The next worse thing to texting while driving....

scotto- · Jan 21, 2014

OK folks, I just gotta vent here once again after seeing this today It wasn't the usual idiot driving a car while texting and nearly killing me on my motorized bike for a change, it was something just as stupid and I gotta say.....I just don't get it?!?

What I saw (and have been seeing too much of lately) was a medium sized, fairly long haired dog hanging out the drivers window pulling up to a stop sign.

It wasn't hanging it's head (actually a third of it's body) outside a rear window of the SUV.........it was on the owners lap which I couldn't even see and appeared to be driving the vehicle.

Is it just me thinking WTFuture, or do you think that is a stupid thing to do? If I was a cop.....woofie might be bailing it's owner out of jail right now!

Honestly, what makes people think this kind of stupidity is OK in our insanely fast and technological society???

Does wreckless driving ring a bell?

MotorBicycleRacing · Jan 22, 2014

Maybe the dog was driving the SUV?

BigBlue · Jan 22, 2014

I think it was McGruff - taking a bite out of crime

http://motorbicycling.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=67372&stc=1&d=1390367869

Chris
AKA: BigBlue

scotto- · Jan 22, 2014

As I was sayin'.....good thing I'm not a cop or they would both be sleepin' sound in the pound tonight......and then some

Oh....the driver was blind, that is a "seeing eye dog".......yeah, right

bluegoatwoods · Jan 22, 2014

I agree it's a stupid thing to do.

But this isn't the first time I've heard of it. I've seen it many times.

And I believe some jurisdictions are starting to write laws banning it. I can't remember details. But maybe I'm lucky and it's my own state.

MotorBicycleRacing · Jan 22, 2014

bluegoatwoods said:
I agree it's a stupid thing to do.

But this isn't the first time I've heard of it. I've seen it many times.

And I believe some jurisdictions are starting to write laws banning it. I can't remember details. But maybe I'm lucky and it's my own state.

I think it would be under distracted driving and in the same category as putting on make up, reading a book, having sex, eating a burrito, etc while driving.

CTripps · Jan 22, 2014

I don't see it very often with the medium to large breed dogs, but almost always with the little 'handbag' dogs that were made popular by certain celebritards in recent years. They are any and everywhere in the car.. on the lap, in the window, on the dashboard, on the back of the driver's seat/driver's shoulder..

Anything that isn't secured within the vehicle is a hazrd to the driver and everyone they encounter. There are seatbelts for dogs, we used to use one for our guy all the time. There are even little hanging seat contraptions for little dogs that hand from the headrest on the passenger seat.
Confronted, most would try to dismiss it... I'm waiting to read an article where the driver was hospitalised due to thier little 10-lb dog hitting the back of thier head when they hit someone.

Don't get me wrong, I love dogs (and have shared my life with several so far). Part of being a responsible person, to me, means making sure they are as secure in a vehicle as a newborn child is required to be.

2door · Jan 22, 2014

While we're on the subject, what about those morons who put their dog/s in the bed of an open pickup and scream off down the highway? If you've ever seen a dog after it was thrown from a truck you'd know why I'm so against the practice.

The ones who do this defend their actions by saying the dog knows not to jump out when the truck is moving. That doesn't do a thing for the puppy when the driver has to make a panic stop or swerve to avoid an accident. The dog gets launched out no matter what he's been taught or is supposed to know. The laws of physics will prevail and the dog will get hurt, or worse.

Tom

rhodeisland · Jan 22, 2014

scotto- said:
OK folks, I just gotta vent here once again after seeing this today It wasn't the usual idiot driving a car while texting and nearly killing me on my motorized bike for a change, it was something just as stupid and I gotta say.....I just don't get it?!?

What I saw (and have been seeing too much of lately) was a medium sized, fairly long haired dog hanging out the drivers window pulling up to a stop sign.

It wasn't hanging it's head (actually a third of it's body) outside a rear window of the SUV.........it was on the owners lap which I couldn't even see and appeared to be driving the vehicle.

Is it just me thinking WTFuture, or do you think that is a stupid thing to do? If I was a cop.....woofie might be bailing it's owner out of jail right now!

Honestly, what makes people think this kind of stupidity is OK in our insanely fast and technological society???

Does wreckless driving ring a bell?

That was outlawed in R.I. but I see it all the time and they refused to outlaw cell phone use.

2door · Jan 22, 2014

rhodeisland said:
That was outlawed in R.I. but I see it all the time and they refused to outlaw cell phone use.

