There sure are a lot of people in this thread willing to defend driving distracted for a fuckcars thread. I honestly can’t describe how fucking sick I am of “it’s okay when I do it” entitlement and I had hoped that the people here were above that.
I dont use headphones while driving but I'm not okay with whats going on in this thread. No one runs around maliciously with their mirror tucked to be an asshole.
Instead of taking a picture of someone without their knowledge (which looks like it was taken from a car on the road funnily enough and no one is ripping on the photographer), it would have been even easier to honk and let her know her mirror is closed.
And then taking the next step and positing it online so people could make fun of her is even worse.
Everyone occasionally has a day. Be a human and try and treat others with the respect you would like to have too.
The earphones aren't a problem per se, if you listen with approrpriate sound where you can still hear an ambulance coming or a car horn. I don't think this person is doing that, but lets guve them the benefit of the doubt. But the mirrors folded is next level stupudity. There is no doubt that this person should be driving at all.
It's not the case here obviously, but fyi for others that airpods 2/3 can function as OTC hearing aids that are more affordable than prescription. I have a family member who uses them.
You can also see well-enough to drive while blindfolded if the material is thin enough. Doesn't mean that it should be legal to drive with a blindfold over your eyes.
For example. Reasoning is the same that allows you to listen to the radio: as long as you can hear car horns and emergency vehicles, you can listen to whatever at whatever volume. But you can be found more at fault if you crash into something, in certain cases.
I wear earbuds with inverse sound-cancelling; it lets me listen to music while I can still hear what's going on, and I haven't noticed any damage after long rides.
I'm in Australia and had no issues using a full headset. Using it because car speakers didn't work, according to a cop it's only an issue if it's noise cancelling.
Looks like it might be India? It used to be that everyone had them folded in because they would get snapped off in traffic. Also the noise from horns is loud AF. Still not great, but context matters.
There’s a number of things that I strongly believe should result in an automatic short term suspension, because the driver clearly has no fucking clue what they’re doing. Driving without lights lights off at night (I don’t give a shit about your auto lights, turn them on manually because it’s not working) and driving with folded mirrors are two of the items. Failing to clear snow off glass is another.
Driving with two earphones in is a problem. They simply do a better job of blocking ambient sound than the car speakers. People get mad ad pedestrians or cyclists who don’t hav situational awareness because of their headphones; drivers have a greater responsibility because of the size of their vehicle.
I had a cop cite me for turning my bright-ass bicycle light off at night while riding on a quiet, lit sidewalk at 2am.
That is entirely different than grandma getting in a black car and driving on a pitch black night, or a white car leaving their lights off during heavy rain and doing 20 below in the left hand lane.
driving with folded mirrors
I have had drivers who forgot to leave room at a stoplight fold their mirror to let me and the dozen other motorcycles by at a light.
Anything that is likely to have nuance can't have zero-tolerance policies or you're subjecting a bunch of people to disproportionate to unjust punishment.
Its vietnam, being inches from cars and other bikes happens every single time you go somewhere, whether by bike or walking. If I had blocked everyone behind me, I would have created a dangerous situation.
Do you guys remember that before Bluetooth cars, headphones were the only way to drive and take a phone call without getting a ticket?
And we don't know this woman's situation, someone could have hit her car and the mirrors broke and she's on her way to the mechanic.
Let's normalize not taking pictures of people without their knowledge and then making fun of them on the internet.
Are you really advocating for a world where a momentary mistake should be blasted online for strangers to mercilessly make fun of you? She isn't a public figure.
Not everyone could afford that attachment you showed. Everyone and their brother had those wireless Bluetooth earbuds to the point that there is a whole era of movies that make fun of finance bros and their overuse. Idk why you're so upset about this but taking a wireless phone call via an earbud isn't illegal.
I don't know her car situation, but shit happens. As a human with empathy I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt. Someone could have been hurt and she's on her way to the hospital and was too upset to check her mirror and was getting directions on the phone. There are just so many things that this picture could show but everyone wants to assume she's a malicious asshole. For all any of us know, this literally could be a snapshot of the worst moment of her life.
Let's be real here. She gives zero shits about anyone around her. I see it DAILY. No fucking way she's taking that to the mechanic right now. I don't care about the headphones but she does not give a fuck about anyone else
Side note about driver awareness: I see a lot of cars on the road with rear windows so dirty that they're virtually opaque. The cars clearly have wipers and washers. I can only assume these drivers never check their mirrors. Baffling.
Yea, earphones aren't going to make a difference, or maybe you shouldn't drive with a radio on? Or that the sound deadening in the car doesn't already block most of the sound outside the car.
I think(well sure) that is passenger side, because driver is on the right. And so this picture would have to be taken from outside the driver side to catch the seatbelt.
Years ago I used to live relatively close to a car wash. During the winter months I would pay for a monthly subscription to the car wash. On cold mornings with heavy snowfall I would clear enough of my car to see both wing mirrors, out part of the back windshield, and part of the front windshield, enough that, being very vigilant, I had a good sense of my surroundings. I’d then drive directly to the car wash, which would clear the rest of my car for me while I stayed in the nice warm car.
