This afternoon one of my colleagues T-boned an Escort estate, chap driving the Escort pulled out of a side road directly in front of him, leaving him no time to stop. Happens everyday somewhere I expect, fortunately, today, two shaken drivers, two shaken passengers, lots of bent metal, smashed glass and a few deployed air-bags but no serious injury.
Escort driver maintains he never saw the Transit, my colleague driving the Transit maintains that he had eye contact with the Escort driver the whole time and that the Escort was stationary before suddenly pulling out. Transit passenger confirmed that Escort driver was looking in their direction as they approached the junction, then added that the Escort driver was on his mobile.
Strange thing is, the two guys who were in the Transit have been really vociferous in decrying the forthcoming ban on using mobiles while driving; about 16:00 this afternoon they changed their minds!
Basically this guy was just so engrossed in his conversation that, while stationary at a T-junction, he didn't see a Transit coming from his right at about 25mph even though he was staring right at it.
Cockle
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Glad no one was seriously injured
Hugo
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The sooner people caught using mobiles while driving are given a life sentence the better.
Just yesterday I was driving along and came across a line of stationary traffic on the other side of the road. As I got nearer I saw that it was caused by some oaf in a Range Rover who was too engrossed in his phone call to notice that the car which had pulled up and parked in front of him had nobody in it any more!
I'd also like to say that pedestrians are just as bad and I can vouch for that from first hand experience. Walking along in town last year, my mobile rang and as I was deeply involved in a trivial, non-urgent conversation I was almost run over while crossing a road without obeying the Green Cross Code. Needless to say I have learned my lesson.
When will we humans realise that it's hard enough concentrating on one task, be it walking or driving, without introducing the added complication of talking to or texting someone? Roll on December!
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I was collected from Gothenburg aiport last week by a Swedish colleague.
The journey to the office started easily enough, but then his phone rang.
Being a hand-held mobile, and the car a manual, we shuddered round a few roundabouts at less than tickover in fifth gear, staggering out the otherside.
Then we came to a tight T junction, which we negotiated with his elbow wedged against a steering wheel spoke whilst he changed gear with his left hand (in a left hand drive car).
By now he's *really* embroiled in his conversation, which is getting deeper and deeper.
Now on the motorway, I lost count of the number of times we nearly clipped cars that were overtaking us, when we pulled out to overtake whatever was in front of ourselves.
When we then took the wrong slip road, and swerved at high speed back across on to the motorway, juuuuuuuust missing the dividing Armco, I thought my time had come.
A few minutes later, the conversation was over, and whilst not up to IAM standard, normal driving resumed. No more near misses. No more dodgy practice. Plenty of braking space.
Indeed Chicken Madras, roll on December, but I fear that the law is unfortunately going to be very hard to uphold.
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SjB, funny old road from Landvetter to town isnt it, did you manage a beer whilst in town?, if you go back try the Dancing Dingo, great place, great staff.
And for the motoring bit of the thread before I get a telling off, owner has a car!
Drink Lager Talk Piffle
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you want to try driving in India - and they don't even have mobile phones!!
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Get with the times dudes, driving whilst using a mobile has been illegal here on the Isle of Man for a couple of years already. (£1000 fine, points on license, big slap on wrists.)
The only problem is you now get dimwits parking anywhere, at anytime, with no thought whatsoever to how much of a hazard their parked vehicle represents.
I've rounded a blind corner on more than one occasion only to be faced with car parked up a few yards ahead with some clueless clot yapping away on their phone.
JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE STOPPED DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU'RE NOT STILL A HAZARD - STUPID.
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corblimeyguvnar - Landvetter? Use a real airline? I should be so lucky! My employer chooses Dan Dare from Stansted to Save airport for me! Given an average cost over the past two years (I do this journey pretty frequently) of less than fifty quid return, all taxes included, I think I can see why!
In fairness, give me Stansted over Gatwick or Heathrow any time, and from a purely selfish viewpoint, from someone happy with the way it is today, I am not in favour of Stansted being developed as will happen! :-(
Will try to find the Dancing Dingo on the next visit, thanks.
The most way out place found so far was an old (grain?) ship called the Fryken, where a group of us had dinner and sank a few pints, wearing dodgy sailors hats, whilst sitting on fifty gallon oil drums in the hold. Hmmmmm!
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