What is the problem?
Thu, March 11, 2010 
For years cyclists have been complaining about the dangers of cell phone use while driving, and finally lawmakers in various states are passing laws banning hand held cell phone use and texting.
California is one of those states, and now there is a proposed bill there to extend the ban on cell phone use to cyclists. Why not, was my first reaction; because I am a cyclist I don’t use a cell phone when driving. To do so would make me the worst kind of hypocrite.
So why would I use a cell phone while riding my bike? I find I need my full attention on the road ahead, not to mention both hands on the handlebars. Also the need to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing; I cannot afford the distraction of using a cell phone.
So imagine my surprise when I read a piece titled, “Why Are Cyclists Included in Distracted Driving Bill?” The argument is that a car driver is more of a danger to other road users than a cyclist; I’ll agree with that but even a dog running into the street is a potential hazard.
How can a cyclist complain about drivers of automobiles using cell phones, when cyclists are doing the same? It just doesn't look good.
It is the same issue as cyclists running red lights. It is not whether this is a danger to other road users, it is one of how does this appear?
It smacks of special rights for cyclists; I don’t need special rights, I just equal rights.
I want to be able to ride my bike on the public highway, without harassment, or endangerment from others who should be paying attention.
Can anyone explain to me a situation where a phone call is so important that a cyclist can’t pull to the side of the road, stop and take it?
In other words, why does a cyclist need to talk on the phone and ride his/her bike at the same time? And if this is the case why are cycling advocates getting their bicycle shorts in a twist over this issue.
What are your views?
Reader Comments (31)
I agree with your perspectives on this issue - no one needs to talk on their phone while they ride their bike. It puts me in mind of something very funny I saw a couple years back: A young woman was riding her bike down a busy street in Amsterdam with a girl friend sitting on the rack in back. Both of them were talking on their phones! I always wondered whether they were talking to each other...
I don't think I agree that the cyclist on a phone is less of a danger than a driver on a phone. Sure, the cyclist weighs a lot less, so if someone is hit by the cyclist, the damage will be less than an impact with a car. However, there are risks other than direct impact. A distracted cyclist could suddenly veer into other traffic or slam on the brakes, causing other cylclists and car drivers to react quickly -- quick reactions lead to accidents because people are not always 100% aware of their surroundings.
I would say this is similar to the danger of gettig "doored". Running into a car door at speed can lead to serious injuries, and that is bad enough. However, the larger problem with people carelessly opening their car doors into a bike lane is that the bike rider might make a quick response and dart into traffic at exactly the wrong time -- so, instead of a very serious impact with a car door, we get a death from a much more serious impact with a moving truck.
I cannot give a single example of a situation in which a phone call is of such equal importance to the act of transporting oneself to another location that the one cannot be done without the other. Be it a sense of entitlement, a gross overestimation of abilities, an utter disregard for the welfare of everyone else, or a combination of all of the above, I'm not against it being against the law. Your rights, after all, end where mine begin, and vice versa.
Dave, it's L.A.
Nothing to disagree with here in SF. Still see lots of drivers using cell phones while driving rather than using the required headsets. Still see lots of bike riders doing the same thing. Not smart at all..either way. When I'm commuting to my office on my bike, the phone is in my messenger bag where I can't get it...and sometimes can't hear it among the traffic noise. The call can wait. It's why I have voice mail.
I'm not opposed to it also being illegal for cyclists to talk on the phone and ride in traffic, it's generally a terrible idea and I pull off to the side of the road to take phone calls if they are important. However I do feel that punishments should be more punitive for drivers, since last time I checked, drivers are the ones killing everybody. It is not unprecedented to have stricter or different regulation of various vehicle classes, just as large commercial vehicles have different rules from smaller personal automobiles.
The awesome thing about taking a call on the bike is how much easier it is to pull over. "Equal rights not special rights" pretty much sums it up for me.
It is going to be interesting how this effects bike messengers.
I agree with you 100%. Especially the bit about not wanting special rights, just equal rights.
I am happy to give up my cyclist's cell-phone privileges if it means getting a ban on cell-phone driving.
This is a sacrifice ... seeing as I don't have the skills to cycle and cell-chat at the same time.
Living out here in California one has to wonder what ever happened to the law regarding hand held phones and driving. People not using hands-free devices simply put their phones on speakerphone and hold it in their laps while they drive. Wearing an ear bud and having a microphone in the same wire is the cheapest device and they work great. I know of cyclists using this same system while riding. You still have to push buttons on the phone to start and stop the call but it is in my mind acceptable use while riding/driving.
