Reporting mobile use while driving

[Etern4l]

I wouldn't describe myself as a mobile phone addict, but I still wouldn't go on a bike ride more than a mile or two from home without it in my pocket.

It very rarely comes out of that pocket, but it is there on those rare occasions I need it (or want!) it. There is no inconvenience to me in carrying it, just sitting in the pocket of my jersey.

I use the phone all the time when travelling (within the legal boundaries of course) : navigation, calls, audio books, music, I'm planning to start streaming my rides. Phones are an awesome tool. Never had an accident, close call, or any other issue, and it likely saved me during a recent Grand Union Canal assault. To ban hands-free use in cars would be a rather backward act (and then of course there would be little reason not to ban passengers from speaking, or phone use during cycling as well: nightmare scenarios for most people).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I wouldn't describe myself as a mobile phone addict, but I still wouldn't go on a bike ride more than a mile or two from home without it in my pocket.

Doesn’t your behaviour strike you as odd, that you won’t go more than a mile without a phone? For instance you wouldn’t dare ride to the shops a couple of miles away without your phone.

 

[Alex321]

Doesn’t your behaviour strike you as odd, that you won’t go more than a mile without a phone? For instance you wouldn’t dare ride to the shops a couple of miles away without your phone.

That isn't quite what I said.

There is nothing about "dare" in it, but the only time I don't just pop it in my jersey pocket is when I'm going on such a short ride that I don't bother putting cycling kit on. Which generally means rides where I'm going less than a mile from home.

I wouldn't currently go to the shops without it for two reasons - 1 I pay for most things using it as a contactless card, and 2 most ti
mes I am heading for the shops on my bike it is to get something my wife has asked for, and I want to be able to phone back for instructions if it is out of stock. I also rarely ride just to go to the shops, with the exception of the half mile to the local garage to get the newspaper.

But carrying it doesn't mean I'm "addicted" to it, nor do I see it as even slightly odd. Other than when stopping to buy something, it very rarely comes out of my pocket, but is there if I need it. No different in principle to carrying those spare inner tubes and multi tool in my saddle bag.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

View: https://youtu.be/ReuEegwZiBY

 

[Alex321]

I use the phone all the time when travelling (within the legal boundaries of course) : navigation, calls, audio books, music, I'm planning to start streaming my rides. Phones are an awesome tool. Never had an accident, close call, or any other issue, and it likely saved me during a recent Grand Union Canal assault.

I did use it for navigation and as a cycle computer for a bit over a year, until I got my Wahoo.

I really don't like to have music or anything similar when riding, I prefer to just hear what is around me.

For me, the phone is just a tool.

To ban hands-free use in cars would be a rather backward act (and then of course there would be little reason not to ban passengers from speaking, or phone use during cycling as well: nightmare scenarios for most people).

There is a big difference between talking to a passenger and talking to somebody over the phone. The passenger can see the same as you can, and shouldn't keep distracting you if things are needing your attention.

But having said that, I would tend to agree that hands-free use should not be banned - if you are going to do that then you probably do need to also ban changing anything on the radio/cd/mp3 player while driving, or indeed anything that requires you to poke the screen while looking at it.

I know there have been studies showing that reaction times are almost as affected by hands free use as by handheld use, but it isn't just about raw reaction time. If you are using the phone hand-held, then you only have one hand free for the controls, so in a fast-developing situation, you cannot have as effective control of the vehicle as quickly even after reacting.

 

[Etern4l]

I did use it for navigation and as a cycle computer for a bit over a year, until I got my Wahoo.

I really don't like to have music or anything similar when riding, I prefer to just hear what is around me.

For me, the phone is just a tool.



There is a big difference between talking to a passenger and talking to somebody over the phone. The passenger can see the same as you can, and shouldn't keep distracting you if things are needing your attention.

But having said that, I would tend to agree that hands-free use should not be banned - if you are going to do that then you probably do need to also ban changing anything on the radio/cd/mp3 player while driving, or indeed anything that requires you to poke the screen while looking at it.

I know there have been studies showing that reaction times are almost as affected by hands free use as by handheld use, but it isn't just about raw reaction time. If you are using the phone hand-held, then you only have one hand free for the controls, so in a fast-developing situation, you cannot have as effective control of the vehicle as quickly even after reacting.

Exactly, just an indespensible tool.

