Thursday 4 July 2013

H610GDY -not that discreetly texting

Being a data driven organisation, we should set out collect some numbers on the percentage of drivers texting a lights -it seems high in the morning and evening peak hours, but that could just because there are more cars stopped by lights, and because they wait longer.

What we do know is this: when there are four or more vehicles stopped at a light, you can be confident that one of them will be texting. Our "expendable" cyclist demonstrates this.

After sending their school-running child onto the pavement to inflict terror on pedestrians, the tax dodger proceeds up the road, looking into every car; it turns out to be vehicle 2, the old British Leyland era mini H610GDY.

What is interesting is this: within six seconds of the lights going red she is two hands on the phone, texting. Presumably to say "help I am trapped in a mini -bring WD40 to spray on the spark plugs in case it starts to rain"(*)

Is it (a) she's got great reflexes, can come to a stop, put the handbrake on, grab the phone and be texting within six seconds, or (b) she already had the phone in her hands, and is on the foot brakes?

Mk I mini brakes are drum brakes without servo-assist; the disk brakes on the cyclist's wheels are more powerful and work better in the wet. This means the mini owner is at severe risk of driving into the van in front.

She just has to be lucky that there isn't an Avon and Somerset version of the Met's Roadsafe, else someone may forward this video to them to say "that texting thing -don't"

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