Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Driving, Smartphoning, Biking

Driving My Smart Phone
OK, at this point we were both stopped

A bit east of 14th St, traveling west on Independence Avenue SE (in Washington DC), I found myself pacing alongside a new-ish Mercedes with a fellow driving and typing on his phone.

People in cars should keep in mind that for a cyclist, nothing can be worse than finding oneself "sharing" the road with a driver whose attention is diverted in this way. This guy is an accident waiting to happen - and if it's with a cyclist, the Mercedes wins (and the cyclist loses).

I'll confess - I didn't take this while we were still moving but only after he stopped and I stopped alongside. But it tells you something about his engagement with the outside world that he was oblivious to me alongside while driving and when I stopped and took his picture.

What I really don't get is when people like this guy, in order to (sort of) do two things at once do them both poorly - or at least the driving part. It's a dead giveaway that you don't have your mind on the task at hand when an old guy like me can keep up with your Mercedes.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks, Michael. That is one scary photo, especially if one is a cyclist.

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  2. It's illegal in Massachusetts. Not that that stops anyone. I feel like most of the time, when I can't figure out why someone is driving the way they are, it's because they're texting. Or on their phone. I see so much of this when I'm riding to work. The police should seriously let me issue the tickets. The budget deficit would be made up in a month.

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