Cars drifting out of lane, f**kin phones!

Stallingrad · 13-10-2014 11:46AM #1

Has anyone else noticed an increase in cars drifting out of their lanes over the last while? The other day a car next to me started drifting into my lane, I had to veer left and lean on the horn. It was a very near miss. I've seen a lot more of this on the M50 over the last while.

It used to be a very rare sight, and if you saw someone moving about their lane you would assume they were drunk, but now seems all to common. The obvious answer is people using mobile phones, which makes me wonder how many more accidents are being caused by this? And how many phones are checked post accident for evidence of texting, Facebook, etc. I have lane assist on my car, which I viewed as something of a gimmick, but now actually wish all cars had it, as people seem unable to ignore their f**kin phones while driving.

*Kol* · 13-10-2014 11:50AM

Generally if you see someone in front of you weaving or losing speed for no reason you will see them either on the phone or looking at their phone if you pass them.

MarkR · 13-10-2014 11:50AM

I see it a lot on roundabouts. I would think it's more laziness though, then loss of control.

keithclancy · 13-10-2014 11:56AM

Happens here in NL too..

Two recent ones

A guy driving in between two lanes, and then every 200 meters or so swerving back into the right lane could see him looking down, clearly at a smart phone.

Another was a girl that slowed down to almost 2 - 3 kmph on a main road, when passing here she was hunched over the steering wheel texting or something.

It definitely is becoming the new drink driving.

spurious · 13-10-2014 11:57AM

It's behind tossers like that I'd sometimes love to have one of those really loud truck horns.

powerstar · 13-10-2014 12:09PM

I saw this few times in the last while. It's really scary even though we are careful if other drivers are on the phone it's gonna be bad for us.

Alanstrainor · 13-10-2014 12:33PM

I've noticed this too. Although I suspect it's just coincidence that I've encountered numpties rather than any real increase. And almost always they're texting in slow moving traffic. Driving an auto, foot off brake and creeping out of lane inexplicably. Infuriating, and dangerous.

kona · 13-10-2014 12:36PM

Just get away from them!? They are just accidents waiting to happen. Foot down , gone . Same goes for the 100 kmph or 40kmph brigade Absoloute brain donors.

MrDerp · 13-10-2014 03:39PM

*Kol* wrote: »

Generally if you see someone in front of you weaving or losing speed for no reason you will see them either on the phone or looking at their phone if you pass them.

Occasionally I've noticed the cause of speed loss and weaving to be someone having a good old root around in their nose.

Once I saw an old corolla weaving around between lane 1 and lane 2, speeding up and slowing down, on the N7 and I said to the other half "What the f--- is he up to?". I got into lane 3 to pass quickly at which point we both looked over and saw the he was actually picking his right nostril with his thumb.

"Now so, you have your answer" said the other half.

Stepping Stone · 13-10-2014 04:12PM

I had a new A6 almost drive into the side of me yesterday. I was in the left and he pulled into the overtaking lane and increased speed til he was level with me. I looked over to see what exactly he was doing and he just drifted into my lane. I had to swerve into the hard shoulder and beep. The look I got was something else. He wasn't doing anything. I suspect that he was either trying to figure out the controls for the radio or something or was away in dream land.

Stallingrad · 13-10-2014 04:18PM

This accident could have been any number of things, but could have very easily be someone messing with their phone.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6eb_1412677796

(Warning - head on crash, though no people visible)

Greenmachine · 13-10-2014 04:25PM

Stallingrad wrote: »

This accident could have been any number of things, but could have very easily be someone messing with their phone.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6eb_1412677796

(Warning - head on crash, though no people visible)

Crazy stuff you can already see the car start to veer around the 6 second mark. The was the car with the dash cam not on the horn. :eek:

whiskeyman · 13-10-2014 04:46PM

kona wrote: »

Just get away from them!? They are just accidents waiting to happen. Foot down , gone . Same goes for the 100 kmph or 40kmph brigade Absoloute brain donors.

I had a guy on a phone in oncoming traffic veer over towards my car.
I'd to make an emergancy brake because of the tosspot.
He still probably uses the phone the whole time, but was so close to being a nasty smash.
It's not as if you can get out of the way of dicks like that.

dodzy · 13-10-2014 07:53PM

Stallingrad wrote: »

This accident could have been any number of things, but could have very easily be someone messing with their phone.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6eb_1412677796

(Warning - head on crash, though no people visible)

The dashcam was a bus or truck, you can see the distance it pushed the green car after impact. The occupant(s) of that car would be lucky to have survived that.

kerry4sam · 13-10-2014 08:07PM

Stallingrad wrote: »

Has anyone else noticed an increase in cars drifting out of their lanes over the last while? The other day a car next to me started drifting into my lane, I had to veer left and lean on the horn. It was a very near miss. I've seen a lot more of this on the M50 over the last while.

It used to be a very rare sight, and if you saw someone moving about their lane you would assume they were drunk, but now seems all to common. The obvious answer is people using mobile phones, which makes me wonder how many more accidents are being caused by this? And how many phones are checked post accident for evidence of texting, Facebook, etc. I have lane assist on my car, which I viewed as something of a gimmick, but now actually wish all cars had it, as people seem unable to ignore their f**kin phones while driving.

