texting while riding

[rideitfast]

Saw this on the news this morning.

Waltham, Vermont - September 6, 2010

If you thought texting while driving a car was dangerous, what about texting while riding a motorcycle?

Nineteen year-old Joshua Kelly was ticketed on Route 7 in Waltham. Police say he held on to his handle bars with one hand and was texting with the other while looking down.

Kelly says he was texting his boss. He was fined 156-dollars and got two points on his license.

[jmer24]

Ive seen this before on the roads too. I was driving down the mass pike last year and there was a guy on a R1 doing about 75 next to me with his right hand on his throttle and his left hand texting on his phone.

[EJLemo]

Did he look like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmpX4jCpbDI

[DesmoTull]

Why would anyone even remotely think this was anywhere near a good idea...

[DankDirtyBird]

I've seen it in person. You know who you are...

[Stromper]

Every once and awhile I am looking at GPS
not the road:O

[Dominic]

Aside from the obvious stupidity and danger, I'd be too paranoid about dropping my phone. I am all set with taking the full raping from Apple on a replacement 4 whilst I am a year plus away from my next eligible upgrade. I also can't text lefty. ::shrug::

[QuincyGixxer]

What'd he get a ticket for? I thought that wasn't technically illegal, although pretty dumb

[DocCola]

I know a few certain people who text while riding on here. Wonder if they will chime in. I will not text while riding. I've done it while stopped in bumper to bumper traffic but that's it. Scared myself bad enough once turning up my music on my phone which simply required me to reach in my pocket, hold out the phone And use the index finger to up the volume button on the side of my Droid for my Bluetooth in my helmet.

Texting while fringe: no way Jose.

[rideitfast]

It's against the law to text and drive in Vt now. There has to be a law against this? Apparently common sense has finally been bred out of the human race.

[Spooler]

Saw a guy texting while riding a scooter on Morton st In Mattapan a few weeks ago. During a pretty high-traffic time. He was swerving all over the road, o was pretty worried that he would swerve into me

[butcher bergs]

People who text and ride,

Are your texts that super important or do you feel deep down inside that you yourself are that super important?

I just wanna know.

[butcher bergs]

^^

Anyone? No?

Feel free PM me if you'd rather not post a response. I promise to keep your identity a secret.

I simply want to know what the motivation is behind this.

[rideitfast]

I'm texting from my bike right now. It's not that hard to do. So what's the big deallllllllllllllllllllll
911...911...911...911

[Loun]

I used to text all the time while riding.. I ended up dropping a phone actually. But yea while im not ashamed to admit it, I dont do it anymore Its harder with a touch screen and iphones are too expensive to risk it :p

[NobodySpecific]

I used to text all the time while riding.. I ended up dropping a phone actually. But yea while im not ashamed to admit it, I dont do it anymore Its harder with a touch screen and iphones are too expensive to risk it :p

You are (were I guess) really more worried about dropping your expensive phone than causing an accident and possibly hurting somebody? Tell me, with one hand on the phone, how are you supposed to react to something coming out in front of you? Without the ability to hit the clutch, you lose the ability to hit the brakes, since doing so will possibly cause the bike to stall and lock up the rear tire.

[Loun]

Tell me, with one hand on the phone, how are you supposed to react to something coming out in front of you? Without the ability to hit the clutch, you lose the ability to hit the brakes, since doing so will possibly cause the bike to stall and lock up the rear tire.

Well since im still alive, I apparently managed to do it just fine. Oddly enough I dont have to pull in the clutch every time I hit the brakes... and I guess if faced with the decision of a panic stop or correct grammar, I would probably choose to ditch the phone. But either way thanks for your valuable input.

[NobodySpecific]

Well since im still alive, I apparently managed to do it just fine. Oddly enough I dont have to pull in the clutch every time I hit the brakes... and I guess if faced with the decision of a panic stop or correct grammar, I would probably choose to ditch the phone. But either way thanks for your valuable input.

Well that proves it then, texting and riding is SAFE! Just the same as riding in t-shirt and flip flops is safe since there have been people who have done so without crashing! I never said that braking requires clutching, but please show me a situation where you can emergency brake without the clutch. Also please show me a situation where proper grammar requires the same kind of reaction time that a proper emergency stop requries. I would love to see the data.

[ilikenapalm]

Well that proves it then, texting and riding is SAFE! Just the same as riding in t-shirt and flip flops is safe since there have been people who have done so without crashing! I never said that braking requires clutching, but please show me a situation where you can emergency brake without the clutch. Also please show me a situation where proper grammar requires the same kind of reaction time that a proper emergency stop requries. I would love to see the data.

So you never ride with one hand on the throttle and the other on your hip or the tank? If you do, how are you supposed to panic brake zomg?

[butcher bergs]

[NobodySpecific]

So you never ride with one hand on the throttle and the other on your hip or the tank? If you do, how are you supposed to panic brake zomg?

Do you really think that those are the same thing? Texting takes your attention and your eyes off of the road, whereas resting my hand simply takes my hand off of the clutch. I am less than a second from putting my hand back on the clutch, whereas with texting I can almost guarantee that it would take more than a second to resume the proper riding position. I am absolutely willing to bet my hand on the hip position versus texting in a panic braking situation.

[ilikenapalm]

Do you really think that those are the same thing? Texting takes your attention and your eyes off of the road, whereas resting my hand simply takes my hand off of the clutch. I am less than a second from putting my hand back on the clutch, whereas with texting I can almost guarantee that it would take more than a second to resume the proper riding position. I am absolutely willing to bet my hand on the hip position versus texting in a panic braking situation.

I certainly agree with you and I definitely don't advocate texting and riding. Shit, its hard enough to text and drive a car. All I'm saying is if you're paying attention while you're texting its no more dangerous than day dreaming and looking around while riding with one hand on your hip.

[Erebus]

LOL - graphic images

[Spooler]

I certainly agree with you and I definitely don't advocate texting and riding. Shit, its hard enough to text and drive a car. All I'm saying is if you're paying attention while you're texting its no more dangerous than day dreaming and looking around while riding with one hand on your hip.

If you're texting aren't you by definition paying attention to the phone, not the road?

[Loun]

If you're texting aren't you by definition paying attention to the phone, not the road?

Its the same effect as if you are:
Adjusting your gloves
Adjusting your mirror
Zipping your jacket
Trying to get a bee or bug out of your helmet
Checking out a hot chick jogging
Using hand signals while checking your mirror
Tucking the back of your shirt in because it blew out
Flipping off a friend next to you

Id hate to bring this up but... riding a motorcycle in general is not safe. If you think you are safe because you have 2 hands on the bars then you are lying to yourself. After we commit to getting on the bike and riding, we then make choices that either increases or someone decreases the odds of getting hurt but none of it makes riding safe. Hence the "Not if, its when and how bad." theory. As for riding in a tshirt, shorts, or sandals; for the most part that just heightens the risk of injury IF something happens. Either way though, what I or someone else does when they ride really doesn't have a lot of effect on anyone else here.

Im sure someone will bring up the fact that it does because I could run into them, their mother, their sister, their friends great grandmother jogging down the road.. to that I say, never change your radio station in your car, never drink a soda or a coffee while driving, never dial or pick up a phone call while on a road, dont look for change before getting to the toll booth and if you have kids.. ignore them when they are in the back seat if you are moving forward, oh and 10 & 2 at all times. Once you can commit to that, then maybe you have a right to lecture me about something.

Ride "safely" everyone.... Txt me l8tr!