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People in cars ignoring EUC riders right of way


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While I am on my smartphone a lot I also am off completely several hours a day, and leave it at home if I'm going EUC or touring.

It's notable that a lot of accessories for bicycling is there to keep you connected. While keeping connected probably means a strong social life, it's notable that people with more social media friends and time have much higher rates of depression.

At least 1 out of 4 US women are now on antidepressants, and opiates kills more white males than any other accidental deaths including car accidents.

Methinks Facebook is extraordinarily dangerous to the mental well-being of most people and while I don't see Facebook as some dangerous conspiracy I do see the way people communicate with each change due to Facebook. Long nuanced paragraphs, with carefully crafted sentences, seems out of place while quick sentences with pictures, tailored to get likes, seems to be the norm instead of the diversion.

We have now arrived at a society whereby 100% of observed people are already on their cell phones when coming to a stop at a red light.

Try it; stand at a street corner that has red lights and count the number of people on their cell phones when they have a red light. I can almost guarantee it's 100%.

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4 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

While I am on my smartphone a lot I also am off completely several hours a day, and leave it at home if I'm going EUC or touring.

It's notable that a lot of accessories for bicycling is there to keep you connected. While keeping connected probably means a strong social life, it's notable that people with more social media friends and time have much higher rates of depression.

At least 1 out of 4 US women are now on antidepressants, and opiates kills more white males than any other accidental deaths including car accidents.

Methinks Facebook is extraordinarily dangerous to the mental well-being of most people and while I don't see Facebook as some dangerous conspiracy I do see the way people communicate with each change due to Facebook. Long nuanced paragraphs, with carefully crafted sentences, seems out of place while quick sentences with pictures, tailored to get likes, seems to be the norm instead of the diversion.

We have now arrived at a society whereby 100% of observed people are already on their cell phones when coming to a stop at a red light.

Try it; stand at a street corner that has red lights and count the number of people on their cell phones when they have a red light. I can almost guarantee it's 100%.

I 100% agree that Facebook is generally not good for most people. Through social media I believe we have actually become less social and relationships considerably more shallow. How many now consider a facebook post on your friends wall to be an acceptalble birthday greeting? Rather than calling a friend to catch up we just check their posts regularly, offer a few likes or comments and feel our duity as a friend is done. Yet nearly every user carefully crafts their public image on social media. Post the good times, post your anger but generally do not post the bad things in life. To the outside world your friend may appear to have an enviable life of nice vacations, weekend picnics on sunny days and kids with all A grades. What isn't posted could be the cracking marriage, a childs behavioural issues, the financial burdens, the depression. These are things that are learned of and consoled through a close and meainngful friendship, through meandering conversation and personal confidence but are rarely known of through social media. This positive self projection of everyone elses life when yours seems so terrible helps to push people into depression. Why me they ask?

We have started to dehumanize some of the most fundamental parts of society and maybe that is why we now treat the others physically arounds us with such a lack of empathy. It is still there and can be seen in times of social crisis (Houston for example during the floods) but only when people are thrust into the real world and forcibly out of their cyber bubble do people now appear to be able to reconize those around us are just like us and we are all in it together.

Then there is the issue of sharing too much opinion. How many friends were lost due to posts about Trump or Clinton that others could not tollerate. Personal beliefs you wouldn't utter in the presence of others but are happy to post about when you only have to face a computer or phone screen. College kids were told not to come home for Thanksgiving last year because of political differences...WHAT!

I wouldn't shed a single tear is social media dissapeared tomorrow...that and "always on" sensationaizled opinion biased news. Another thing that doesn't help the world.

Rant over.

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  • 3 weeks later...

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-17/smartphones-are-killing-americans-but-nobody-s-counting

Weak but compelling evidence that an avalanche of injuries and deaths are caused by smartphone use.

It should concern us because the increase of deaths was concentrated on non-cars, that is, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists, and that a great number of these crashes were while cars moving in a straight line. Having a car hit you while it's moving at high speed in a straight line is probably the most dangerous situation.

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3 hours ago, LanghamP said:

Having a car hit you while it's moving at high speed in a straight line is probably the most dangerous situation.

Car drivers in my neighborhood are always on the phone. I'm on a small island so nearly everyone is just starting or ending their journeys when I see them. Rather than take a minute before leaving to finish what they are doing on their phone they start driving first.

Twice in the last 6 months I have seen accidents which had to be the result of phone use. One was a VW Bug on its roof having not followed the road's very slight bend to the left. It struck a parked vehicle on the outside of the bend. Ran along it's side and struck it's inward turned front wheel. The Bug's wheel meeting the exposed parked vehicle's wheel lifted the Bug up and rolled it on it's roof. This is a residential street (that I ride twice a day) about 1/4 mile from my apartment complex with a 25 MPH speed limit. I'm sure I recognized the car as one I had seen with the driver always on her phone. The second accident was just outside my apartment complex. Same thing. Slight curve. The car ran down the side of a parked truck on the outside of the curve. Nothing was flipped this time (sadly as they hit and ran) but it must have been close as the truck's tire was also turned inwards (from parking) and had been destroyed so was clearly struck.

The UK just upped the max sentence for death by dangerous driving to life in prison. Equal to manslaughter. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41627240

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1 hour ago, WARPed1701D said:

 

The UK just upped the max sentence for death by dangerous driving to life in prison. Equal to manslaughter. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41627240

Imposing heavy penalties will bring awareness to this issue for a brief time.