The law has to get down to enforcing the motorists first! We as cyclist must adhere to the same standards but the fact remains the motorists are more dangerous and right now pretty much given free reign to continue bad habits with cell phones.
I totally agree with you Dave, but I'm a bad person and I occasionally don't pull over. I tell myself that it's because I'm running late, but I know that's no excuse.
Is people talking on cellphones really that big an issue? I mean, out of all the cyclists on the road, how many are talking on cellphones while doing so? Maybe this is some sort of California phenomena?
To counter my question about cyclists, how many drivers do you imagine are out there talking on the phone? And I'm sorry, but I think this whole "headsets = no problemo" thing is a bunch of hooey... the deadly distraction of a cellphone isn't simply the fact that you have one hand busy... it's that you're talking on the phone, which for most people is a visual-spatial affair, while driving... see a problem?
That said... pedestrian getting hit by cyclist can still = coma. I seriously doubt the cyclist being on a cellphone places a role in the vast majority of cyclist-pedestrian accidents, but whatever... come up with a law that will rarely be enforced and will likely end in broad officer discretion (which sounds reasonable on the face of it... except in my experience it can leave the door open for the harassment of "outsiders"; another subject altogether)
Also... a comment on someone else's comment (peanut gallery time!): in my experience getting "doored" usually results in one getting clipped by the door rather than running directly into it... on a bike with flatbars going 25+ mph = not very much fun. Thankfully after it happens once you wise-up a bit...
I was recently struck by a drunk driver while cycling and injured. It was a violent hit & run. Two seperate motorist who witnessed the crash followed the fleeing vehicle all the while talking with police on their cell phones giving information which resulted in the suspects arrest. This, an obvious good use of cell phones.
Where did that happen Tom? Yes law enforcement is a good use of cell phones as are red light cameras.
Cyclists on cell phones irritate me too, especially on group rides.
You don't need "special rights"? You just want "equal rights"? Include me out, thanks. I'll only embrace "equal rights" for cyclists when I can (1) accelerate from 0 to 60 in nine seconds or less, (2) do my 12-mile commute in 20 minutes and not need a change of clothes and a shower afterward, and (3) walk away from a 30-mph crash with no more than a slight ringing in my ears. Until that happy day comes, however, I'll hold out for what you refer to as "special rights" -- laws that recognize the (obvious) differences between bicycles and motor vehicles.
Why not give "Why Bicyclists Hate Stops Signs" by Joel Fajans and Melanie Curry a look-see? It might help you understand where I'm coming from.
Cheers!
It makes it easier to slap the phone out of their hand if they're riding a bike.
I admit it, I feel sort of cool when biking and talking on my cell phone. However, I wouldn't do it on city streets, only when I'm in the park or on a bike path. The thing is, and this is a whole different thing, I hardly ever carry my cell phone while biking! I'm not a big fan of it. The point of biking is to get away and enjoy the air and the riding, but I will carry it with me on long rides, just in case. There have been a few other bike stories related to cell phone use in cars in various states, but this is the first I've heard of the connection with bikers. I tend to agree, don't use your cell phone while biking, if not for the aesthetic point of view, the safety of it. Yet... it does feel cool to bike along and being on the phone once in a while!
Well Dave, This time you struck a nerve! I was car doored in Marina Del Rey,Ca.
