You're implying that people actually think about it. Sadly, I think that is crediting them with too much attention that they are not in fact paying.
There is too much distraction, and not talking about mobile phones here on their own, in a car these days. Satnav; how can you watch the screen and the road at the same time and I think is one of the key reasons for no/late indicator use
That ans soft controls. Take indicators, you can indicate or you can 'lane change' just a tap for three flashes. So much easier than committing to pressing that nasty annoying leaver all the way down. and yes phones, because looking at the latest picture message isn't using your phone is it!
Can you really? Never driven a car like that. Of course, it's a crap idea, as the whole point of indicating is that it is automatic. I even indicate in the middle of the night when no one is around, because I'm not actually thinking about it. If you have to make a decision about whether to do a short or a long indicate, you've just introduced yet another decision into the process, meaning that often people won't bother to indicate at all.
Short indicators are good because they don stay on for ever because you have forgotten to knock them off, but not so good as it encourages flick and go driving
There are threads on this forum about the best way to secure your iphone to your bike, whats wrong with looking at a map before you start your journey and memorising the route? or writing down the directions on some masking tape and sticking it on the tank.
What's wrong with riding a horse instead of a motorcycle? In fact, what's wrong with walking, instead of riding?
I can see that satnavs can be very useful things, especially to find specific addresses in unfamiliar cities. I've never owned one, but I'd have been lost trying to get from Orlando to the Crystal River, through a maze of highways and intersections. But I think people do over-rely on them. What ever happened to getting lost? I prefer to plan the thing on the map, try and work out where I am and how to get where I am going rather than just blindly follow instructions. Perhaps essential in Italy though. Every tried to get out of Monza?
What's wrong with satnav? Y'see, I have issues with people and satnav; why do you need spoken instructions on a motorbike? The satnav is right there by the speedo, and you have no trouble reading that. It's just a map that saves you the bother of flicking pages, how hard can it be? Same with stereos; why do you need steering wheel controls for a stereo? For the love of god, you haven't needed to tune it in manually since Noah shat his babygro, why the hell would you need fingertip control? And I bet you still have to look to see where the fingertip controls are... I'm right, aren't I? Just drive/ride the goddamn contraption, change channels, argue with the satnav lady, eat your crisps, have a shave. Do whatever the fuck you need to do, but for the love of god, don't forget to check out the scenery. Please. It ain't rocket science.
But you notice the speedo, you stare at the twatnav. That lays the issue; its hard enough sometimes passing thru a 30 trying to stick to 30 by checking the speedo, watching for errant dogs/children and myopic drivers pulling in and out of driveways. But you look at the speedo then, worst case scenario, still far less than a nav screen
You might, have you tried looking up occasionally? I've no idea how many cars I've seen where people put the satnav directly in front of them, basically obscuring everything. And I bet they've still got the sound turned up too.
I see way too many with hem in the eyeline directly in front of them Doesnt help either that many car makers design form over function so, for example, seeing thru the rear quarter can almost be impossible. Even the front one creates a big blackspot on a lot of larger cars, no wonder 'I never saw you' on roundabouts happens and sometimes is fact, especially if its one look and go
i fit phone kits for a living trust me i see at least 20 to 30 drivers everyday with phones under there chin or texting i even had one drive give me the v sign when i was on my bike because i waved them through at a junction must have disturberd there concentration or just plain jealous of the bike i guess
I used to sub-contract for a guy who did all his commuting by motorcycle, and he was on the phone constantly. Almost every time I spoke to him he was riding, and almost every conversation was punctuated by the sound of a car horn followed by 'sorry mate' as he mis-timed manoeuvres while concentrating on the wrong thing. Last year I spoke to one of his employees; apparently he doesn't commute by bike any more after a spate of minor accidents put him off the idea. "Best of it is", said the guy, "he hopped out of a taxi with the phone pressed to his ear and got clobbered by a milkfloat!" Mobile phones: Why the hell they call them 'smart' phones is beyond me...
