I Can Be So Juvenile at Times...

[Jeff Higgins]

Of course, Denis - your strongly held opinion of your actions trumps my university studies. Again, show me the studies, the data that back you up. I suspect you cannot.

This is certainly no "cause celebre" of any kind for me. I have, however, been accused of several things, been accused of being several things, by a few guys on this thread. Including you. Yet none of you can refute the data I presented. So, since you cannot, I'm an "angry little man", an "ass hole", and other such endearing names.

You claimed a page or two back that I had "lost" some aspect of this argument and had to resort to throwing texting into the mix to bolster my position. While I did include texting in my list of links because I believe it to be relevant, I went on to demonstrate that even when removing it from the mix entirely, cell phone driving has proven to be exceedingly dangerous. Even your touted hands-free devices. No response from you (or the others) beyond insults and accusations - you have yet to address the data. Except with your heartfelt opinion, stated above.

Bottom line is, regardless of your opinions, this has proven to be a very dangerous activity. It astonishes me to see the lengths to which otherwise intelligent, level headed, respectable people (oh, and you too) will go to justify this, and just how angry and spiteful they get when called on it. I would have never thought a few of you capable of this. Don't worry, though, Denis - I always knew you were. And you didn't let me down. Never have...

[motion]

LMAO, Jeff, you are the master deflector of PPOT. Dude, seriously, get over yourself.

[speeder]

Oh no, someone on the internet doesn't like me.

I'm crushed.

[Jeff Higgins]

I hope you aren't referring to me - there is no one on this forum that I can honestly say I dislike. I hope I didn't give that impression. No matter how "lively" our discussions get, I certainly hold nothing against anyone. I would happily have a beer with anyone on here, and be proud to call them a "friend". Yes, even you, Denis. You may not be the sharpest guy on this forum, but you seem like a good enough guy even so. No hard feelings.

[gacook]

Originally Posted by speeder

I simply don't agree that talking on a cell phone while driving is tantamount to driving drunk and is extremely reckless. I'd venture that there are tens of millions of people who disagree with you on this, including the people who write the laws.

I seriously find it more distracting to talk to a passenger sitting next to me in terms of not noticing that traffic is slowing in front of me, (for a fraction of a second), than talking on a phone. Maybe because I turn my head towards the person next to me for a second and with a phone call there is no one else to look at(?) IDK.

Equating a cell phone conversation with texting while driving is laughable. They are not in the same stratosphere. Texting requires diverting your visual attention completely from the road for short periods of time, as well as your thoughts.

You can make this your cause celebre but I don't agree or share your opinion. At all.

YOU might disagree with it, but the science doesn't. It's been proven that talking/texting on your cell phone is just as bad as driving drunk; and also, driving under extreme exhaustion is WORSE than driving drunk.

Furthermore, it's been proven that hands-free devices do not reduce the risk. The part of your brain that is focused on the conversation is the part of your brain that's supposed to be focused on your driving. Yes, certain individuals can handle it with no problem, but most cannot.

[speeder]

Why, thanks Jeff. I know I'm not the smartest guy here but I'm pretty sure that I'm smarter than you.

First beer is on me when we meet.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by speeder

Why, thanks Jeff. I know I'm not the smartest guy here but I'm pretty sure that I'm smarter than you.

First beer is on me when we meet.

Make sure you guys both go for a drive afterwards. Maybe while talking on your cell phone.

[Chocaholic]

But....This thread was not about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. It was SWITCHED to the dangers of cell phone use.

The thread was about Jeff's adolescent behavior while riding his motorcycle in traffic that started because of his perception of a neighboring driver wearing sunglasses and holding a phone.

My comments were not in defense of anything related to phone use. Rather, they were directly related to self - described stupidity by someone who had the experience and capacity to know better.

So Jeff, please stay on topic and don't again twist the argument to somehow support the intelligence of your self described riding behavior. Thanks!

[Baz]

Get a room!!!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I thought it was about the dangers of wearing white sunglasses. If I don't like the way you look, you will pay dearly. More of a public service announcement than anything else.

