable from other posts.

I have 35 years of riding under my belt, but nowhere near your mileage. No way I'd antagonize an unknown driver in traffic. My wife and kids are more important to me than teaching a lesson to someone engaged in the crime of conversation.

Wow, Mike - "driving perfectly safe otherwise" and "engaged in the crime on conversation". Wow.

I believe drivers yammering away on cell phones now account for more injuries and fatalities on our roadways than drunk drivers. So, yeah, by all means - minimize the inherent risk in this behavior and justify it as being "safe" all you want - real statistics are against you. Folks with your attitude - that you are "safe otherwise" while driving on your cell phone - are a proven menace to us all. I only wish my wife and kids were as important to you as that phone call.

And "ultra macho"? "Bravado"? Oh please - I was riding in an open lane on a wide open road next to this guy, matching his speed. It's not like the Indiana Jones theme music was playing as I dismounted my speeding motorcycle, flung myself under his car and grabbed onto his rear axle, rawhide whip in my teeth. We were next to each other on the god damn freeway.

Twice in recent months (the last time being 2 weekends ago, no less) cell-phone addled drivers have failed to notice my presence in their close proximity. (Also illegal here in Kalifornia to use a hand-held phone, which these two women were doing.)

So while loud pipes may not necessarily save lives, I figure that if the sound of my exhaust within 2-3 feet of their heads is not enough to disturb their conversations, then certainly my pipes can't be so noisy as to disturb the peace, either. :)

Why didn't you just shoot the cell phone out of his hand?

I see. Someone having fashion trends different than your own justifies road rage. Rationalize away, jackass.

Ohhhh Randy you so funny

Jeff H I have a question for you. Did you learn anything from the responses? Do you think your behaviour will change in the future because of what the OT members said?

If not then I have depicted "the process" in the selfies thread.
Stay safe and enjoy your day.
Guy.

According to the NHTSA, in 2011, 350 people died in cell phone-related motor vehicle accidents in 2011. In 2011, 9,878 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities are by far the largest single cause of fatalities and account for 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States.

Cell phones aren't the problem, the person behind the wheel is. A few years ago I was driving on I-494, a big eight lane freeway in the south Minneapolis/St. Paul area. It was slippery and snow covered. I was driving a front wheel drive Toyota Camry with Blizzack snow tires. I got a call on my cell phone that I really needed to take. I answered and started in on a fairly complicated negotiation. As I was talking, I noticed a car ahead of me fishtailing. I slowed, stayed in my lane, and watched as he did a couple of 360s. There wasn't anyone next to him so he made it around a couple of times before smashing into someone who came up on him from behind. I stopped fully, well behind the accident, and immediately realized I was at ground zero as car after car piled into the original accident. I got out of the way and made it past the accident scene before someone smashed into me.

As I drove to safety I apologized and told the guy I was talking to and explained that the pause in our conversation was caused by me concentrating on avoiding an accident instead of talking to him. It was just completely natural to do since I was paying attention to the road. Meanwhile, at least a half dozen people who were behind me drove straight into the first (avoidable) accident and weren't able to stop on slippery roads. Cell phones aren't the problem, the person behind the wheel is.

By the way, there are about 200 deaths per year attributed to road rage incidents.

You intentionally added to his distractions. Forget juvenile, just plain recklessness.

+1000

I drive safely every day while talking on my cell phone (legally). I've never crashed into anyone or run off the road. I just don't understand the rage some people have towards drivers talking on cell phones.

some people can't tie their shoes correctly-just because many here claim they can doesn't mean everyone is capable as well. You know how heartwarming and happy it makes you to see a woman in an SUV swerving down the road, putting lipstick on and yammering with her girlfriends just saying "HI!" - sometimes 10MPH under the speed limit, sometimes way over the speed limit-

Either way, she's distracted when she shouldn't be.

I can drive with a phone in my ear, but many can't- I don't and I spend the $$$ on the right stuff (all my cars have BT hard wired in) so I don't need to risk everyone else.

Just takes a second to kill someone..>

rjp

Yes, I have. I have learned that self-centered people will go to any lengths to justify their behavior, regardless of the fact that it puts others' lives at risk. I have learned that your phone calls are more important to you than the lives of those surrounding you on the road.

