Terrible accident

Very tragic...May they all rest in peace...

 

Horrible. Hate that kind of thing happening. I wish there was some way to disable cell phones in a moving vehicle. I can't multitask so any time my phone rings while I am driving, I let it go to the answering service and wait until I pull off the road to attend to the call. I don't even want to hear the message while driving. It messes with my attention. There was a time when I drove the ambulance that I could use the two way radio, but that was very brief and didn't have any buttons I had to look at to operate.

 

My two worst fears on a motorbike: Being rear ended at a light or having someone "not see" me and pull on out in front of me.

 

I would assume that the only way they know she was on a cell phone was from the admission of the person on the other end of the phone? I heard of a guy (back in the early/mid 2000's) that was speaking with his brother on the phone and the bro was involved in his accident (fatal). Horrible enough for the victim (s) but also traumatic for the person on the other end of the phone.

Making it illegal to use phones while driving is not and will not work.

Horrible and preventable.

 

The best advice I got when I started to ride was "On a bike, you have to think that every car/truck you see is trying to kill you". I don't ride any more, but I still drive like that, very defensively and I told my kids to drive like that too. Too many people on the road and always in a hurry.

 

Cell phones in the car are more dangerous than drinking and driving. I wish more states had "hands free" laws. I'd be perfectly fine with cops driving around in unmarked cars catching folks on their phones, rather than setting up speed traps. Of course, that would mean the cops would have to stay off their phones as well while driving....

 

Happens all the time. The main reason I quit riding.

 

I pretend that I am invisible for the most part. I ride away from the traffic out on the rural 2 lane highways. Driveway pullouts and left of center in the corners are the main dangers I have encountered. Oh, and occasional birds, raccoons and deer wandering onto the roadway as well, usually in the evenings.

 

I witnessed a similar accident.
Crotch rocket rounded a bend and decided to pass 3 cars slowed up behind a tractor...that was turning left.
Tractors don't "give" like a small sedan though.

 

When I rode bike, and hopefully I can afford one again soon, I've thought just like this, I assume that no vehicle can see me and am extremely cautious at intersections, this holds true when I drive my car especially at the intersection close to our house I look about 15 times each way, more in the summer, when the bikes come out

 

On a bike you never have the right of way. I always expected the other guy to take the right of way anyway. Especially when it comes to transports. Hard to arque I was in the right when I'm a hood ornament.

 

I was curious what the speed limit in the area might've been, so I poked around a bit and came up with this:

Motorcycle Inside Volkswagen Accident Photographs

Do You See the Motorcycle?

The takeaway seems to be that the accident occurred in 2003, in Sweden, when the VW turned left in front of the bike. The photographs are from a motorcycle fair where the wreck was exhibited a couple of years later, which is why you have all those spectators in the background. The photos have been passed along via email for the last 11 years, and the accompanying story has, uh... evolved. Various speeds of travel have been suggested. No evidence of cell phone use.

 

But...but...it was on the internet!

 

Okay, so it was established that the wreck was not caused by someone inside a vehicle using a cell phone. However that doesn't negate the fact that thousands of motorcycle vs car/pickup/ or other 4 or more wheeled vehicle accidents each year where the cause was the driver of those vehicles were guilty of using a cell phone when they collided with a motorcycle.

I have personally been involved in several of those and each time my bike was totaled. I've been rear ended by a Ford pickup truck at a stop light, hit from the left side by a early 70's model Monte Carlo at an intersection, and had a left turn in front of me by a Chevrolet Impala. All of the drivers were guilty of using a cell phone, either gabbing on it or texting. There were also witness's to the fact. These were my last 3 accidents. Yes, I've had others but none were attributed to cell phone use. Mostly just stupid inattentive drivers of 4 wheeled plus type vehicles.

I can honestly say, I am not appreciative of being hit by other vehicles. And why do I still ride? Well, it's not the bikes or my fault for being in those collisions. So why should I give up something I enjoy? Motorcycles have been my main mode of transportation for decades and will remain that way for decades to come (unless I'm killed by yet another inattentive driver who will likely be texting or chatting away on their cell phones).

I would say that though the original post indicated the use of cell phones as the fault, to let it be because these types of things can and do happen more often that those who don't ride think. Who knows, the next incident might involve you using your ever precious cell phone while driving.

What they should do is make it mandatory prison time for someone causing damage or injury to someone if they had been using a cell phone while driving. And if they killed someone while using a cell phone, then they should receive the death penalty and put to death exactly one year after the time of death of their victim to give them time to think of just what they have done and the pending consequences. NO EXCEPTIONS!

 

So why is everyone focusing on whether or not there was a phone involved? ( i get it), but let's NOT overlook the main problem here...

85 MPH!!!

I do hate driving texters as much as the next guy.

 

I don't think anyone has overlooked that fact, but this thread is more focused on call phone use. And actually, if you read the articles posted by Jon1270 , you'd see one area where they say the rider was going something like 155mph so who really knows. Still, excessive speed by one accompanied by inattentive driving (cell phone use) by the other can result in some serious consequences.

It's bad enough just going the speed limit!

 

It would seem that the GPS in the cell phone could be used to shut it down if the speed was above, lets just say something like 15 mph. I know my GPS in the car knows my speed, so why can't a phone be locked up if the speed is at a rate faster than anyone can walk.

 

What if you are a passenger in a car/train/bus? How would the phone know you are the driver and not a passenger?

 

Personally, I don't think we need any more "regulations" or mandates in our lifestyles. (Uncle Sam has imposed enough nonsense already).
Sadly it is simple COMMON SENSE that society lacks.

It would be an OK idea if it were an VOLUNTARY OPTION implemented by the consumer and not forced.

A car's top speed can already be controlled / limited by the advent of a "Governor" in the fuel system if installed. That doesn't mean I would want one in all my vehicles.
I just CHOOSE to drive at a sensible speed. (back to common sense).