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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that when you are driving...

38 replies

lemonyone · 22/04/2015 17:27

...you don't keep constantly turning your head to look at the passenger next to you?
I had a lift from a friend yesterday and she kept facing me when I we were chatting. It really freaked me out. I finally reminded her we weren't in an episode of Starsky & Hutch and to keep her eyes on the traffic.
She thinks it's normal to drive like that. As does my FIL.
It's not normal, is it?!

OP posts:
TheReluctantCountess · 22/04/2015 19:06

I would never get in her car again. Bloody dangerous.

Original poster
lemonyone · 22/04/2015 19:12

It frightens me to think of all these fools on the road.
I was about as naggy as someone can be without completely alienating her.
She declares she is a 'good driver- if a bit fast' (we were constantly at 35-40mph in a 30 zone) and yes, she worries me. I don't think you can report some preemptively to the police, can you, for driving like in a 1950s movie with fake background?
I hope she will get caught and get points before she harms someone.
A small victory though- she says she'll get a driving playlist together and stop flipping her iPod.

OP posts:
OrlandoWoolf · 22/04/2015 19:14

This is what scares me about phones in cars -even with bluetooth. A passenger can regulate their conversation but talking even hands free is distracting if the person isn't there.

My car has a touch screen. It can be distracting when using it to even change station or heating. Apparently in car technology is causing accidents through distraction.

EponasWildDaughter · 22/04/2015 19:19

YANBU

It's funny, this is just a little thing but i'm reminded of it by this thread.

My mother always chats to me non stop while i'm driving and of course i speak if i can get a word in and make the appropriate oohs and ahhs etc. But ... out of the corner of my eye i can see her quite clearly looking at the side of my head the whole time, and i can feel the expectation for me to turn and look at her more. I wont do it though! Grin

She's a non-driver and i don't think she realises how much concentration driving safely takes.

Groovee · 22/04/2015 19:21

My dh does this. It really irritates me

EvoraEvora · 22/04/2015 19:43

I once had a taxi driver who insisted on showing me pictures of some obscure relatives pet huskies, it took him 20 minutes of scrolling through his photos to find the pic, and this was on dark winding rainy country roads at 2am, and he kept drifting out of lane, was crapping myself!

MagelanicClouds · 22/04/2015 20:07

My Bil used to do this.
He scared the life out of my Mum a few years ago, she was sat in the back and he kept turning right round to talk to her, almost leaning right through between the seats! She said she couldn't understand how he kept the car going in a straight line with only two fingers on the wheel.

I refused to travel with him after he gave me a lift, breaking the speed limit the whole way and swinging round corners like he was driving a bumper car. A few months before I had been in quite a nasty motorway crash (totally innocent passenger btw) and it scared me witless. I've been told he drives much better now he has children, but I'm not taking the risk!!

Icimoi · 22/04/2015 20:59

Another one here who hates when people in TV programmes do this. I completely lose track of what they are saying, because I'm busy tensing up and waiting for the crash.

McColonel · 22/04/2015 23:51

For fucks sake, aren't you all a bit melodramatic? Refuse to go in a car with someone cos they glance at their passenger while they're driving?

Totally normal I'd say. As is looking at the radio to change the channel, looking in the mirrors, looking in the glove box to find your sunglasses etc.

What about looking over your shoulder to check your blind spot before changing lanes? Is this dangerous too?

Get a grip as they say....

Original poster
lemonyone · 23/04/2015 00:09

McColonel, I get what you are saying (in a nicely gruff way), but this wasn't a quick glance every now and again in the mirror. This was full-on turning to face me, eyes off the road for substantial seconds and scrolling through her iPhone music list every time her song ended.

A quick glance - no prob.
But in a second at 30mph I think you can travel 45ish feet. So if she's looking at by beautiful fizog for about 3-4 seconds on a regular interval, that is a hell of a lot of travelling with her eyes not on the road.

OP posts:
drbonnieblossman · 23/04/2015 00:30

No lemony it's not a youngsters thing, it's a shouldn't be behind a wheel thing. Too many shit, irresponsible drivers on the road with no regard for those around them. If you get in the car with her again you're mad.

Coumarin · 23/04/2015 00:42

Nope!

I know someone like this. They actually twist around, whilst driving, and look at people, sat on the back seat. Confused

OrlandoWoolf · 23/04/2015 08:18

Totally normal I'd say. As is looking at the radio to change the channel, looking in the mirrors, looking in the glove box to find your sunglasses

Totally normal and dangerous. A few seconds looking in the glove box, hand off wheel,eyes off road. It takes one car to slow down in front of you and crash.

Same for the radio. Like I said, I think my console is distracting.

Accidents happen because of distraction. It's what people do. It can cause accidents.

If you look over your shoulder,it should be a quick glance when you are ready to move and you've assessed the conditions ahead.

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