Couldn’t believe it. Coming back from the store tonight a kid on a scooter with no helmet sitting there behind me texting on his phone at the stop light. Then continued to check for messages and text after the light changed and we were on our way. I was watching him in the mirror the whole time ready to take evasive action. Oh well, he made it home anyway.
About 4 or 5 years ago I saw an older guy on a full dress Harley going down the heavy traffic road between Wal Mart and Lowes with both hands working a cellphone.
That could be bad enough on an open, deserted road; much less one with a lot of traffic.
This should apply to all types of vehicles but particularly to scooter operators. The no helmet thing gives me pause as well, I won’t even go to the end of my block without a helmet and it’s a really quiet street. The same advice as if you are driving a car pull over to the side at a safe spot then send a text or call. Most of the people i know would understand if I didn’t respond right that instant.
Actually, I give this young man credit. At least on a scooter, the danger to others is minimal. If he were in a car instead of being on a scooter, the danger he would pose would be to other people instead of himself.
Therefore, if you’re going to text while you’re operating a vehicle, I think you should have to trade your car for a scooter.
This philosophy is why, if someone dies riding a motorcycle while drunk, I insist on calling it suicide. Driving a car while drunk or texting is attempted murder, but riding a scooter while texting is more like attempted suicide.
I know a couple of guys who fell asleep while riding motorcycles (no drinking or drugs involved) and it’s a miracle that either one of them survived it.
Last week we were the victims of Distracted Shopping! A woman shopping at Costco, where they have really big carts, was checking her shopping list while walking and giving her cart a firm shove down the isle while she kept reviewing her long list with both hands. We happened to be at the end of that isle and her cart crashed into ours T-Bone style.
No apology whatsoever.
The thing is around here most people on scooters either have lost their license or never had one. In the state of Indiana a 49cc scooter requires no license, registration or insurance.
We call them Duipeds, the problem is many of the people on scooters do not follow the traffic laws, and are often erratic drivers. My favorite was a guy I seen at 1am one morning, he was driving with one arm while talking on the cellphone, holding a 44 oz soda between his knees, and he had sunglasses on. He was driving well though…
Theres another guy that only has one arm, and he rides a scooter year round. He is a good moped driver, Its gotta be hard with one arm though.
I have also seen three people on a scooter. There was the well nourished driver, a skinny drugged out looking chick in the middle and another small girl behind her sitting 1/4 on the seat and 3/4 on the luggage rack.
At least if they hit you and you are in a car you should be safe.
I was looking for something else today but I saw a couple of options for mounting your smartphone to the handlebars of your bike. Might be OK if you are using it for Navigation and to be able to keep your hands free but it’s still potentially a distraction
Bing, you just saw a prime candidate for the Darwin Award. How often do you g et to meet them?
@Bing - I think they later caught your scooter rider on a traffic cam:
I saw quite a few families of 5 on scooters in Cambodia and Vietnam. Also a guy with 3 big pigs. A crate of live dogs going to market. A dozen bales of hay. It goes to prove, if you are hungry enough, poor enough, stupid enough, it’s just amazing the tings you can try to do.