Texting, top heavy FJR and Pain

[Karmak]

A little editorial:

Have been off the Board for a while and just read about Madjackdog's injury due to an idiot with a cell phone-made me so pissed I had to describe this: On my way back from Americade, on #29 in the middle of nowhere, young female idiot in a jeep coming the opposite direction (no one else on road, on a dead straight, just we two) suddenly flys off the road into a deep ditch (her side of road)for absolutely no reason-saw her head down just before and I immediiately thought she was texting or dialing or whatever. Parts go flying in front of me as the bottom of the jeep hit the lip of the ditch. Even though I thought she could just as easily went to the left and hit me head on, I figured I'd check on her. Turned around, drove up parallel to the ditch, looked down at her making her way out (ditch was deep, jeep leaning quite a bit driver's side. As I asked her if she was OK, I leaned to the right as I looked down, top heavy FJR leans to left, starts falling. I think "damned if I'll drop it, give it a hell of a wrench, kept it up at the expense of my back which promptly told me I'd done something terribly stupid. Results: flat on my back for days. CAT scan, x-rays show nothing, two days after one side of my stomach from the hip to belly swollen in a two inch strip, burning like hell. Still hurts. My guess is torn oblique or tranverse muscle-on top of tweaked vertebrae-price for being a good samaritan.

>Going to work yesterday-another girl drives off road up the curb coming my direction (I'm in my F 150). As I look down while she regains road (now next to me)I see the phone in her hand, a kid in the car.

So, My FJR is sitting in the garage waiting for me to recover, Madjackdog's in a world of hurt and this crap shows no sign of stopping.

>Keep in mind, cell phone use while driving is illegal in NY (I've had "discussions") with other members from other states that don't prohibit cell phone use while driving and think if they are it'll make a difference), but I have seen no decrease in this crap. And so it continues.

 

[Sportster]

....young female idiot....saw her head down....thought she was texting or dialing or whatever. Parts go flying in front of me as the bottom of the jeep hit the lip of the ditch....another girl drives off road....I see the phone in her hand....cell phone use while driving is illegal in NY....And so it continues.

If you ask them the next day what they were texting/reading? They will have NO idea.

But, death and maiming injuries are forever.

 

[wabill]

Washington state now has laws on the books banning texting and using a hand held cell phones while driving. HA Ha, what a joke, it hasn't slowed cell phone use one bit.

 

[ionbeam]

Excerpted from my ride report on our Quabbin Reservoir ride:

On our ride home this little black car drifted over into the space where my FJR was at the same time. Notice how dented Blondie's front fender is? And the paint stripe down the side of the car? Now, check out Blondie with the butt in her mouth while driving and texting.

This is a scene from a horror story, she is going to kill someone one of these days.

 

[Ari Rankum]

GRRRRRRRR. Makes my blood boil. I've had cell phone-using SOBs fully in my lane coming around a blind corner on a piece of two lane who seem to feel their phone conversation/text is more important than possibly killing me. Tell you what, my ghost is going to STOMP THE SHIT OUT OF the cell phone user (and ALL of their progeny until the world ends) that takes me out.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Yes this is the world we live in.

Stay on gaurd folks. these sum bitchiz is everywhere. :assassin: they passed a law here a couple months ago. I see no difference.

Carry on and good luck,

Dave

 

[odot]

So my cell phone was buzzing near my ballsack the other day and I decided to answer it since I wasn't wearing a helmet and lo and behold it was me mum...we chatted on and on about the weather but I couldn't hear her all that well so I was "humming and hawing" yeah this and yeah that when all of a sudden....

 

[Sportster]

I know it is after the fact, but are LEO's allowed to seize the phone of drivers involved in incidents and check for recent activity? Can those time stamped findings be used in court?

It would be cool to have a law that allowed cells to be seized for forensic evaluation in cases that meet XYZ criteria of seriousness. Some basic criteria like: Occupant(s)/Passenger(s), or Bystander(s) sent to Level 1 Trauma Center; Death of same.

 

[Ari Rankum]

I know it is after the fact, but are LEO's allowed to seize the phone of drivers involved in incidents and check for recent activity? Can those time stamped findings be used in court?

It would be cool to have a law that allowed cells to be seized for forensic evaluation in cases that meet XYZ criteria of seriousness. Some basic criteria like: Occupant(s)/Passenger(s), or Bystander(s) sent to Level 1 Trauma Center; Death of same.

