What's the stupidest thing you've seen a cager doing?

[CAJW]

I did a quick search in this forum and found cagers having cell phone conversations while writing etc.., but didn't find anything like this. Last night I saw a guy driving his pickup on Hwy 99 through Fresno at 80+, holding a cell phone to his ear with his right shoulder, cradling his laptop between his gut and the steering wheel, holding a soda? in his left hand over the steering wheel and looking down at the laptop, presumably using his right hand on the mouse pad looking for a stock quote. Should be looking for a driving instructor, jeez, we've got a lot of IDIOTS out there to be mindful of. What have you all seen that is worse than that? This same guy juggling plates on sticks?

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Teenager went to an exit of a shopping area's parking lot. She had a friend in the passenger seat. They were excited and happy and talking loudly as the pulled up to the exit and stopped to see a wall of traffic. She decided to back up and go to a different exit where there wouldn't be so many cars on the road. Stuck it in reverse and drove 3/4 the way up the hood of the Corvette that followed her to that exit. I think the head of the guy in the Corvette exploded.

No cell phone needed on this one.

 

[James Burleigh]

I gotta tell you, I throw up my hands in defeat that there is no limit to outrageous driving behavior. Just yesterday I heard about a colleague who stated that using your turn signal in California is not a requirement, it's a courtesy. She was dead serious, as in "Duh! Everybody knows that!"

I get so angry and frustrated, that I just have to let go. For every one of us who gets outraged (whether we ride bikes or drive cars) about poor driving behavior, there are a dozen drivers who put about as much thought into driving as they do lifting a toilet seat. In fact, those are the guys who just hose down the toilet seat rather than lift it up for the next person.

Because if I think too much about it, I'll never get back on that bike again. How could I? I'd have to be crazy.

 

[v65]

Commuting to Boston (ie NASCAR) at 85mph, separation of 5-8 ft between cars, guy next to me is reading the paper. :angry:

 

[Hopzilla]

ah, ........driving a cage.......period

 

[exskibum]

Wow, I'm gonna have to think about that STUPIDEST???

That'll take some processing time, but I do have a ready candidate from last Sunday. She's in against some heavy competition, though, and I'm not sure how to weight it for the ones who have nearly killed me.

 

[CAJW]

Wow, I'm gonna have to think about that STUPIDEST???
That'll take some processing time, but I do have a ready candidate from last Sunday. She's in against some heavy competition, though, and I'm not sure how to weight it for the ones who have nearly killed me.

There will be extra consideration given to anyone who had to take evasive action to stay alive.

 

[Toecutter]

I am very tempted to put a license frame on my bike that says:

[SIZE=18pt][/SIZE]

I Can Drive
[SIZE=18pt][/SIZE]

You Could Learn
I won't put it on my cage because I'm not the only one who drives it, if you get my drift.

For every one of us who gets outraged (whether we ride bikes or drive cars) about poor driving behavior, there are a dozen drivers who put about as much thought into driving as they do lifting a toilet seat.

Big GUNNY to JB's comments, except I struggle more with the serenity he seems to be blessed with.

And that seat-pissing driver is the one who will take me out, and that egregious criminal act will be dismissed with "Honest Officer, I didn't see him".

 

[exskibum]

I am very tempted to put a license frame on my bike that says:


[SIZE=18pt][/SIZE]

I Can Drive
[SIZE=18pt][/SIZE]

You Could Learn
I won't put it on my cage because I'm not the only one who drives it, if you get my drift.

Hehehe -- I've been waiting for that ammunition. You know why. This bit of blackmail material may be my get out of jail free card (aka "virtual cup").

I'm off to store this page where it can be easily retrieved. :evilsmiley03:

 

[Kevin Daly]

Dear me... let me count the ways :dribble:

How about the last stupider-er thing I saw. US rt 33 this past summer, riding with a group of FJR's. on a long straight on the Virginia side of the mountian boarder we come up on an old Toyota truck with a kid at the wheel and some young girl sittin up on the side of the bed in back on the passenger side. As my buddy Dick goes to pass the truck the driver thinks he is going to get cheeky and jerks his truck over nearly hitting Dick. Forget Dick, now the girl is hanging off the back side of the truck for her life. Fortunately she didnt fall out (I would'a had some trouble bunny hoppin over a chick on a 600 pound bike) :dribble: :dribble: :dribble:

 

[Silver Penguin]

Living in SoCal, I could post a list every day that I leave the house.......

The 'lady' that took Andy out, claimed to be tuning her radio while doing 70mph in stop-start traffic.

A week later, the 'gentleman' that totaled Andy's truck by t-boning it on a straight road, in a residential tract.

The guy driving with no headlight, but the interior light was on so that he could work on the crossword puzzle. Folded newspaper in one hand, pen in the other hand.

The woman that swerved into Andy's lane, but missed him because he saw her first. At the next light, when Andy pulled up alongside to say hello to her, she threatened to run him right off the road next time. She had to interrupt her phone conversation to tell him this.

Right turn from the left lane - when there are SIX lanes on each side of the road.

Neighbor reversing her car from the carport, oblivious to husband's car parked behind hers.

You want more?

Jill

 

[Toecutter]

Hehehe -- I've been waiting for that ammunition. You know why. This bit of blackmail material may be my get out of jail free card (aka "virtual cup").

Nah. Eve reads the forum. And she knows she's "a cager" in the textbook sense of the term. See related story below.

Besides, I'm only following orders. Duty, honor, country.

You got some news you wanna share?