Sadly, the fact is that drivers and pedestrians will continue to shift their attention and eyesight to a smartphone.  Accidents will increase with growing numbers of drivers and riders.

Its our world of today and tomorrow.

Possibly, downtown areas of cities will continue to offer improved traffic environments, on both the road and sidewalks.

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Yeah, I had one yesterday.  Lady talking on her phone (illegal in WA) pulls right up onto the crosswalk - about 3 feet from where I'm standing waiting to cross - stares ahead and left before deciding to make a right on red in front of me.  I was reaching out and waving at her and she never noticed.  Car behind her saw me and stopped though.

I never cross until I'm sure I have eye contact.

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On 10/17/2017 at 7:21 AM, LanghamP said:

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-17/smartphones-are-killing-americans-but-nobody-s-counting

Weak but compelling evidence that an avalanche of injuries and deaths are caused by smartphone use.

It should concern us because the increase of deaths was concentrated on non-cars, that is, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists, and that a great number of these crashes were while cars moving in a straight line. Having a car hit you while it's moving at high speed in a straight line is probably the most dangerous situation.

Cities are aware of the dilemma in carelessly viewing smartphones while in traffic or crossing streets.

Honolulu has passed a law, which will take effect Wednesday, that allows the police to fine pedestrians up to $35 for viewing their electronic devices while crossing streets in the city and surrounding county. Honolulu is thought to be the first major city to enact such a ban.

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43 minutes ago, Rocky Romero said:

 

Honolulu has passed a law, which will take effect Wednesday, that allows the police to fine pedestrians 

While pedestrians on their smartphones piss me off to no end, I would prefer such laws not to be for the simple reason that pedestrians are still within their designated areas while legally crossing the street. One would be in the ludicrous situation of fining a pedestrian who had been hit by a car while crossing the street on a walk light, while not fining the blind person who was also hit while crossing at the same time.

Methinks it's one of those "gotcha" laws used to shakedown people any way they can. All those little towns and cities have to feed their families, you know.

We invented the term "jaywalking" in order to get rid of pedestrians from roads (and turning the crime of killing pedestrians with a car instead into a crime the pedestrian was doing), and now we want to criminalize the pedestrian of even daring to walk on intersections.

We recently had a woman killed while crossing the street on a walk light. No charges were filed against the driver. I used to think that was the standard model of how we treat pedestrians, but perhaps we can fine pedestrians for denting the hood of cars...while crossing on a walk light. That might get rid of a few more pesky walkers.

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Talking on your phone while driving, is against the law here in the UK. If caught you risk a fine and 3 points on your license. "Points mean prizes" but in this case the "prize" is mostly higher insurance rates. 

I would also like to see that Honolulu law here. Seems everyone crossing a street is staring at a smart phone. Mind you if they get killed by a driver, also staring at a phone, there's some sort of weird poetic justice in it.

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On 10/30/2017 at 4:36 PM, Smoother said:

Talking on your phone while driving, is against the law here in the UK. If caught you risk a fine and 3 points on your license. "Points mean prizes" but in this case the "prize" is mostly higher insurance rates. 

I would also like to see that Honolulu law here. Seems everyone crossing a street is staring at a smart phone. Mind you if they get killed by a driver, also staring at a phone, there's some sort of weird poetic justice in it.

Until laws are passed.

Until human behaviors change.

Protecting oneself as best as possible in our societies makes sense.

On rainy days or not, I’m carrying a cane umbrella and knowing how to best use it.

 

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  • 1 month later...

This is a typical situation when a car hits a bike. The car hits the bike from behind causing severe injuries to the bicyclist. No charges as no law was broken. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4951312/Footage-shows-moment-cyclist-hit-car-Melbourne.html

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Today, I was riding on the way out of campus. A car followed me too close after me. I extend my arm and waved backwards to signal him to backup. Yet the driver ignored. If I fall, the car would run over me. I hate this fucking bastard driver.

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6 hours ago, LanghamP said:

This is a typical situation when a car hits a bike. The car hits the bike from behind causing severe injuries to the bicyclist. No charges as no law was broken. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4951312/Footage-shows-moment-cyclist-hit-car-Melbourne.html

Well, that's clearly not true. Of course he committed an offense. Failure to avoid contact with another road user, is the root offense.  Failing to maintain a safe distance from a vehicle in front, failure to give cyclist adequate clearance.   They may not have that exact rule in OZ, but something born of it.  Can they sue in civil court in OZ, in the US that guy would be sued within an inch of his life, and in this case, I would applaud that.  People need to be reminded that a car is a multi-thousand kg weapon.  After all, how many ISIS truck attacks do we need to see to know that?

The police are just being lazy, or the kid is protected because of who his family is.

I gave to the local police, dash cam footage of a guy doing two distinct illegal things during a road rage incident.  After months of investigation, they decided not to prosecute.  "your word against his" they said.  Really?! What about the video? Whose "word" is that? F.ing useless when you need them.

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4 hours ago, EUCMania said:

Today, I was riding on the way out of campus. A car followed me too close after me. I extend my arm and waved backwards to signal him to backup. Yet the driver ignored. If I fall, the car would run over me. I hate this fucking bastard driver.

I know, it's like letting the asp hole win, but next time, just swallow your pride, pull over, and let them by.  We will NEVER live in a word free from tailgaters. OR.....sling a pump action 12 gauge shotgun over your shoulder.  Your choice. :D

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