Tech that kills!

Mike Bantick
Thursday, 21 August 2008 07:27

Opinion and Analysis

Okay – of the three hundred or so cars I was able to get a clean look into as they went past me during the observation period, I found that approximately 4 percent were utilising their phones. 

Of these, some I observed actually making calls whilst driving, and the split was about fifty fifty between texters versus chatters.

That’s 1 in every 20 automobiles at peak times on these roads doing something other than fully concentrating on the task at hand.

Add to this, the occasional make-up applier, sandwich gorger (BMW), sound system fiddler, handbag delver and it is clear that the level of driving ability is not soaring of late.

I have ridden past cars equipped with in dash DVD players showing movies to the driver as they traverse traffic.  And only this week I was squeezed out of the bike lane by a wayward (BMW) as the driver punched  “cyclist = 10 points” into her GPS.

Pedestrians and Cyclists are not immune to the increasing urge for travel tech.  I myself ride listening to good radio , so this is not aimed at inflaming the cycling versus automobile war.  It is just that it is rare for a distracted pedestrian to kill somebody by blundering into another person whilst talking on the phone.

All I am saying is be careful out there, and if you have a hand free and are not too distracted, give me a wave as you commute home.