A girl I work with lives in Blanchardstown, she drives daily to Summerhill in her car. Why t f?
What’s wrong with a modest hatch back?
She’s unmarried and no kids. What the f does she need it for?
How are French laws (or any other country ) relevant to Ireland.
Can you provide your source for your claim that people have been prosecuted for wearing earphones while driving in Ireland please?
i never said it wasn't OK for you post that link? if you think me posting a link should prevent me from querying what's in a link you post, that's simply not the case.
what's in your link in no way, shape or form can be constituted as an official garda position on what's legal or not. it was a garda speaking informally (in the sense that it was not a formal statement) about what might constitute 'distracted driving'.
and as posted above, distracted driving is not a legal term or something that applies in law.
you can query or try to find fault in what i posted, just in the same way that i am saying that the link you shared provides zero information about the law. a reasonably informal radio chat about sensible driving is not a statement on the law.
In reality, the risk to someone cycling is from someone driving. As someone who has cycled around Dublin, the only time my life was at risk (to use your description) was by either distracted or aggressive drivers (with many of the latter knowing exactly what they were doing).
So, how exactly is someone on a bike safer from a distracted (or agressive) driver approaching them from behind by not wearing headphones?
Wouldn't not be better for all road users to ensure that drivers are not easily distracted or not able to use agression?
Of course it would be better if all road users used due care for all other road users. I’m not even disputing the fact that bad drivers are the biggest risk to vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians. That’s absolutely obvious to me. I’m only arguing g that cycling with ear phones particularly in Dublin or other cities where traffic volume is high and a lot of people don’t even know the rules properly is increasing the risk. I mean it’s absolutely not fair that it’s the case. But it is the reality at the moment anyway until something changes or improves. That’s all I’m saying.
If a driver is coming up behind me, what difference would it make whether I was wearing headphones or not? What are you envisaging that I would do differently without headphones?
Has as much (or more) relevance than a reference to an Australian magazine tbf
First of all you’re aware that there a vehicle behind you without having to look behind you and take your eyes off the road ahead where another driver might be about to pull out in front of you at a junction or break a red light or something you may not be predicting might happen allowing you to potentially avoid a collision that would have been any fault of yours but a case of bad driving. Having your sense of hearing surely increases your overall sense of awareness of what danger is around? I know if a driver literally ploughs head long into you from behind it doesn’t matter what your wearing on your head or anywhere else but there surely nuanced situations like the above where it helps to have the hearing.
This thread has definitely gone off course. From large cars to French road legislation and headphones.
Which is precisely what the bicycle brigade hopes to accomplish
Would you agree that driving with ear phones or with car audio playing particularly in Dublin or other cities where traffic volume is high and a lot of people don’t even know the rules properly is increasing the risk?
Where does one sign up for membership of this important brigade?
You may have missed the point that most cyclists would be fairly keen on discussions about unnecessarily large cars.
If you've any quibbles about the actual research, maybe you'd like to detail your specific quibbles, rather than just trying to disparage it because it comes from Australia.
Did you get to find that source for your claim that people have been prosecuted in Ireland for driving with earphones yet, or what that just fiction?
Be becoming arrogant and looking down one’s nose at everyone
Of course. Especially with head phones. But it’s mitigated by being inside a metal shell with airbags and all manner of safety technology, particularly in newer vehicles.
You’ve no mechanical protection on the bike.
Mitigated? The risk is hugely increased by being inside a metal shell powered by a large engine.
Are you telling drivers to remove their earphones and switch off their radios, or is that not as much fun as telling cyclists what to do?
Do I look down my nose at myself when I'm driving?
Apologies for the arrogance though, let me know when you're out on the road and I'll tug my forelock appropriately to make you feel better about your superiority.
How has other countries laws "more relevance" to Irish law, than a STUDY carried out in another country.
I couldn’t give two fcuks what anyone does either on their bike or in their cars. I’m just stating the obvious fact that without your hearing you’re not as aware of your surroundings as you are with hearing. Luckily enough for drivers they’re protected from injury somewhat by being inside a big hunk of metal. Unluckily for cyclists they are at the mercy of shite drivers at all times. In my opinion you can slightly lessen the risk by having your hearing. I’m not telling you to stop using headphones. Have at it. I’m giving my opinion that it’s more dangerous to yourself wearing them in traffic. If you count yourself as just as aware without your hearing as you are with it while cycling then fair enough. I assume you bike has rear view mirrors and wing mirrors and airbags in case of collision if you recon your as safe as you would be in a car without your hearing.
If you can't understand why a law in a fellow EU member state might be more relevant to Irish law than an Australian magazine then I'm afraid I've wasted enough time on you.
Of course they should.
It's the omnipresent dilemma between the fantasy utopian world in which some people think they exist and the somewhat different imperfect world the realist do live in. Take your pick and then you can argue indefinitely to support your position.
NoNot directing this at you btw but it applies to many others who frequently derail every damn thread on this forum to the point that, combined with the 70s disco boards interface, this place is becoming intolerable
It's funny though, in taking their pick of telling people what to do, they usually choose to tell cyclists what to do, rather than telling motorists what to do.
Why is that?
Funny how the emphasis of the 'obvious facts' that you keep stating is on things that cyclists should do, not things that drivers should do.
Funny that.
The article was about a "study".
French law only applies to France.
Surely you can understand that.
You haven't provided any information to say the wearing of headphones while driving can result in a prosecution. If you have it great, post or link to it. Otherwise I'm calling what you're saying BS.
So all you can think of is some nonsense example of me failing to see traffic ahead because I'd be looking behind me (which I do habitually anyhow) 🙄
At least you agree with me that I can do absolutely nothing about a driver coming up behind me.
Its also not specifically stated that I can't watch TV in my car whilst driving, but I'm sure we can all agree that's a bad idea. There's plenty of things we shouldn't do and it's possible to be prosecuted for that aren't named specifically in Irish Law. That's why the laws are reasonably far reaching and broad to allow common sense to prevail.
Top Tip: Don't depend on the legal system to tell you specifics of what is right or wrong to do. Use your own brain to come up with the simpler answers.
You answered Yes to this question.
You've been asked a few time to back it up. You still haven't done it.
Anything else like the french law, watching TV etc is basically guff and deflection on your behalf.
The laws aren't broad and common sense though. I've brought video footage to Gardai of people watching videos on dash mounted phones, and they say that they can't prosecute, because it's not explicitly illegal.
Any news on those prosecutions you mentioned earlier please?
I've already answered that. Feel free to trawl through local French court reports if you want some.