Passengers being aware of the situation on the road is a huge assumption IMHO. Really depends on the passengers, with the ones in the back seat less likely to be aware. On the other hand, the driver controls the conversation and can hang up if required. You can't hang up a passenger.

There are also studies which show that phone use is basically harmless because drivers adapt well to using them. Those tend to be dismissed by agenda-driven audience as politically incorrect. Note that the fact that an accident occurred while a person was using a phone, does not automatically imply it would not have occurred otherwise, although people seem to routinely make this inaccurate inference.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

View: https://youtu.be/ReuEegwZiBY

Awful to watch but should be screened regularly at peak viewing times.

This infographic is useful too:

 

[classic33]

If the phone use wasn't an issue in the cause of the accident, it would be recorded and on record.
Care to share that?

 

[DRM]

I wouldn't describe myself as a mobile phone addict, but I still wouldn't go on a bike ride more than a mile or two from home without it in my pocket.

It very rarely comes out of that pocket, but it is there on those rare occasions I need it (or want!) it. There is no inconvenience to me in carrying it, just sitting in the pocket of my jersey.

Me neither, especially after hearing it ring pulled up to answer it to hear Mrs DRM saying get back home, her mum has fallen, and was on her way to hospital, you never know when you may need your phone

 

[DRM]

In my experience, on all roads having done a lot of miles, I'm sick of idiots weaving, slowing, speeding up, going through red lights, still sitting there on a green light, and generally being totally oblivious to anything and everything around them because they just have to use their mobile and stuff everyone else

 

[Ming the Merciless]

In my experience, on all roads having done a lot of miles, I'm sick of idiots weaving, slowing, speeding up, going through red lights, still sitting there on a green light, and generally being totally oblivious to anything and everything around them because they just have to use their mobile and stuff everyone else

Yep, car phone zombies , a serious danger to everyone around them.

 

[lazybloke]

I use the phone all the time when travelling (within the legal boundaries of course) : navigation, calls, audio books, music, I'm planning to start streaming my rides. Phones are an awesome tool. Never had an accident, close call, or any other issue, and it likely saved me during a recent Grand Union Canal assault. To ban hands-free use in cars would be a rather backward act (and then of course there would be little reason not to ban passengers from speaking, or phone use during cycling as well: nightmare scenarios for most people).

If research shows hands-free phones are a distraction, then banning their use in cars makes a whole lot of sense.
But I'd like you explain your starting point that such a ban would also have to apply to cycling.

Phone bans are about removing a distraction, because even a slow car is a lethal weapon in the hands of a distracted driver.
A bike doesn't have nearly the same kinetic energy; a distracted cyclist does not present the same danger.

The occasional deaths caused by cyclists tend to result from "wanton driving", ie reckless racing, not from being distracted.



Scenario - residential road:
A slowish bike ride might be 85 kg of weight moving at 10 mph.
A slowish car ride might be 1500kg of weight moving at 30 mph.

If you do the maths, the car has almost 159x more kinetic energy.

 

[Etern4l]

The occasional deaths caused by cyclists tend to result from "wanton driving",

Any solid official data to back this up? Is there even a strict enough definition of "wanton driving/cycling"?

If you think a moments' worth of distraction cannot kill or maim a cyclist, if not a pedestrian, you probably haven't cycled in London much. A London cyclist is in constant collision avoidance mode unless riding in a segregated cycle lane. Perhaps, counter-intutiively, cyclists have more than enough kinetic energy to maim or kill pedestrians:

Cyclist Charlie Alliston guilty over pedestrian's death

10-14mph doesn't really seem like wanton cycling.

 

[classic33]

Any solid official data to back this up?

If you think a moments' distraction cannot kill or maim, you probably haven't cycled in London much. A London cyclist is in constant collision avoidance mode unless riding on a segregated cycle lane. Perhaps, counter-intutiively, cyclists have more than enough kinetic energy to maim or kill pedestrians:

Cyclist Charlie Alliston guilty over pedestrian's death

10-14mph doesn't really seem like wanton cycling.

He wasn't using a mobile phone at the time though.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Any solid official data to back this up?

Check out of office for national statistics data. There were two pedestrian deaths caused by cycling collisions between 2013-2020. So rare, the cases made the national papers and bbc, itv etc. It’d be hard to miss unless you don’t watch or read the news.