Outlawing cell phones will only happen when the insurance companies have more money than the telecommunication industry does. That's just a fact. So when do you think that's going to happen?

I've questioned law enforcement about why they can't apply careless or distracted driving charges against cell phone users and they tell me it won't stand up in court so they don't waste their time. That's really sad.

Tom

fasteddy · Jan 22, 2014

Tom,

I worked with a moron in Vancouver who did just that. He dodged a car stopping fast in front of him and the dog in the back of his truck kept going forward.
The pup lost his front leg and we made the morons life a living version of Hades in the shop for months until the owner finally took pity on him and sent him out to do in home touch ups on furniture.

We lived for Fridays when he had to come into the shop for an hour to turn in his paper work for the week.

The favorite thing was when we took masking tape off furniture we were working on we rolled it into large, tight tape balls and when everyone was well armed we sent them his way with all the might we had while making tire squealing sounds and barking loudly.

He had lumps to show for it afterwards.

Steve.

rhodeisland · Jan 22, 2014

2door said:
Outlawing cell phones will only happen when the insurance companies have more money than the telecommunication industry does. That's just a fact. So when do you think that's going to happen?

I've questioned law enforcement about why they can't apply careless or distracted driving charges against cell phone users and they tell me it won't stand up in court so they don't waste their time. That's really sad.

Tom

A R.I. state senator that was a cop sponsored a bill that got approved in the house then got vetoed on the governors desk.

Intrepid Wheelwoman · Jan 22, 2014

Here in New Zealand a law was passed two or three years ago forbidding cellphone use while driving. The law seems to work well here with 99% of drivers pulling over and parking to answer or make a call. Unfortunately teenage deaths caused by texting while driving are still commonplace.

rhodeisland · Jan 22, 2014

Texting in R.I. seams to be done by every demographic. I was almost taken out by an elderly man going though a red light this summer while he was texting.

Intrepid Wheelwoman · Jan 22, 2014

I could never understand the appeal of texting. You've got a phone so if you want to contact someone that badly just place a call and speak to them.

scotto- · Jan 23, 2014

Intrepid Wheelwoman said:
I could never understand the appeal of texting. You've got a phone so if you want to contact someone that badly just place a call and speak to them.

What a concept....actually talking to someone on a phone, that could be more popular than texting in the future laff

At the rate mankind is going, speech will be useless in a couple years!

I'm with you IW......we must be missing something here

bluegoatwoods · Jan 23, 2014

A lot of these dangers would be much reduced, though, if people behind the wheel would only slow down and spread out. It wouldn't even take all that much to make a big difference.

But texting behind the wheel is obviously unsafe at any speed.

I just can't believe that people need to be told not to do this.

2door · Jan 23, 2014

I saw a guy on a Harley texting while riding. Right hand on the bars, left hand had that stupid phone with the thumb wiggling. I couldn't keep my mouth shut when he pulled next to me at a stop light. I asked him if he was stupid. He gave me the raised middle finger, right hand, and the 'F' word then rode off, still holding that phone and trying to clutch with the left hand. Idiot!

Tom

CTripps · Jan 23, 2014

scotto- said:
What a concept....actually talking to someone on a phone, that could be more popular than texting in the future At the rate mankind is going, speech will be useless in a couple years!

I'm with you IW......we must be missing something here

I forsee a time when the mindless babble of the masses in public will require some sort of mock-privacy for those who need to hear themselves think while trying to use a phone... perhaps a small structure with a folding door and a tiny ledge that would imply you could take notes (but truly will only frustrate the user)... but what would we call it?

xseler · Jan 23, 2014

CTripps said:
I forsee a time when the mindless babble of the masses in public will require some sort of mock-privacy for those who need to hear themselves think while trying to use a phone... perhaps a small structure with a folding door and a tiny ledge that would imply you could take notes (but truly will only frustrate the user)... but what would we call it?

The Tartis.

CTripps · Jan 23, 2014

Across the lower mainland here it is illegal to be "distracted" while driving, including use of personal electronics, drinking, eating, doing makeup and so on. Unfortunately most folks have a cell phone stuck to the side of thier head and are fiddling with them constantly... It just occured to me... perhaps the cell phone is today's "security blanket".. Then there are the driver's I've seen 'hands free' because they've trapped the phone against thier head through use of a hat or turban.

The next worse thing to texting while driving....

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