Related (on topic) story- The night of our first date, we agreed to meet at a cozy little coffee joint. I had a pretty good idea of where it was, so I was homing in and getting ready to turn left into the parking lot at the next turn lane, but I was at a light with a Camry in front of me in the left lane. Light turns green, Camry goes, I go. Just across the intersection, Camry slows to a crawl, far left lane, driver obviously looking around for something. I'm thinking to myself, "That's probably her"....Yup.

At least she was driving a Toyota....as was I.

 

[airboss]

Some time ago one of my drivers came in and gave me a police officers card.

Told me the officer wanted me to call him, because when the driver told me what happened I was never going to believe it.

The conditions: the truck was traveling on a four lane city street with center turn lane, traffic is light, and the weather is clear. the truck is in the far right lane.

The story: a car is going in the opposite direction in far right lane when the driver turns on his left turn signal and turns left across all the lanes in front of the truck, the driver gets the truck stopped and avoids hitting the car. the car then backs out to the right backing into the truck. The driver of the car gets out flips my driver off, jumps back in the car and races off through a red light.

As the driver gets out to check the truck for damage, a police officer pulls up, hands my driver his card and says "I was sitting at the intersection and saw the whole thing, have your supervisor call me, because he's never going to believe this."

 

[Ari Rankum]

And that seat-pissing driver is the one who will take me out, and that egregious criminal act will be dismissed with "Honest Officer, I didn't see him".

Full point.

This is the one that occupies my thoughts on the road. The negligence out there is truly criminal.

 

[otrfjr]

"Could" implies the capacity to learn, and I'm not so sure about that in some cases. I believe that some cagers are just plain incapable of understanding cause and effect and the dire consequences that can result.

[SIZE=18pt][/SIZE]I Can Drive
[SIZE=18pt][/SIZE]

You Could Learn

 

[Checkswrecks]

I posted what's below a few days ago and am with JB, ToeCutter, and SilverPenguin, in that just when you think you've seen it all...

The Mexican kid that rear-ended me was just so classic in not seeing me. Nor was the girl a couple of weeks ago, reading her magazine while trying to do a left turn (2-lane into 2-lane left) and literally pulling into my side, while I had another person tailgating me. The width of the white line of pavement was where I was left to go. I have air horns that'll wake the dead and even those didn't wake her up! How the hell do people keep commuting while they're getting a blow job? Not as common as the finger-jobs, but I've seen blow-jobs twice! Heck, when people on cell-phones pull into my lane and I hit the horn, THEY get pissed.

What just drives me up a wall is that this is how a large population of the cagers NORMALLY drive.

Where's the minigun to mount on the FJR? I want one! GunMD - can you fix me up, buddy?

Bob

After commuting for most of 30 years, you start to think you've seen it all. Cagers on phones is totally normal, as are eating, coffee, reading (newspapers, books, magazines, whatever), writing, typing one-handed on a laptop, make-up applications, and guys tying ties. Every now & then see a little finger play on the commuting partner and even a head-bob or two. But this morning was a double-take.

Coming down the Clara Barton Parkway/Canal Road into DC, I'm slowly coming up on a gent in a better Benz. From the back, the guy's head caught my attention, because he looks like he's bopping to the radio, despite looking all bankerish in his gray hair, pricey ride, and the collar of a suit jacket. Something else was out of place that I couldn't pick up on till I was almost next to him. Oh his hands. Every now and then I'd see one with lots of finger movement.

When I finally got next to him, it hit me. This guy is propping the wheel on his knees (2-lanes of traffic) and wailing on a little gold coronet! I actually slowed to ride next to him for a bit and sure enough, the fingers were flying and he was getting in an extra practice session! I guess there are some things besides smoking that the spouse won't let in the house? Sounded like he knew what he was doing, but

 

[Silver Penguin]

IMHO, the problem is that our time-crunched society has allowed the automobile to become an extension of the living room/dining room/office/bedroom. Things that would normally be done in those places are now multi-tasked with driving. The respect needed to navigate the road safely has been lost.

A while back, I watched a documentary on TV about the autobahn with it's lack of speed limit. The concept works (or at least it did, when the film was produced) because drivers understand that when you drive, you DRIVE. Penalties for multi-tasking are enforced, as are those for lack of lane discipline. The slower traffic stays to the right, the left lane is only used for passing.

When not riding a bike, I drive a German car, and noted that there are no cupholders. I cannot be tempted to pick up Starbucks on the way to work. Shifting gears keeps me busy too. But then again, I am not above reproach. On the days that I want my coffee, I will drive Andy's Jeep which has automatic transmission and a place for a cup.

Jill

 

[Derek]

the five stupidest things i've seen, i didn't so much see as do.

not bragging. just stating the facts.

in my younger years of course.

i don't mind if god and my mom knows about them, but i wont tell this crowd.

derek

 

[Kevin Daly]

...then there was the time I was on my pedal bike doing some training in Tucson and watched this lady pull out of a mini mart on the corner headed right, into an intersection and turned left through the intersection into my path, accelerating all the way. The whole time I am watchin her steer her car into my path. I see she is steering a car with the edge of the palm of her left hand which was holding a spilling cup of coffee. At the same time she was lighting a cig. with the right hand. You know when time things start slowing down because bad things are happening... I remember seeing her watch the light for the lighter on the cig then her right eye squinting closed as the smoke came up. That was just before the front of her car hit my back wheel and ripped the bike out from under me. Had i not seen her and hammered as hard as i could to get out of the way I would probably not be wrihting this today.

The funny thing was that someone chased her down. The cops came and at first she said she didnt know she hit anything and that was why she kept going. Then she said that I was going so damn fast it was my fault... that she turned left into an intersection and hit someone going straight in the oppisite direction... on a pedal bike on a 35 MPH road.

-Oh i got plenty more..