[Tobra]

I took the sunglasses to be an incidental finding, the cell phone, which has been shown to adversely impact your driving as badly as alcohol, was the central consideration. I usually GTF away from them with alacrity if I am fortunate enough to spot them prior to their unexpected maneuver. This song starts playing in my head whenever I see a person driving and talking on their phone


kind of NSFW I suppose



People that are drunk think they are driving cool generally, right up until they kill somebody.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

But....This thread was not about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. It was SWITCHED to the dangers of cell phone use.

The thread was about Jeff's adolescent behavior while riding his motorcycle in traffic that started because of his perception of a neighboring driver wearing sunglasses and holding a phone.

My comments were not in defense of anything related to phone use. Rather, they were directly related to self - described stupidity by someone who had the experience and capacity to know better.

So Jeff, please stay on topic and don't again twist the argument to somehow support the intelligence of your self described riding behavior. Thanks!

You are absolutely right, Mike. It started with me admitting to some pretty juvenile behavior - right in the title, as a matter of fact. It went from there to traditional PPOT pig pile, lambasting me for my behavior. I deserved every last bit of it. No problem there at all. I pointed out that I have a real problem with selfish drivers endangering the rest of us by yammering on their cell phones, so when I saw one, I took the opportunity to mess with him. Thin justification for my behavior, certainly.

Where it went off the rails was when a few started justifying their use of a cell phone while driving, claiming it was not dangerous and thereby implying I should not have taken exception to it. I responded to that, not to justify my actions, but to point out just how wrong (and selfish) they are. My statements were in no way meant to "support the intelligence" of my behavior; they were made in an effort to refute their justifications of their dangerous behavior.

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Make sure you guys both go for a drive afterwards. Maybe while talking on your cell phone.

Naw, Denis will be in his car, I'll be on my bike...

Originally Posted by gacook

Furthermore, it's been proven that hands-free devices do not reduce the risk. The part of your brain that is focused on the conversation is the part of your brain that's supposed to be focused on your driving. Yes, certain individuals can handle it with no problem, but most cannot..

We all know Denis hasn't been firing on all lobes for some time now, so he is probably right in that it doesn't affect him. Like a Top Fuel car dropping cylinders on a run, it really doesn't slow him down much, and it's hard to tell from the outside. It's only when the car in the other lane runs normally and finishes on all cylinders, do the deficiencies of the disabled car become obvious.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I took the sunglasses to be an incidental finding, the cell phone, which has been shown to adversely impact your driving as badly as alcohol, was the central consideration. I usually GTF away from them with alacrity if I am fortunate enough to spot them prior to their unexpected maneuver. This song starts playing in my head whenever I see a person driving and talking on their phone

Listen, Jeff is a real asset to the Technical board especially with respect to MFI. And he was very generous with his time and information emailing me years ago when I hoped to replicate his efforts, and I greatly appreciate that. But this OP and a few other posts are F'ed up on so many levels.

And let's be clear. It was never about a guy talking on a cell phone.

It was about a guy who probably didn't work hard for what he has and sports a douche bag look.

I run into plenty of people who are texting while driving, swerving, sitting at stop lights for 10 seconds after the light turns green. And on many occasions I've sped up and honked and held my phone up and shook my head, I've even went up to a car at a stop light and asked a girl to stop using her phone, but I've never wanted to annoy someone or kick in their doors or smash their mirrors, even when I was riding. You'd be surprised at the number of times people wave and are nice and put the phone down. The girl at the stop light said she was sorry.

Would have been easier and probably more effective for Jeff to get the guy's attention, hold his hand up to his ear and shake his head. if the guy proceeds in an FU manner, hey, the door's open, all bets are off. But you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.

Want to stop bad or dangerous behavior? Be kind about it, no one responds well to anger.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by speeder

...I'm pretty sure that I'm smarter than you.

First beer is on me when we meet.

I'm not sure that's much to be proud of...

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

And let's be clear. It was never about a guy talking on a cell phone.