Getting more and more frequent and more dangerous. I overtook one fckwit who almost crashed others off the road behind me when he swayed over the white line and cars approaching travelling at serious speed a few times!

I'd to put on the warning-lights at one point as I approached a signal-man for roadworks and he almost slammed in behind me, for some reason keeping one hand on his phone, focusing on that phonecall was more important than slowing down in a line of traffic that were slowing well in advance. He then tried to overtake me and the one in-front of me while he waited for on-coming cars to drive toward us, all the while with one hand on the phone.
Car now in-front of me was an elderly lady, nervous lady fond of her brakes and was well back from the car in-front of her so he thought he could squeeze in there.

That was a 22km drive with that fckwit either in-front of me, or directly behind me, on his mobile!
Despise them!

selous · 13-10-2014 08:16PM

Have you noticed the increasing number of trucks that just pull over now into the third lane (N7 and M50) no indicators just pull over, am I wrong in saying the rules of the road say they're only allowed to overtake into 2nd lane and never be in 3rd lane, I come from Monastrevin to Cherrywood, and it's got worse in last few years, no one drives in left lane, (only middle and right) the huge amount of L plate drivers on their own, on M50 and M7, coaches doing over 100kmh (I don't know the limit) in middle and right lane.
The roundabout at Carrickmines, is that marked out right or is it just me, when you come off from Cherrywood to it, there's a left and straight arrow (left side) and a straight and right arrow (on right side) but the road straight is the on to recycling park which is a single lane road, but just do what some do, just go straight across the 2 lanes, everyone else will avoid them.....they hope!

Beer Assistant · 13-10-2014 08:33PM

Coaches are governed to 100km BUT... There are certain green coloured coaches that exceed this travelling the N7, how they get away with it i don't know, all well n good until there involved in serious rta.

Hachiko · 13-10-2014 11:57PM

my motto is, if in doubt pass it out

this accounts for all eejits on the road like people texting, mopes doing 40mph behind a dump truck, hunch back of notre dames doing a static speed and holding up a mile of traffic, people constantly breaking..etc etc

I let these idiots do their thing and just pass them out, they are an accident waiting to happen.

inforfun · 14-10-2014 09:13AM

Last week some guy jumping the red light, on the phone,cause he expected it was his turn for green. Not paying any attention at all
It wasnt as it was my turn. Threatened to t-bone him but went for the horn in stead.
Was a good thing to see the phone flying out of his hand because of shock seeing me getting very close into his side of the car.

Too bad i didnt have the dashcam on.

georgefalls · 14-10-2014 10:00AM

When I pass someone using their phone. I toot loud and consistent, all the while pointing at the bottom of their vehicle with a worried look on my face.

Gets them to stop and look at the problem, and off the feckin' phone

14-10-2014 10:04AM

Like in america when they banned phone use making penalties draconian for phone use only makes the roads more dangerous as now people have to keep the phone very low (down by the leg or what ever) in the car when using it and take their eyes further off the road rather than holding it up higher where they hardly have to move their eye to glance at it.

Alun · 14-10-2014 10:15AM

Magnolia CoolS Someday wrote: »

Like in america when they banned phone use making penalties draconian for phone use only makes the roads more dangerous as now people have to keep the phone very low (down by the leg or what ever) in the car when using it and take their eyes further off the road rather than holding it up higher where they hardly have to move their eye to glance at it.

They don't "have to" do that at all, they can just put the damn thing in their pocket and ignore it, or use a hands free.

Stallingrad · 14-10-2014 10:43AM

These are the next big thing, wonder will they make things better or worse?

http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/25/299/35829/SPH-DA120/page.html

keithclancy · 14-10-2014 10:58AM

I have a Moto G 2014 (Dual Sim) and the latest Motorola Assist is very handy.

It realises now when I'm driving and everything is done with voice rather than having to touch/view the screen.

E.G. It pauses the music and says "New Message from X Person, do you want me to read it"

I say Yes

It reads out the message.

Or for example it says, "Warning, Significant traffic delay ahead, would you like to reroute.

I say Yes

It takes the next quickest route.

And so on.

I don't really fart around with anything other than changing radio stations in the car.

Grolschevik · 14-10-2014 02:15PM

keithclancy wrote: »

E.G. It pauses the music and says "New Message from X Person, do you want me to read it"

I say Yes

It reads out the message.

How does it deal with txt spk?

keithclancy · 14-10-2014 02:47PM

Grolschevik wrote: »

How does it deal with txt spk?

All of my friends are over 15 so its not a problem.

selous · 14-10-2014 05:13PM

Love that reply!

Boskowski · 14-10-2014 07:10PM

spurious wrote: »

It's behind tossers like that I'd sometimes love to have one of those really loud truck horns.

Rocket launcher more like

V Eight · 14-10-2014 11:44PM

yep was only thinking its getting more common myself this week - often BMW's or Audis that you would presume should have Bluetooth.....

The Royal Scam · 15-10-2014 12:56AM

Honestly I think is a much bigger issue that maybe the Garda realise. Otherwise there would be more enforcement as it is so dangerous. I commute approx 1800k a week around the country a lit on motorways and I would say easily 15-20% of cars I pass are on the phone or using their smartphone.

Lurching · 15-10-2014 01:07AM

I saw a bloke on his motorbike checking his phone over here the other day.

Smart.

Cars drifting out of lane, f**kin phones!

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