[QUOTE=recycled sixtie;8166544]Do you think your behaviour will change in the future because of what the OT members said?[/i]

You mean the ones supporting driving while yammering on their cell phones? Or the ones who voiced support for my actions?

To answer your question, yes my behavior will change. I have become even less tolerant of those who would put my life at risk, and others' lives at risk, just so they can selfishly talk on the phone while driving.

Snow tires you say? :)

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JHixeIr_6BM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Can someone who is taking the practical driving test be allowed to talk on the phone, handheld or otherwise, at the same time?
If not, why?

Wut? Is this thread about talking on the phone and driving? Or is it about road rage?

Maybe I should read it more carefully.

Anyone mention snow tires yet?:D


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My recommendation, don't waste your time. You've read it all before. :D

Lets look at the facts.
Fact: Douchebag talking on cellphone illegally, putting other drivers and passengers lives at risk.
Fact: Higgins pacing along on his bike with loud pipes interfering with drivers "important" conversation.

Now let's look at some the speculative scenarios:
"You could have startled him and caused him to swerve into other traffic, causing an accident."
"You could have pissed him off, causing him to swerve into you in a road rage incident."
And my personal fave: "He might have been a neurosurgeon consulting on an emergency case."

Since we're speculating, I'm going to pretend the guy was on the phone calling in a bomb threat to the local grammar school, which was averted by him hanging up in frustration thanks to Higgy's loud pipes.

There, I feel much better now. Thanks Jeff for stepping up to the plate and being a concerned citizen and taking action. I owe you a beer.

Perhaps he was on the phone to the fuzz complaining about a loud motorbike?

Your statistics appear to be incorrect.

Driving while Texting Six Times More Dangerous than Driving while Drunk

http://www.distraction.gov/download/research-pdf/comparison-of-cellphone-driver-drunk-driver.pdf

Texting While Driving Vs. Drunk Driving: Which Is More Dangerous? | Brain Injury Society

Cell Phone-Related Car Crashes Among Top Causes of Fatal Injury in U.S. - Health News and Views - Health.com

I could go on and on - there is no shortage of information pointing to the dangers of driving while on a cell phone.

Perhaps he was a Comcast employee refusing to cancel a customer's service. Chalk up another heroic deed to Higgy! :D

My opinion?...talking on any phone while driving on public roads ought to be banned...nationally.
.
There. I know y'all were just waiting for that. :D

I had an accident scene, where when a witness ran up to one of the vehicles involved after the crash, and the drivers cell phone was on the floor of the vehicle, with the person on the other end screaming hysterically for the driver who was pinned and unconscious.

The original actions did not necessarily warrant quite the level of response, and the OP recognized this in his self-titled thread.
Give him credit for that.

As for his response:
I suspect he previously experienced incidences involving cell phones with distracted/inconsiderate drivers, which led up this.
A "little distraction" can easily ends up with a motorcyclist/bicyclist/pedestrian severely injured, or worse.

When the cell-phone craze first began, the public roads became a flip of the coin.
Common sense was absent.
I've seen grown mothers/women picking up their children, then almost running over other people's children in the rush to get onto their next obligation.
Even worse:They would honk and try to force my into unsafe driving conditions. That #%*@ didn't fly.
Again, common sense was absent.

Unfortunately, people today do not understand how to use the words "Sorry, I'm busy, I'll call you back".
Or drop the phone/food/drink and just drive the car to safety.
Or simply ignore the phone.

I'm gonna implement the cone of silence in my car.

I've been known to listen to talk radio while driving. I sometimes think intently and blurt out answers to debates.

I swerve a little when I get the answer wrong.

Schow zhing!
(I just taught you how to say "danger" in mandarin!)


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2011?

Well, imagine how many fewer alcohol-impaired-driving crashes we would have if the post-crash test question of Have you been drinking? could be disposed of with a simple "No, Osciffer"

That is, the Post crash Q:"were you distracted by your cell phone?" is often disposed of with the ans "Oh-EM-Gee, no." Regardless of whether it's true. IOW, Dunk is much harder to hide.

