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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Woman threw water at me

396 replies

ijustheartdietcoke · 04/03/2017 21:45

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?

OP posts:
graciestocksfield · 05/03/2017 03:41

You can use your phone legally if it is mounted on the dashboard and being used as a satnav. You can still be fined or prosecuted for careless driving if you are very distracted by it.

However annoying it is that someone is distracted at lights, the only people who should be banging on someone's window to correct their driving are the police.

PussInCoutts · 05/03/2017 04:34

How, exactly, were the public in danger?

What the actual hell. Now I know what kind of idiots think it's okay to use phone while driving. When you drive you don't drink nor do you blimming fiddle with your smartphone.

It is a public safety hazard, hugely so, and YANBU at all, OP. I am shocked at how many people think you were in the wrong here.

Also, separately, yes you could report her aggression towards you to the coppers as well, as well as the phone fiddling.

PussInCoutts · 05/03/2017 04:36

Its illegal. Simple as that. Would any of you check your phone at traffic lights if there was a police car next to you?

Or do we just pick and choose which laws apply to us?

Exactly this.

PussInCoutts · 05/03/2017 04:38

What Gabilan said bears repeating

People really need to get it into their thick heads that you shouldn't use phones whilst driving and that includes being at traffic lights. The majority of accidents happen at junctions, try concentrating when you're operating dangerous machinery.

PussInCoutts · 05/03/2017 04:41

cheeeeselover You're being bitchy and not remotely funny.

PussInCoutts · 05/03/2017 04:43

Jees, sorry cheeeese I misread your post

It was op that probably squinted and squirmed after that water!

as saying the OP squirted the water. You were not being bitchy at all. I misread! So sorry - blame it on the insomnia Blush

I'm just in such a shock most people seem to justify dangerous driving - what if it was your own DCs that got run over as a result of another smartphone addict?

There really is no excuse.

Julju · 05/03/2017 04:44

YANBU.

I'm shocked that so many people on here are so blasé about someone having their mobile out while driving. Irrespective of her being at lights or not.

One day we'll look back at mobile phone use by drivers like we do drink driving when that was legal.

PussInCoutts · 05/03/2017 04:48

Sweets you seem to be missing the point entirely.

Having a conversation with a passenger is different, but more importantly impossible to police. Which is probably why it also isn't illegal.

Erm, you can talk to someone whilst keeping an eye on the road. You cannot fiddle with your phone without looking at it, and when you're looking at it you're not paying attention to the traffic.

You sound unfit to drive, TBH.

Julju · 05/03/2017 04:48

*It always been the case that engine has to be off and car stationery when using your phone!

However YABVU to stick your beak in and bang on her window. That's just being smug and superior. I have checked my phone at lights when there's been an emergency involving my kids before and I'd do exactly the same to you!*

"It's illegal!... but ok for me to do it" How utterly selfish. What if, god forbid, one day that emergency involving your kids is an equally entitled person running into them while not paying 100% at a set of traffic lights.

PussInCoutts · 05/03/2017 04:55

Exactly Julju

frumpet · 05/03/2017 06:30

If I pull over to take a call , I usually park up , engine off and handbrake on , but I never think to remove the keys , is that still illegal ?

ExitStage · 05/03/2017 06:53

All these people fiddling with their phones just proves that most people over estimate their driving skills.

But more to the point, why can't people go anywhere or do anything without constantly checking their phones? You're really not that important!

graciestocksfield · 05/03/2017 06:55

It always been the case that engine has to be off and car stationery when using your phone!

A technical point, but my engine is off and the car is stationary at traffic lights.

Shiraznowplease · 05/03/2017 06:55

What makes you queen of the road? If you knocked on my window I would be absolutely furious.

londonrach · 05/03/2017 07:02

Who knocks on someones window anyway. Op report her

r0tringLover · 05/03/2017 07:02

@frumpet - yes. Illegal.

The police do of course have discretion so pulled over in a motorway layby to use the phone, with the handbrake on is unlikely to get more than a reminder, I'd imagine.

Safest of course to turn the engine off.

londonrach · 05/03/2017 07:05

Lost half my post..yabu to knock on window. Its not your job to monitor the road and you could have caused an accident. Yanbu re the use of phone and water. Report that.

Backt0Black · 05/03/2017 07:07

She shouldn't be on mobile, but no NEVER bang on my window. When did you decide to make yourself a badge and call yourself sheriff - you sound like a self important whack job.

Why are you physically touching or banging other peoples things?? Would you be happy if she kicked your bike in retaliation?

You are not any sort of law enforcement.

Redpoll · 05/03/2017 07:28

Would you say it's any of your business? Enforcing the law is not your job, and when there is a retort as a member of the public you are on your own.

Using a mobile phone while stationary is hardly serial killer stuff is it, as illegal as it may be.

Or are you one of these cyclists who is anti anyone with a form of motorised transport?

AristotlesTrousers · 05/03/2017 07:33

Goodness me! I get really annoyed when I see people using their phones when driving, but where do you get off banging on people's Windows OP? Due to a couple of terrifying situations where I've had this happen to me (once by a scary man in a van at a set of traffic lights and once when a drunk student actually opened my driver's side door for a laugh) this would have terrified me. Sorry OP, but I am judging you far more in all of this!

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 05/03/2017 07:44

SansComic why are you using the analogy of a black person? It couldn't be more irrelevant. OP banged on the window because she was a cyclist and clearly thought that was fine. Would it be ok for someone to get out a car to bang on the window of another driver? Or someone to get out a car and kick the wheels of a bike of a cyclist who'd run a red light? No, and if she'd done that she'd get a very different MN response. OP clearly thought being a cyclist gave her some sort of green light (excuse the pun) to behave like an obnoxious twat.

And glancing at your phone while at a red light is not the same as, for example, texting whilst driving, so to the person who asks if I'd be happy having by kids killed (WTF) - if I I was at a red light and someone ploughed into the side me, the fact I was glancing at my phone wouldn't have stopped that at all now would it?

Redglitter · 05/03/2017 07:48

A technical point, but my engine is off and the car is stationary at traffic lights

Why on earth would you switch your engine off at traffic lights?

Sweets101 · 05/03/2017 07:49

@PussInCoutts what are you on about? Having a conversation can be just as distracting to a driver, actually, but is impossible to police. How does pointing that out to PP make me unfit to drive?
Hope you got enough sleep to be able to read properly today Hmm

Redpoll · 05/03/2017 08:02

This lends another question- Many cars have a stop start function when stationary, so there fore you could be within the law if stationary and engine off at traffic lights. I am sure their will be something in law giving distinction between the public highway or stationary though.

This is just another one of those cyclist things. In fact most people see this cycling craze as a menace. Specially all this racing going on around villages and country roads particularly on a Sunday.
The next village to me got so fed up of them they used to silent protest against them- They used to slow them up to that much they packed in racing around that route.

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 05/03/2017 08:06

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

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