Random Rants
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@popvulture having a learner’s permit at 14 was wild
Distracted driving means no cyclist sharing a road with cars should ever feel safe. It is safer IMO to be on an e-bike keeping pace with traffic in a car lane than it is to be in a cycling lane whose only separation from the car lane is a line of paint.
Perhaps there is a technology solution we haven’t thought of yet. Like the first mobile device detected in a car is automatically locked out while the engine is on, and if there are multiple mobile devices at least one of them must do so.
Think it, be it.
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Yeah I agree there could definitely be something there @mclaincausey . Probably a better solution than some draconian law, haha.
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Also y'all should step up to the big leagues and get yourself some Zatarain's
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@mclaincausey said in Random Rants:
having a learner’s permit at 14 was wild
I often dine out on the story of Omani village life. The kids, as young as 7 or 8, drive pickups. It takes 2, one to kneel on the drivers seat and steer, and one to work the pedals. But, the worst that is going to happen is that they hit a goat or a camel. I will also now dine out on giving permits to children of 14......Kids that age do yet have the ability to process risk and the consequence of doing stuff.....
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
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@popvulture absolutely. I'm increasingly cautious as the population density goes up in the area I'm riding. I stick to back roads usually. Luckily I'm in a pretty rural area, but I still avoid town if i can help it as well as rush hour. I think the biggest issue with danger on the road tho is being selfish. If you zoom out even a little, its clear that your drive is simply at the mercy of traffic. We're all just waiting in line. Even if we're all exceeding the speed limit, it will take however long it takes. Calm down, and whatever risk you're taking, it will not pay off. Any time you save by weaving like an asshole is lost at the traffic light lottery. The great equalizer of traffic.
@seawolf LOL right, I'm sure one of the multiple choice questions was A: Old Bay B: J&O C: Salt and Pepper
All of the above
Even with MD tags there are a lot of transplants. Tons of military folks who end up staying, people chasing the money and stuff. I'm just saying there's a huge diversity of drivers here. It keeps me on my toes.@mclaincausey 100% cyclists and runners are at risk. it's super nerve wrecking to be anywhere on a 8' wide shoulder regardless of speed limit. People are desensitized to rumble strips and treat them like duckpin bumpers. Another thing is that I regularly have oncoming drivers drift across the center line. This is my biggest worry. Driving into oncoming traffic is probably the worst thing you can do in a car....maybe try not to do that? lol
@Giles from my own experience, its true the brain isn't developed until the 20's... i can attest that decision making and impulse control are one of the last things. as a matter of fact, some might say I still have those issues
"The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
-Seneca -
@Giles I probably shouldn’t have been allowed behind the wheel until I was 25 or so. I’m not going to disclose anything specific here but some of the things that I was responsible for as a teenager behind the wheel were not great.
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@WhiskeySandwich it sucks man. When I have my kid on the bike I will take the sidewalk if I must to avoid it, very carefully and respectfully of pedestrians mind you. Fortunately we have a lot of dual use and dedicated infrastructure here that is separate from roadways.
