Distracted driver informal survey

[djg21]

I had a conversation with a motorcyclist today about distracted drivers and we were discussing the types of people we most often see using their cell phones, or texting, etc. I'd be curious to see what other people's experiences have been.

This is hardly scientific, but the kinds of drivers I most often see talking on phones while driving have been mostly middle-aged women, while commuting to work in the morning and commuting from work in the early evening. I never understood this as virtually all cars have hands-free systems now, talking on a phone while driving without using a hands-free system is unlawful in my state, and even if a car is not equipped with a hands-free system, Bluetooth earpieces are readily available.

As far as reading from phones (presumably texts or email, but it could have been anything), I've most frequently seen younger women, perhaps in their mid 20s. Most often, I see this at traffic lights, but I've also seen people holding their phones against their steering wheels and reading (or perhaps navigating?) while traveling 75+ mph on a highway.

I don't think I've seen a man driving and talking directly into a cellphone in the past couple of years, and interestingly, I've not seen many very young drivers using or playing with their phones while driving.

I'm curious as to what others have seen.

[Tickdoc]

I like to play a little game with my kids on the two lane road that goes to our house where we just focus on the oncoming car/driver.

The head down/ into a phone ratio is staggering.

[djg21]

I like to play a little game with my kids on the two lane road that goes to our house where we just focus on the oncoming car/driver.

The head down/ into a phone ratio is staggering.

I do observe it more now that I started driving a pickup that is slightly lifted, and I can look down into nearby cars. I'm sure it was happening before, but I'm more aware of it now and can see it more easily.

[makoti]

I don't think I've seen a man driving and talking directly into a cellphone in the past couple of years, and interestingly, I've not seen many very young drivers using or playing with their phones while driving.

Men, all the time. And they are the ones having the animated, hands in the air conversations. Younger drivers seem more concerned about hiding it in their laps, so lots of heads up & down.

[BobO]

I see the head up, down bobbing from the road to the phone and back in approximately 5% of drivers. 25% or more at stop lights. 1% or so get so distracted that they wander in the lanes.

[Sierra]

I ride a motorcycle as well.

They all do it--women, men, the youth. Nobody has a monopoly on the nefarious practice. I agree, though, that the youth in particular are keen at looking down at their laps while meandering between their lanes in traffic.

[mg2ride]

Clearly more teenagers are officially "distracted" but I will take them over grey hairs any day.

Old minority women? Forget about it!

[rustychisel]

Girls
young ladies
tradespeople
emergency services
council vehicle drivers

in that order

[Peter P.]

I read a statistic whose origin I can't recall, that said women are 3x more likely to use a cellphone while driving than men because they are more social creatures.

I say the split has reached equilibrium.

The other day I arrived at work and a coworker told me his wife called him, WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING TO WORK, to tell him she saw ME driving a company vehicle, and wondered who it was.

That's the kind of inane stuff that is "so important" that people must get on their cellphones immediately to call someone else to talk about.

[oldpotatoe]

I had a conversation with a motorcyclist today about distracted drivers and we were discussing the types of people we most often see using their cell phones, or texting, etc. I'd be curious to see what other people's experiences have been.

This is hardly scientific, but the kinds of drivers I most often see talking on phones while driving have been mostly middle-aged women, while commuting to work in the morning and commuting from work in the early evening. I never understood this as virtually all cars have hands-free systems now, talking on a phone while driving without using a hands-free system is unlawful in my state, and even if a car is not equipped with a hands-free system, Bluetooth earpieces are readily available.

As far as reading from phones (presumably texts or email, but it could have been anything), I've most frequently seen younger women, perhaps in their mid 20s. Most often, I see this at traffic lights, but I've also seen people holding their phones against their steering wheels and reading (or perhaps navigating?) while traveling 75+ mph on a highway.

I don't think I've seen a man driving and talking directly into a cellphone in the past couple of years, and interestingly, I've not seen many very young drivers using or playing with their phones while driving.

