This, right here. THANK YOU.
Really. Where does that bicyclist get off, pointing out that the operator of a potentially deadly machine is operating that device in a wantonly negligent manner? The nerve of that fellow!
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āHey look, buddy, I may be shooting my gun into a crowd of people, but I havenāt hit anyone yet, so where do you get off criticizing me for it?ā
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Unless he actually did contact the police and they contacted her, in which case it definitely improved things if she stopped risking other peopleās lives over a bowl of fucking cereal. Because you know this wasnāt her first time doing it, but hopefully it was her last.
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There are better ways to have dealt with the situation beside screaming at her.
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It is almost certainly illegal. You must pay due care and attention to the control of your vehicle.
I fully understand that driving a car is dangerous and requires care, but it doesnāt follow from that that eating a bowl of cereal while driving is illegal. I mean hell, queuing a cassette or CD or playlist or whatever is perfectly legal, and it requires waaaay more attention than the relatively robotic act of eating food.
Not saying either are good ideas, just wondering about the legality.
And furthermore, where is the line drawn? Lots of people drink coffee while driving, should that be illegal too?
Will we be seeing stings outside of drive thrus soon?
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Wow, what an arsehole. Sheās eating breakfast while stopped in traffic; at most that merits, like, a slight frown or something. Better that than blindsiding strangers with a rude, bullying power trip and then posting it online like you expect a spontaneous ovation for daring to be a self-righteous prick to a middle-class housewife eating a bowl of cereal.
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True enough. But Iām willing to bet that none of that happened, and the stupid and dangerous cereal eater continued on her way, with an increased resolve to give cyclists an even harder time than she already does. Because spandex. And clippy-cloppy shoes. And running red lights. And riding two-abreast. And wearing stupid helmets. And not wearing helmets. And no registration or licence. And all the other idiotic reasons that motorist cling to in order to justify their hatred and contempt for us.
Anything that materially distracts drivers from the task at hand is illegal. Just because these activities are common, doesnāt mean theyāre legal. I canāt imagine giving driving the attention it demands with a bowl of fucking cereal balanced on my lap. What? She couldnāt drag her ass out of bed 10 minutes earlier?
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That traffic was stopped. Also the most dangerous thing I saw was the bicyclist passing stopped cars on the driverās side in a single lane and then as the lane of traffic starts to move Zooms in between two cars.
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I once ate a spaghetti dinner while driving home solely using my knees ā¦ and that includes going round all the corners. For the record, I was 18 and being egged on by my Dad (who still holds the family record for number of seconds driven at speed with his eyes closed). These days I restrict myself to eating cereal at red lights.
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I was more ort less with you until you included running red lights in your list of āidiotic reasons that motorist cling to in order to justify their hatred and contemptā.
Iām not too up on the Motorist vs. Cyclist debate these days, and Iām sure there are plenty of think pieces out there, but is the prevailing wisdom really that cyclists should be respected as vehicles on the road in all situations except when they decide not to be?
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Sorry but thatās simply not true. Handling your stereo, drinking coffee, eating cereal, are all perfectly legal. Unless you have a citation to the contrary?
(And again, Iām not saying theyāre good ideas, just discussing the legality).
Well spotted. I donāt condone the running of red lights by anyone. My comment was directed at the hypocrisy associated with criticising cyclists for this when car drivers run red lights with alarming regularity, creating a much greater hazard than the cyclists ever would. Around here, the only time a newly red light goes āun-runā is when there is no-one there to run it.
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The key word here is āmateriallyā. Yes, we can safely āmulti-taskā to some extent, but we greatly overestimate the degree to which we can do this. Evidence of our piss-poor judgement in this regard is the 1 million fatalities each year. Motorists have an absolute responsibility to maintain control of their vehicles. But weāre all above average drivers, so eating cereal, or looking at the playlist on the stereo or iPod is OK for everyone, right?
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Someone help me with traffic laws here.
Itās a one lane road. Thereās a line of cars stopped at the lightā¦
on the video at .17 -27secs.
The bicyclist passes (in a one lane road) on the drivers side of the carsāI canāt tell if he passes the white line tho.
Then as the column of traffic starts to move he scoots in space between two moving cars.
From the Right (drivers side).
Is that legal in Britianā¦could you do that with a car on a one lane road with traffic stopped at a light?
And legal or not is that considered safe driving for a bike?
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Info here.
Points or Driving ban depending on severity.
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Good link and very interesting. I wonder what sort of offenses people are getting dinged for under that new law (2013)? Iām guessing it was enacted to combat cellphone use. For example, here in California its illegal to send a text message while driving, but legal (as far as I know) to queue up a song from your phone. This fixes that little absurdity.
But I wonder if people are getting convictions for eating while driving? And drinking coffee? Tuning their radios?
Itās pretty straightforward in the UK - called ādriving without due care and attentionā or careless driving http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/legal-advice/careless-driving.html Surprisingly for the UK (which does have severe nanny state tendencies) it doesnāt list what is illegal - just what your responsibilities are.
Fines are up to Ā£5000 and, yes, people have been fined for eating, drinking, messing with radio or satnav, etc etc. - all the things that certain commentators seem to believe is their god-given right while driving.
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Not sure of the legality, but you are perhaps less likely to be caught by a vehicle making a left turn. Thatās a blind spot, and lorrys/busses will cut left when making a left turn.
