Woman threw water at me

[ijustheartdietcoke]

I was cycling and came to some trafficlights. A woman was looking at her phone so I banged on her window and shouted get off your phone. She tried to throw water at me and drove off, would police be interested?

I don't think you should go banging on people's windows, it's not your job to police mobile use whilst driving.

I am shocked how many people still thinking OK to look at their phone when stopped at traffic lights. Why can't people put their phone in their bag and leave them alone. Nothing is that urgent to need to look at your phone and if there is an emergency then pull over and turn engine off before you use your phone.

If you don't have a clock then get a watch.

I the stop/start thing has been clarified by the police. That's why I think the keys must be out, to signify that you are "parked". That said, I often sit in a car park or at the side of the road parked up waiting on my DC and muck about with my phone and I don't take the keys out. I will do in future just in case, even though I am definitely parked rather than just pulled over.

YWBU. You don't bang on people's windows unless you're the police.

She was unreasonable for throwing water at you. I would have just told you to fuck off.

OP banged on the window because she was a cyclist and clearly thought that was fine.

No she didn't. It wasn't because she was a cyclist. It was because she takes public safety very seriously. She's made explicit reference to that.

Would it be ok for someone to get out a car to bang on the window of another driver?

Probably not. I've done it though. I didn't do it because I was a car driver. I did it because I lost control of my temper. FWIW, I banged on their window, shouted that they need to check their blind spot before pulling over and got back in my car. I shouldn't have. I doubt I was intimidating as I was certainly physically smaller than the (male) mini-van driver was.

And glancing at your phone while at a red light is not the same as, for example, texting whilst driving

Legally it's exactly the same. Hadn't you realised?

OP clearly thought being a cyclist gave her some sort of green light (excuse the pun) to behave like an obnoxious twat.

Nope. It has nothing to do with her cycling. It was because the OP wanted to. The cycling aspect was nothing to do with it.

Can you show me where you're getting these assertions from? Maybe I missed the relevant post.

Having a conversation can be just as distracting to a driver

Actually, talking on a phone (handsfree or otherwise) is shown to be more distracting. I worked on computer code which analysed phone conversations from a driver against a driver and a passenger. The conversation with two in the car was noticeably different The driver was much more likely to halt the conversation when their attention was needed such as pulling out of a junction as was the other party. It is these difference that make phone use so dangerous.

I haven't RTFT but have just been on a speed awareness course, where this very subject came up.

A fellow speeder's friend was checking her texts at traffic lights, car stationary. Lights changed, she sped off, straight over a cyclist who she killed. She got a six year jail sentence. This was a middle aged, middle class mother of two or three children, not a 17 year old daft lad showing off to his friends.

So for all you saying it is quite ok to use your phone at lights, it is not. They are exceedingly distracting and can be fatal. We were told the phone should be out of reach at all times you are in the car on a public highway.

ha! At least it was water & not urine.
I have been known to wag a finger, I wouldn't bang on the car.

As a pedestrian I hate it when cars stop across a pedestrian crossing when the green man is on. Can't get through with a buggy, sometimes you have to edge through and your coat gets mucky on their car.

I was in a bad mood and had to edge past the black exhaust of a mini-cab, so I banged once on his roof, a flat palmed slap.

He leapt out and chased me up the pavement in a mad rage, shouting really aggressively, I was sure he would hit me. I dodged behind a group of people and into a noodle bar, and he lost me.

I didn't have a handle on my rage, and he certainly didn't,

No banging on cars.

Cherry no they didn't catch him but they had a word with the guy they thought it was. Sadly cyclists don't have license plates and to avoid detection just need to change clothes !

Whilst I don't condone the actions of the car driver, I am also surprised that many cyclists seem to think that it's okay for them to be passing judgment be that a wagging finger or worse. Is it because their own poor behaviours are harder to police as they don't have a registration number and can be traced? I've seen cyclists on their phones in traffic as well as the more common jumping lights, not having lights on etc. If I got out my car and rapped on their bike frame and gave them a row, quite rightly that would be viewed as an intimidating and aggressive act.

Ooh, I might keep a bottle of water handy. There is a junction near me with a specific lane and lights for cyclists to keep them safe from traffic turning left. Do they observe their red light? No. Next time a cyclist cuts across me causing me to break sharply when I am turning left, I will squirt them' HAH!

Yes. Definitely report. Hopefully if you can give the reg number etc, by the time the police get around to her she'll be on her phone again and slapped with the new increased fine. Instant karma.

r0tring read my posts for God's sake I have said all along that using your phone whilst driving is illegal I haven't once argued it's OK. Pp asked why it's worse then having a conversation I said conversations can be distracting (which they can someone nearly drove into a tree they were so into the story they were telling me) but it would be impossible to police. It's covered by due care and attention, it doesn't mean using a phone is OK as there is no law to prevent conversations.
Seriously have you got nothing better to do then try to create arguments

You were both in the wrong

YABU to go around banging on car windows!

I would have done what you did. I always shout if I see someone on their phone. It causes death in some cases, after all.

Being annoyed at someone using their phone in the car is just a cyclist thing??

No. I vividly remember getting very annoyed at a driver whilst being a pedestrian on the school run when DCs were still in their buggy (nursery age). A woman did a three point turn, badly, on the end of a residential street, whilst almost crashing into a fence and then nearly ploughing into us as she tried to right herself. If only she'd been concentrating on the bloody road instead of on her phone at the time. Ten minutes later and she'd have most certainly hit a child as the 'main rush' of parents and children came through at that time. I clearly remember shouting along with another parent "get off your bloody phone!".

And glancing at your phone while at a red light is not the same as, for example, texting whilst driving

Not really. I stood open mouthed when I witnessed someone clearly texting whilst at a red light once. They was that busy texting they didn't notice the police car up her arse behind them telling them to pull over...

*were

Yes it's illegal and she shouldn't be doing it at all.

However banging on her window and shouting at her makes you look like a total nutcase (in fact, I have bipolar and therefore am a nutcase and wouldn't do this ever).

Do you chase people down the street when they drop litter?

Do you bike after people to harangue them if they are driving over the speed limit?

I'm interested to know where your personal law enforcement approach stops?

Frankly what you did was very confrontational and I'd have told you to bugger off (without water). If you have concerns you should photograph and report not become a vigilante law enforcer...

Also do you not think that scaring someone half to death by banging on their window is at least, if not more, distracting than the original offence?

I'm not arguing against the law and she was clearly breaking it but you sound like an a bit of a dick to be honest.

It's stuff like this that makes people think cyclists are a completely different, pain in the arse, breed.

Regardless of whether people think the OP was right or wrong to knock on the phone lady's window. If the phone lady was paying attention to the road and her surroundings then the OP wouldn't have startled/scared her I imagine.

Do you chase people down the street when they drop litter?

Someone dropping litter isn't really comparable with driving without care and attention though is it?

Good for you. I wish more people would police the general public, perhaps there would be less bad driving ,aggressive behaviour and litter about. It might even bring about respect for each other...

Yeah cinnamon, look how well that worked out for Communist countries....oh.