The courts have long held that law enforcement do not need a warrant to get "tower data" from the telecommunications companies. They can merely ask for it and get it. Tower data includes the records of which phones are in the proximity of which towers and whether they are involved in a call. Because of the way cell phones work, constantly comparing signal strengths between phones and towers in adjacent cells in order to automatically effect a cell tower hand-off, it's possible with reasonable accuracy to triangulate the position of a cell phone in real time. Software is available that can take tower data and plot the position of a cell phone over time, regardless of whether it's involved in a call (as long as it is turned on). Included in that data, in addition to whether a call or text were ongoing, would be the average speed of the cell phone in question, which could also have bearing on the case. Unfortunately, the data would not be precise enough to indicate, for instance, whether the cell phone in question were weaving between lanes as it barrelled down the highway.

Of course, the police would need a way to be aware of the phone number or SIM of the cell phone in question - so seizing the phone could be handy.

As I've written elsewhere, cell phone use in Maryland is a secondary offense, so you can't be pulled over merely for being on the phone. I think that cell phone use will become a primary offense (the way seat belt non-use did) in a year or two, as the rate of scoff laws seems to be somewhere near 50% by my informal surveys. Yes, I mean that - something like every other driver seems to be on the phone. It's scary out there.

 

[Crash Cash]

I guess I can't throw stones... I lanesplit, speed like Rossi, pass on double yellows, run red lights, use my signals after I make the lane change, and generally drive like a total asshole.

We've had a LOT of people in Orlando kill themselves "drivin'n'textin" including 4 UCF students when the driver didn't notice a red light. I figure Darwin will straighten things out.

One of my co-workers had his manager throw a hissy when he refused to join a con-call on the drive home.

 

[Bounce]

dipshits

 

[RadioHowie]

dipshits

Damn, you're a wordy bastard. :rofl:

 

[Bounce]

dipshits

Damn, you're a wordy bastard. :rofl:

yup

 

[FJR Jimbo]

For those who cant walk and chew bubble gum at the same time, thats why there is the 'hands free' stuff.

Why they dont or cant figure that out is beyond me also. Yeah, they are a batch of dips....

 

[cota95]

I know it is after the fact, but are LEO's allowed to seize the phone of drivers involved in incidents and check for recent activity? Can those time stamped findings be used in court?

It would be cool to have a law that allowed cells to be seized for forensic evaluation in cases that meet XYZ criteria of seriousness. Some basic criteria like: Occupant(s)/Passenger(s), or Bystander(s) sent to Level 1 Trauma Center; Death of same.

I don't know about your area but around here EVERYTIME I see a state trooper in the cruiser on the highway they are ON THE PHONE!!!!

 

[Tom C]

I used to live in Rome, NY and right after they passed that law the police were still making and taking phone calls while driving their police cruisers. I wish we could give them a ticket. Its kind of hypocritical of them expecting to get people to stop calling and texting when they don't do it themselves. I know it was like a $100 fine for anyone caught on the phone in NY so it is cheaper to buy a bluetooth set up. The problem is that you still have to take your eyes off the road to dial some phones. Not all phones can handle voice dialing yet.

 

[phroenips]

I used to live in Rome, NY and right after they passed that law the police were still making and taking phone calls while driving their police cruisers. I wish we could give them a ticket. Its kind of hypocritical of them expecting to get people to stop calling and texting when they don't do it themselves. I know it was like a $100 fine for anyone caught on the phone in NY so it is cheaper to buy a bluetooth set up. The problem is that you still have to take your eyes off the road to dial some phones. Not all phones can handle voice dialing yet.

None of that matters much because the the biggest problem with being on the phone while driving is the actual phone call part. Your attention is focused on the phone call, not driving.

 

[Papa Georgio]

Texting while driving.

This one needs to hang a sign around his neck (IDIOT)

Yesterday July 21 Hampton Beach NH police arest 22 year old male Texting while driving a motorcycle.

 

[KYCHERRY]

I see it all the time - had a lady start drifting into my lane in Louisville a couple of weeks ago. Good thing I suspected her of being on the phone as I approached her in the left lane. For several years now I have made a habit of trying to see if the drivers that I am approaching are holding one of their arms up - good indicator that they are on the phone. :angry2: Something that angers me almost as much though - drivers of pickups that have scrap metal, blocks of wood, etc. in the back of the bed without a tailgate! I took my bike into service today and followed a NEW pickup with no tailgate - all kinds of scrap in the bed for roughly 3 miles. Traffic was right behind me and there was not an opportunity to pass. At a stoplight in town I politely asked the driver (was a female in this instance) where her tailgate was. She gave me a blank look and I informed her that something coming out of her bed could cause me injury/death. She nodded and went on her way....