I'm curious as to what others have seen.

As I ride out of the republic, sitting a few lights, lotsa morning traffic, I see lots on phones..no real trend but seems every light cycle, maybe 2-3 of the bunch that goes by on their phone. Male, female, young and older.

When driving I see knuckleheads with the head-down/head-up/head-down
gig all the time. Mostly younger, male and female. Saw one young 'woman' with cell phone on top of steering wheel, both hands, texting away..

[OtayBW]

I now have a 55 mi (one-way) commute, mostly on 4- or 6-lane highways in my full-size PU, and I can easily see into an offending vehicle - usually at least 2-3 times each day. Some drivers are marginally impaired (perhaps hand-held calling) while some are clearly wandering willy-nilly into the next lane repeatedly (one-handed texting/input and occasionally two-handed operation with 'knee steering'). You know it; you've seen it - you can spot them a mile away. I typically pull up next to these people and when I look down to see what's going on, they get the stink eye pretty good (or some other method of non-verbal communicaiton.....).

I was talking to a cop the other day and I inquired about what to do with someone who is really out of control. First, he said that the reason that the cops don't do more is because they can't see into the vehicle to witness the event. He then encouraged me to call something in to the local (e.g., County) authorities, but to be sure to get a descrption of both the car (plates and make/model) and the driver. He said with that information, they would issue a citation or summons to appear, but it's still my word against the driver unless I had another witness in the vehicle...:crap:

This whole sch!tz is bad enough while driving; it is intolerable with distracted driving effects on bicyclists. [/rant]

[carpediemracing]

I see what I'd call "tradespeople", usually contractor looking men. They swerve the most from what I can tell. I caught one almost hitting the guardrail the other day, and they often cross the yellow line both on straights and curves. Thing is I don't think they're on the phone. I think they're looking at some notes or something in the truck. Okay, maybe phone, but it seems that they're fiddling with stuff the old fashioned way, not with a phone in front of their face.

One such driver killed a cyclist around here a couple years ago. The shoulder there is probably 6-8 feet wide, like wide enough for a car. Cyclists ride on this road all the time since it's an artery road, there's no other way to get between two spots about half a mile apart without going many miles around. Shoulder is huge. Yet this contractor guy killed a cyclist. No blame assigned, but the fact that the truck was almost entirely on the shoulder at time of impact doesn't seem right. Cell phone showed no use, no alcohol, etc.

(On a side note when I was in the hardware store I'd see contractor guys coming in completely lit (usually alcohol, sometimes pot) at all hours of the day, slurring their words, etc. And one of the former employees drank while on the job, including doing deliveries. He somehow avoided crashing the company truck into another vehicle although he did drive the forklift and truck into buildings and such. On the other hand he'd deliver things to the wrong town. Right address, just wrong town. He also stole from the store, told me I was a heathen and such, but that's a totally different story.)

For phone use I notice mostly middle aged men and women, meaning the phone is up to their ear. Men/women during rush hour, women during the day.

For texting I see young women. I can't remember seeing a young guy texting in the recent past. I've seen a couple doozies, like inches from the guardrail at 40-50 mph, or a massive ABS-aided stop for stopped traffic on the road (they didn't notice everyone stopping for a light?), etc. I've captured these on dash/bike cams but it happens so often it's sort of blah/whatever.

If someone is on speaker/Bluetooth it's hard to tell unless they're sitting at a light.

[rugbysecondrow]

I got put on The Paceline naughty list a few years ago for playing a game similar to this. Apparently somebody thought my observation was stereotyping and racist.

I had a conversation with a motorcyclist today about distracted drivers and we were discussing the types of people we most often see using their cell phones, or texting, etc. I'd be curious to see what other people's experiences have been.

This is hardly scientific, but the kinds of drivers I most often see talking on phones while driving have been mostly middle-aged women, while commuting to work in the morning and commuting from work in the early evening. I never understood this as virtually all cars have hands-free systems now, talking on a phone while driving without using a hands-free system is unlawful in my state, and even if a car is not equipped with a hands-free system, Bluetooth earpieces are readily available.