It was about a guy who probably didn't work hard for what he has and sports a douche bag look.

It was all about the phone. I could care less how he looks. But, what do I know?

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

I thought it was about the dangers of wearing white sunglasses. If I don't like the way you look, you will pay dearly. More of a public service announcement than anything else.

Apparently, this issue has been covered on here before...

What's with guys wearing WHITE sunglasses?!!!

.

[turbo6bar]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

I run into plenty of people who are texting while driving, swerving, sitting at stop lights for 10 seconds after the light turns green. And on many occasions I've sped up and honked and held my phone up and shook my head, I've even went up to a car at a stop light and asked a girl to stop using her phone, but I've never wanted to annoy someone or kick in their doors or smash their mirrors, even when I was riding. You'd be surprised at the number of times people wave and are nice and put the phone down. The girl at the stop light said she was sorry..

I certainly don't disagree here, but when you consider the potential consequences of distracted driving, it's hard not to get miffed. I think folks who only ride in automobiles are isolated from dangers of driving. 17 airbags, lots of strong metal, a 14 star crash rating, and soft upholstery tend to promote an illusion of safety. Add the cell phone, and I can see how one would be a real risk on the highways. It's not just my opinion. Jeff already posted the studies.

Now, does stupid behavior justify violence in return. Well, that's debatable, but when faced with a potentially fatal outcome, I can certainly understand how one would lash out.

I'm surprised some here would say driving while on the phone is acceptable behavior.

Jurgen

[kidrock]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

But....This thread was not about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. It was SWITCHED to the dangers of cell phone use.

The thread was about Jeff's adolescent behavior while riding his motorcycle in traffic that started because of his perception of a neighboring driver wearing sunglasses and holding a phone.

My comments were not in defense of anything related to phone use. Rather, they were directly related to self - described stupidity by someone who had the experience and capacity to know better.

So Jeff, please stay on topic and don't again twist the argument to somehow support the intelligence of your self described riding behavior. Thanks!

Yup, this.^^^^

A very masterful attempt at deflection. Thread starts off as "I can be so juvenile at times...", gives a description of the true victim as a GQ douchebag with white sunglasses, pats himself on the back for his cleverness, then goes on a 9-page rant against the evils of talking on one's cellphone while driving.... in a weak sauce attempt to defend himself for his self-admitted "juvenile" actions.

Nice try though, Shapiro. BTW, are you related to the Chelan Higgins?

[Scooter]

No dog in the hunt. Just thought this was interesting:

Here is a very interesting study of cell phone use while driving. It also has data regarding driving while intoxicated. Pay special attention to the Appendices.

http://cellphonefreedriving.ca/media/harvard.pdf

[2porscheguy]

Back OT here....fwiw while I don't totally agree with Jeff's MO, I totally take his side on cell phone use while driving.

A case in point.....last night while heading home from work I came to a four way stop and, as there were no vehicles at the other intersections, after stopping I proceeded through. Just as I was about half way through, this woman on my right (yes, yapping on her cp!) didn't even look my way and stormed through turning into my lane. I had just enough time to screech to a stop and missed hitting her on the driver's side by maybe a foot! I leaned on my horn but she was oblivious to all that had happened.

I was behind her for about two blocks and she is weaving all over the place, still yapping away on her phone. About a block later she proceeds to turn right and as I pass her on the left I give her a horn blast. She looks over her left shoulder while holding the phone with her left hand and, in mid turn, she leans over, takes her right hand off the steering wheel and flips me the bird....so she's now driving with no hands on the wheel and, in the process almost clips a cyclist in the opposite lane!

This person obviously has no respect or concern for the safety of others and is clearly an accident waiting to happen.....just WTF!

Pelicans we are above this.....

PLEASE, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE, USE YOUR CELL PHONE OR TEXT WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE. IF IT RINGS AND YOU NEED TO ATTEND TO IT, PLEASE JUST PULL OVER WHEN SAFE TO DO SO!

Have a nice day and be safe out there guys!