So now you're going to try to equate texting while driving with talking because you lost that argument, (proven wrong with data)? No one said that texting while driving was acceptable under any circumstances and the guy in your story was not texting. There is a world of difference between the two activities but you try to now conflate them under the term, "driving while on a cell phone". :rolleyes:

I knew you were a dick but I didn't know that you stooped to the time honored PARF strategy of changing your argument points mid-stream when getting proven wrong. I talk on the phone any time I feel the need while driving on the freeway, or answer the phone if it's someone I want to talk to. I do not text and consider it a dangerous, self-centered action that gives no regard for others' safety but in reality results in mostly rear-end collisions in stop-and-go traffic from my unscientific observations.

I also ride a MC on the same freeways and lane split. When in the car, I have no problem noticing MCs in my vicinity or coming up behind me between lanes whether I'm talking on the phone or not. I do not hold the phone up to my ear, (illegal in CA.), but use speaker phone/hands-free. Anyone who cannot talk and drive at the same time should cease doing one or the other but of course that's too much to ask. Many people were terrible drivers and killed other motorists way before cell phones came along.

When I'm on a bike, I pretend that I'm invisible and silent and that no one else can see or hear me. Like a ninja, slicing through freeway traffic. People are just going to do whatever they were going to do without regard for me. This has kept me alive so far, knock on wood. People talking on phones or wandering in their lane doesn't phase me one bit, usually those are the "rolling speed bumps" who do not make any sudden moves. The only other drivers that scare me at all when I'm riding are aggressive idiots using their vehicle like a weapon, tailgating/changing 4 lanes at a time/cutting people off/etc. @ 90 mph. People zoned-out, whether on the phone or not, usually don't present a hazard to me because I'm very alert. :cool:

When people die in a cell phone related collision, there is no taking a questionaire afterwards. Another PARF numb nutz. :rolleyes:

To be honest, I drive 3-4 hrs a day and the truck is my only sanctuary away from the multitude of calls I get every day. I enjoy the peace and quiet and will not talk on the phone while driving. You can text me or call me and I will pull over and answer if it's an emergency, otherwise I'll talk when I get to my next destination.

Staying connected is a choice we all have to make, personally I was just fine (and less stressed) before cellphones.

Really... Everyone dies in any crash involving a single fatality, you say?

Another PARF numb nutz, indeed. (See mirror)

I respect anyone's decision to turn off their phone while driving, (or any other time), but the assertion that anyone talking on a phone while driving is so distracted that they are a de facto murderer is absurd. Why is it perfectly legal when texting is not?

The real question is why I get sucked into asinine debates online with some really strange people.

And you've met him. I can't even imagine.

For sure.
And for future reference to the OP, "GQ" and "White framed sunglasses" should never be used in the same sentence.

Yes, I included both texting and overall cell phone use. The two often go hand in hand. I would say "you can do your own research", but in your case, I know that's not true. Others can, however. For the rest of you, the statistics are readily available and pretty easy to understand (Denis notwithstanding).

Again, we see a simple ass hat trying to justify his own incredibly selfish, callous, and dangerous behavior. Here is another hint for those willing (and able) to spend some time looking into this: hands-free devices are more or less proven to make no difference in drivers' distraction. Yes, easily led, low information morons will buy into the cell providers' propoganda campaign concerning this (fueled by their need to feel they are somehow "safe" in their selfish, dangerous actions), but again, the studies are out there. Go read them and decide for yourselves just how "safe" that ass hole next to you (or even in your own car) may be while driving on the phone (or texting).

Have a heart, Jeff, maybe "Mr. GQ BMW" was trying desperately to cancel his Comcast subscription. :D :D

In all seriousness, I have no problem with Jeff's "cellphone abatement program". But then I too have been run off the road by oblivious drivers with cellphones glued to the heads. Hell, it happened to me twice in one 15-mile trip!

Cell phone audio fidelity is Horrible.

The idiot(s) who argue that talking on a cell phone is just the same as talking to someone sitting next to them, are wrong - and not too observant.

And, w en S g al starts to bre k- p, distr ction s height n d.

I thought of this thread as I pulled into my office building just now...following in a young woman obviously texting away on her phone (she spent more time looking into her lap than at the road). But hey, at least she was safely doing so, as she was going <15 mph down a 2-lane street. Hard to get into an accident when you're hardly moving.

I also call BS on the neurosurgeon premise. No self-respecting neurosurgeon would drive a measly 3-series.

Just think that when your luck runs out and your squashed by a bigger jackazz, we all get to come back on PPOT and post a link to this thread so everyone can see what a nice guy you were.