All very commendable guys but just be very very careful.
Any kicks to a vehicle will get you nicked - is their use of a phone worth that ?
If you do the brake hard in front of them then you are relying on their driving capabilities to stop - I wouldn’t trust them especially mid conversation.
All I’ll say is that when you’re looming over them, making signs at them (rude or not), giving it handfuls of revs to attract their attention (lets face it you will be looking at them while you’re doing this) you will not be concentrating on the road in front of you and you may be making yourself just as much a danger as they are ?
Only my thoughts.
Me, I try my best to just ignore them, doesn’t always work but I try.
See, even though I’ve said I’d ignore it as above I really do disagree with what you’ve said Kitty when it comes to this other stuff.
I had somebody stick their finger up at me the other day, I was working and they obviously thought the same as you about bloke not being a copper, unfortunately for him, I was and we had a chat for a little while about his attitude to other motorists.
I can remember growing up - not that long ago and the town I came from the following was almost a guarantee - if I did something wrong as a kid, an adult would either say something or tell my folks. I though sad tw@'s at the time but it stopped me from misbehaving.
This has obviously changed and so has society, in that same town now kids run riot and adults won’t get involved, if they do then they are given the same sort of abuse from those kids and their parents.So if we leave it all to the Police when it is societies responsibility then things will get even worse.
My twin-horn and my cans are loud enuf, I look at them as I ride up next to them, then I lean my thumb against the horn first and immediately afterwards I give them a demonstration of the music my cans can play lol I ain’t got baffles so they can enjoy it to the fullest while I concentrate on the road ahead:P then a peek in my mirror and all I see is either a driver with a mouth open, motionless or gobbin about and showing me sum sign language:P
I must admit, i just try to get ahead of them and get out of the way.
It depends on the traffic and my mood. If the traffic is stopped then I will pull alongside them and just stare and stare until i get their attention then do a phone sign and shake my head…if I’m riding I tend to just toot and shake my head and ride off…
however, i was once filtering behing a bike cop on the elevated a40 section coming past paddington and he was looking for people on phones, a woman was on hers and behind him, I could hear him screaming at her, she was arguing that she was doing nothing wrong, it was an amusing conversation to be behind!
its a real problem people being on phones, HOWEVER, what worries me more are the number of people who are texting on their phones, thats just mental!!
I will see usually 5 or 6 people on phones each way on my commute, if I had a helmet camera mounted and got footage and sent it to the police would they be able to do anything?
In Australia for example, if you see someone litter on the road or throw a ciggie out of the window of their car you can call the “grasses” hotline and report them and their number plate and they will get fined… would that system of grassing people up work here?
Its very serious in OZ, if you throw out your ciggie it goes to the side of the road and within mins you have bush fires. I remember my mate reporting someone when we were in the car and he had to go give a statement (as did I) and the fella copped a $500 fine…
I think it would work, but sadly, think that the legal profession would tie it up in red tape etc etc etc for a million years… If it were up to me I’d ban lawyers all together from this country. Things can be settled the old fashioned style, gun-slinging.
Normally I’d just shake my head at them however I would love to - if ever the occasion occured - to reach into their car via their open window, throw the phone out and then go on my merry way
If they are stationary I pull alongside, being on a Ducati with Termi’s and an open clutch cover it generally ends all conversation, whether their window is open or closed… the advantages of owning a refined Piece of agricultural machinery.If they are driving in my direction I generally pass them, giving myself plenty of room, and giving them a, polite but firm, tut-tut gesture with my pointed index finger.
If they are driving towards me or pulling up to a junction, I prepare for any eventuality whilst maintaining a constant and terrifying Paddington Bear stare straight into their eyes.
A little off topic …but my hubby used to have a transit with the old loudspeaker and cb set up and whilst sitting in traffic would shout very loudly at people picking their nose etc just to draw attention to them…would love to go pillion with a loudspeaker so i could scare the crap outta people on their mobys:D:P
Attempted murder by a mobile wielding woman - there’s no chance!
[j/k on]I know the proper response is to cry my eyes out inside my helmet and maybe in a brave moment, lift up my visor and tell her that she really hurt my feelings when I saw her using the mobile phone.
Maybe that is an exaggeration. I’d just knock politely and tell her that she’s ruined my day.
Of course, I’d just spit at her once her window is down. But I’ve never been good at spitting and tend to slobber inside my helmet only. I see that’s why they invented flip-top helmets.
[J/k off]
Well, maybe it just stuns me. Why do people think they are exempt from the law when they use a mobile phone behind the wheell? I guess they know they could go to prison for it. That makes them right psychopaths behind the wheels, knowing they’re doing something illegally and taking risks with other people’s lives.
When on my Divvy, I let rip of my Nippy Norman 136bd horn, mann it’s loud. But when on my Mille-R, clutch slip+1000cc twin engine+Akrapovic can=MAYHEM. Still, they do not pay a blind bit of notice and carry on. One day, one of these tossers, will kill one of us, let’s face it, some of the troglodites in the cages can find walking and talking distracting, how do they manage driving and talking, plus clutch and gears…
Nowadays I just make sure they ain’t causing me any problems, take a deep breath and ride on.