in 1993. It was a Sunday "ride" with a buddy. We were in a bike lane and a gal opened her Nissan 200SX door (very long for a door) as I was ridding by and the lower corner caught my right front calf just below the mid point. This threw me over the bars and into traffic. Fortunately my buddy was right behind me and moved to block traffic to keep me from being run over. This was not long after the famous LA Riots of 1992. Why do I mention this? There was a Los Angeles police motorcycle cop nearby who actually saw the whole thing happen. He was writing a citation to someone and didn't even come over to see if I was hurt. The LAPD got a bad rap after the riots because of their lack of law enforcement. Anyway, I hobbled over to him and asked to have an accident report filed. He reluctantly agreeded and took the information. The gal said to me " I didn't even see you." I replied saying,"Do you ever look in your side view mirror before your open your door? She was from another state and her car was from a different state than that plus she was uninsured ! After being out of work for almost three months and having a skin graft performed to close the gouge from her door I'm happy to say I survived. In California, if you have "Uninsured Motorist" insurance coverage, you can file a claim to help with the medical bills. My was $15000.00 then. I have a big problem with anyone using a cell phone doing any activity other than maybe walking on the side walk and even then some of those idiots should not be allowed to breed. As others have commented, using the phone is a distraction. Granted, the persons who were on their cell phones to the police chasing down the drunk who had just hit some poor soul on their bike is justified. However, a day doesn't go by when thousands of morons feel its "cool, hip, groovy etc... or I have a right" go ahead and be above the law and drive and yap. You all are a bunch of self centered fools! My goodness, what did we do before cell phones and text messaging were invented? Do yourself and everyone else a big favor. If you need to answer or make a call, park to the side of the road and have at it. It's not my fault you didn't get up on time or are running late. That's a poor excuse. Dave, at least some of the other commentors are aware enough to just put the phone away and take messages. How are they going to feel when they run into someones child or Grandparent and hurt them seriously? Oh, and by the way, bike paths are no place for you phone either! The bottom line is: If you are going to use your phone, please stop and pull off the road. The life you save might be your own.
@Ed S.
I'm with Dave here.
Get an e-bike or a solar-charged car and/or ride on routes without stop signs. Such routes don't exist? Then work for them if you want them.
Because you don't want to get sweaty isn't reason enough for special rules regarding operation of a vehicle on public roads.
You "need" is really just a compulsion.
Do you want cyclist- tunnels for all hills as well?
The public roadways are a SHARED resource which means they will not be optimized for any particular user. Motorists have limitations and so do cyclists.
Limited-access ways can be optimized to .
... optimized to specific modes of transportation. But is that worth paying for?
Ray said, "Do you want cyclist- tunnels for all hills as well?"
Yes! Or at least just the upgrade hills.
Why do we need any laws telling us what we can and can’t do on a bike?
As Dave and historians know, we didn’t have any laws when autos first came out. The only reason we don’t have more on the books for bikes is because they aren’t as popular as cars.
So we need a law because some can’t figure out they can’t text and drive or ride at the same time? They failed; that is no accident.
I can shoot video no-handed while riding in a pack no problem (been doing it for 30 years); if someone else tries, and fails, do we need a law saying all cyclist must ride with both hands on the bars?
Isn’t it obvious without having to be legislated?
If we fail to make people responsible, they won't be.
One better is people texting while riding no handed. I see it happen almost everyday while riding on my commute through the University of Colorado. Every time I see stupid cell phone behavior it makes me want to use mine less and less.
Totally agree with you. It seems that some cyclists are their own worst enemy and by default our worst enemy.
Common sense seems to be becoming uncommon. Also appearances seem to be more important than actual reality. We need to "be seen" to be doing the right thing than actually doing the right thing.
The world is going mad.
What about this:
While it is legal for motorcycles to split lanes in CA, if one gets in an accident doing such, it is their fault.
How many people get pissed seeing motorcycles riding past them while they are stuck in grid-lock?
They justify their anger by thinking motorcycles shouldn’t be allowed to do this.
Cut to someone at a stop sign; a rider comes up next to them and does a track stand while waiting their turn. The driver gets aggravated seeing that this rider doesn’t put their foot down.
They justify their anger knowing the law says a foot needs to come down.
What they fail to understand is all the hours of practice it takes to pull off a track stand in a crowded situation.
They only see a flagrant disregard for the law and safety.
Questions: Do laws make us more, or less responsible?
By default do more laws make us a more responsible people?
Or:
Do laws give us more or less freedom?
Dave, How can I drink a pint and smoke a fag PLUS talk on my cell phone? while riding my bloody bike.
Yes it should apply to cyclists! I damn near took out another rider the other day (I was on my bike as well) who was yakking on his cell phone while riding. Scared the living daylights out of the dude.
Every time I talk on the cell phone while cycling I sound like I'm making an obscene call. It helps when I AM making an obscene call, but I don't do that very often. Caller ID and all that.
I agree that phones on the street is not a good move, and that it is in no way equivalent to auto drivers using phones.
As a bicycle commuter who uses mostly bike paths, I just don't see any problem with using a phone while on a bike path. I stay to the right and am perfectly aware of my surroundings. I also see a LOT of bicycles riding with very little regard for others every day, but for some reason am frequently singled out for criticism if I'm using my cell phone.
If I am riding no differently with a phone or without it, what's the beef?
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