I'm not sure you could really find evidence that a majority of the increase in fatalities is due to distracted driving, though it's definitely increased in the last 10 years pretty consistently. I think you'll find more newbs, the tendency to start on bigger bikes, and lack of training and proper gear at the heart. No question though, 20 years ago I didn't seem to have to practice as many evasive maneuvers as I do today.
Distracted Driving
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as an american in europe, i would have to say that europeans are immensely more attentive drivers than those in the states. just some things i've noticed...
1. our cars over here (central/eastern europe) are generally smaller and stop on a dime in comparison to the behemoths found on american streets, decreasing the necessary buffer zone. as a result, people are very used to driving in tight spaces at full speed, and drive in a constant state of alert/awareness. this is beneficial for motorcyclists.
1b. in and around cities, drivers over here don't generally take themselves out of the driving experience with dvd players, sandwiches, starbucks, etc. i have yet to see a real set of cup holders in a european car (outside of a bentley or bmw 7-series).
1c. it is illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving a car, unless you are using a hands-free headset.
2. the percentage of motorcycle drivers in congested, ancient european cities is much higher than in american cities, which means that people are more aware of motorcyclists. e.g., half of the doctors i work with are daily-commute bikers.
3. lane-splitting is legal, and every driver learns this fact in compulsory drivers' education (meaning that they look for mopeds and motorcycles before lane changing. they keep us in mind, even if they resent us).
4. for economic reasons i suppose, 99.9 percent of the cars here are manual transmission shifters (and most without cruise), meaning that the drivers are actively driving, and not being allowed to zone out. try talking on a cell phone and changing gears at the same time while navigating heavy traffic.
just my 2 cents, mateys,
-cap'n pants
1. our cars over here (central/eastern europe) are generally smaller and stop on a dime in comparison to the behemoths found on american streets, decreasing the necessary buffer zone. as a result, people are very used to driving in tight spaces at full speed, and drive in a constant state of alert/awareness. this is beneficial for motorcyclists.
1b. in and around cities, drivers over here don't generally take themselves out of the driving experience with dvd players, sandwiches, starbucks, etc. i have yet to see a real set of cup holders in a european car (outside of a bentley or bmw 7-series).
1c. it is illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving a car, unless you are using a hands-free headset.
2. the percentage of motorcycle drivers in congested, ancient european cities is much higher than in american cities, which means that people are more aware of motorcyclists. e.g., half of the doctors i work with are daily-commute bikers.
3. lane-splitting is legal, and every driver learns this fact in compulsory drivers' education (meaning that they look for mopeds and motorcycles before lane changing. they keep us in mind, even if they resent us).
4. for economic reasons i suppose, 99.9 percent of the cars here are manual transmission shifters (and most without cruise), meaning that the drivers are actively driving, and not being allowed to zone out. try talking on a cell phone and changing gears at the same time while navigating heavy traffic.
just my 2 cents, mateys,
-cap'n pants
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11,481 Posts
......and then he traded-in on a Little Red Corvette........
(Baby, it was much too Fast!)
(Baby, it was much too Fast!)
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68 Posts
Drivers Ed, summer 1974. After 3 weeks of 90+ degree weather, they finally get to needing the school's cars for slow speed driver training in the adjacent elementary school parking lot. Myself and 3 others get handed the keys to the Dodge Dart (still set up with handicap controls). A squirrel or other small mammal had crawled up inside somewhere and died, baking for nearly a month in this sealed sarcophagus, building up an odor that would make Mike Rowe ("Dirty Jobs" host) sieze up and die.
We are nauseated beyond belief and are told we have to use this foul box of evil death gas to creep around a parking lot in mid-day 98 degree summer swelter. Turning on the air conditioning made it worse, to our amazement. We leaned as far out the windows as possible and soldiered through one of the worst hours of our young lives.
I have since never experienced a vehicle that disgustingly scented, and imagine it begins to approach that Corvette they let a pig carcass rot within on "MythBusters".
We are nauseated beyond belief and are told we have to use this foul box of evil death gas to creep around a parking lot in mid-day 98 degree summer swelter. Turning on the air conditioning made it worse, to our amazement. We leaned as far out the windows as possible and soldiered through one of the worst hours of our young lives.
I have since never experienced a vehicle that disgustingly scented, and imagine it begins to approach that Corvette they let a pig carcass rot within on "MythBusters".
Twenty years of going up and down 101 once a week has convinced me that half the people out there are driving impaired in one way or another. If they are not drunk (in midday), they are talking on the damn phone, yelling at their kids, fiddling with CDs, eating, trying to read a map without pulling over, applying makeup, or like me sometimes, have just been too long without sleep. I used to drive all the way home after having put in a 12 midnight shift, and would be fading pretty bad by the time I got to Salinas. After two people I knew died in single car accidents, I took to grabbing a Motel 6 when I found myself unable to concentrate properly.
I just re-read the article posted, and, having driven Highway 17 a few times, that's really scary. I put a 'Hang up and Drive' bumper sticker on my car and have let people see it a couple of times when my patience fails me. A side effect of the sticker is that both myself and my wife feel like hypocrites if we do make a call while driving, so at least one less driver is yakking when they should be paying attention.
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