As far as reading from phones (presumably texts or email, but it could have been anything), I've most frequently seen younger women, perhaps in their mid 20s. Most often, I see this at traffic lights, but I've also seen people holding their phones against their steering wheels and reading (or perhaps navigating?) while traveling 75+ mph on a highway.

I don't think I've seen a man driving and talking directly into a cellphone in the past couple of years, and interestingly, I've not seen many very young drivers using or playing with their phones while driving.

I'm curious as to what others have seen.

[berserk87]

Most typical short jaunts into town finds at least 2 other drivers with heads down, texting.

The only demographic trend that I have noticed is that older folks (i.e. 50-ish or above) tend not to be the texters that I see. Other than that, there are gender barriers to doing it - male, female, transgender - all seem to be giving it a whirl.

I do know that I hate it.

Last week I managed to see a woman who was on a cel phone, pinched between her head and shoulder, and texting with a second phone, while driving. Un-be-freaking-levable. They should put her in the circus for that kind of talent. And keep her off of the roads, as she was a bit swervy and almost hit the curb a couple of times.

The general disregard for stop signs is also getting a lot worse in my area. Makes me really cautious on the bike.

[rugbysecondrow]

The general disregard for stop signs is also getting a lot worse in my area. Makes me really cautious on the bike.

Anecdotally, I know quite a few people who are opting out of road riding and riding almost exclusively on trails, MUTs or only MTB now, me included.

[justindcady]

My "favorite" is the general sense that lines painted on the road don't matter. Part of my daily commute is on a two-lane road with fairly generous bike lanes. I'll OFTEN be behind cars that will drive for a mile or more at a time *well* into the bike lane. Doesn't make me feel well knowing I ride these same roads on the weekends. *ugh*

[cinco]

I got put on The Paceline naughty list a few years ago for playing a game similar to this. Apparently somebody thought my observation was stereotyping and racist.


This should be taken as a forewarning. This thread has danger written all over it.

[cinema]

It's usually split down the middle around here. 50/50 by gender, age and car make. No matter what every other car i see on my commute home, the driver is on their phone. every. other. car. elderly people. young people. men, women, dogs, children. jk not dogs.

[vertebraille]

On my hour commute through Brooklyn I haven't noticed a certain type of distracted driver, just that there are a LOT of them mostly and they tend to be younger. I used to text and drive allllllll the time without a care in the world as a teenager until I got my head screwed on straight. Scary thinking back on how accepted of a practice it was among kids, and even how when I was in another car where the driver was texting I didn't bat an eye at it...

[AllanVarcoe]

I was on a school bus last week chaperoning my 1st grade son's field trip and the kids trying to get the truck drivers to honk their horns with the typical downward, fist clenched elbow thrust. We passed a guy driving....

A TANDEM TRUCK!!!!!!!!

.... didn't look forward at the road for more than 2 seconds every 30-45 seconds for MILES!!!!:eek:

[Dead Man]

I kinda hate this generation coming up, millenials we seems to be calling them, have been raised to text from their laps. At least back when we were dialing/texting behind the wheel, we put it up on the wheel to do it, so we could still at least pretend to be watching the road.. but it's been illegal to text while driving for as long as these kids have been driving, so they're straight up not even looking in the freaken direction they're driving.

Head up/down, swerving all over the freaken highway.. love that ****.

[AllanVarcoe]

It's usually split down the middle around here. 50/50 by gender, age and car make. No matter what every other car i see on my commute home, the driver is on their phone. every. other. car. elderly people. young people. men, women, dogs, children. jk not dogs.

Dogs are smarter than that! :)

[bikingshearer]

Stupid people. 100% of the texting-while-driving folks I see are stupid people. Perhaps they are not stupid all the time, but there all being actively stupid when they are texting and driving.