I stand by this practice, but I was more attentive than usual in my driving on those mornings.
probably still safer than the average super insulated modern vehicle with blinding headlights, massive blind spots, and a cockpit lit up like an airport so the driver's night vision is ruined
I mean, I kinda agree. It's just that the people who normally say "guns aren't the problem" are also the ones who don't want to solve the actual problem.
Was anyone unaware of that? I don't think the community name has to be "cars are bad mainly because of the shit ass culture that comes with them" to make valid points.
Legality aside, how are headphones worse than radio? If you can hear sirens, car horns and whatever else you need, why does it matter if the music comes from a radio speaker or headphones? Keep in mind, some countries use the same reasoning for cars and bikes, and I'd rather not annoy everyone with drive-by beats.
Also, I imagine headphones in cars is more common if you are young and your car is old.
Ok, when I drive with my headphones at a volume that I can still hear my bicycle chain rattling, I'm not automatically worse than someone with their car radio so loud I can hear it 100m behind them. So I don't think laws that prohibit headphones specifically are necessary, let it be managed by the same laws that bind drivers to keep their radios at a sane level.
But point taken that some governments classify any headphones as distracting, I suspect because one can generally identify radios that are too loud, headphones that are too loud are harder for police to prove.
There's loads of places where people drive with mirrors tucked in so motorbikes don't clip them when they drive past while you're waiting at the lights.
89 replies
There sure are a lot of people in this thread willing to defend driving distracted for a fuckcars thread. I honestly can’t describe how fucking sick I am of “it’s okay when I do it” entitlement and I had hoped that the people here were above that.
I dont use headphones while driving but I'm not okay with whats going on in this thread. No one runs around maliciously with their mirror tucked to be an asshole.
Instead of taking a picture of someone without their knowledge (which looks like it was taken from a car on the road funnily enough and no one is ripping on the photographer), it would have been even easier to honk and let her know her mirror is closed.
And then taking the next step and positing it online so people could make fun of her is even worse.
Everyone occasionally has a day. Be a human and try and treat others with the respect you would like to have too.
I don't get why everyone is complaining about the folded mirrors when she has pixels all over her eyes.
The earphones aren't a problem per se, if you listen with approrpriate sound where you can still hear an ambulance coming or a car horn. I don't think this person is doing that, but lets guve them the benefit of the doubt. But the mirrors folded is next level stupudity. There is no doubt that this person should be driving at all.
An ambulance and a screaming pedestrian do not have the same volume.
It's not the case here obviously, but fyi for others that airpods 2/3 can function as OTC hearing aids that are more affordable than prescription. I have a family member who uses them.
You can also see well-enough to drive while blindfolded if the material is thin enough. Doesn't mean that it should be legal to drive with a blindfold over your eyes.
It's illegal. And we need more people getting caught and held accountable.
It's not universally illegal in every country.
Aside from like an F1 race, I don’t know of a single place where it’s legal to wear headphones while operating a motor vehicle.
For example. Reasoning is the same that allows you to listen to the radio: as long as you can hear car horns and emergency vehicles, you can listen to whatever at whatever volume. But you can be found more at fault if you crash into something, in certain cases.
Anyway, now you know.
The picture literally says that you can still be fined for distracted driving…
Also, “it doesn’t explicitly say I can’t so it must be legal” is the Donald Trump defense.
Yes, IF an officer determines the device distracted you. That is literally the same ruling as a car radio.
And because you brought him up, I think the way you won't admit your error is more like him.
Okay, I’ll bite… how did I make an error?
Why did you say:
When, as I explained, that had nothing to do with legality of earphones?
You didn’t answer my question.
Its dangerous not to wear hearing protection on motorcycles over like 60mph for long rides and much shorter rides if you go slower.
Hearing protection is not the same as audio earpods. You can still hear with foam earplugs.
I wear earbuds with inverse sound-cancelling; it lets me listen to music while I can still hear what's going on, and I haven't noticed any damage after long rides.
I'm in Australia and had no issues using a full headset. Using it because car speakers didn't work, according to a cop it's only an issue if it's noise cancelling.
The folded mirrors is probably to avoid clipping stuff in tight city streets. They're probably driving slower than walking.
This is a poor person driving. I don't see the big deal.
I see worse luxury car drivers every day.
I don't quite see how a persons bank account is relevant?
Wealth and entitlement isn't relevant you say?
Yes in a community about the problems cars pose, in a post about a bad driver.
In a community about the problems that cars pose, you don't think class has any factor in this or are you just performatively against cars?
https://www.businessinsider.com/road-rage-speeding-driving-traffic-large-expensive-cars-suv-2022-5?op=1
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1118373109
In a community about the problems that cars pose, we don't give people a pass for being careless simply based on how shitty their car may be.
(Also this photo was taken in India. That woman is richer than 80% of the population based solely on the fact that she owns a car)
That is important context.
More like 92%.
So those mirrors would have been literally smacking into throngs of pedestrians on all sides if they weren't folded.
Looks like it might be India? It used to be that everyone had them folded in because they would get snapped off in traffic. Also the noise from horns is loud AF. Still not great, but context matters.
If so then actually I think this might be the safest driver in India.
There’s a number of things that I strongly believe should result in an automatic short term suspension, because the driver clearly has no fucking clue what they’re doing. Driving without lights lights off at night (I don’t give a shit about your auto lights, turn them on manually because it’s not working) and driving with folded mirrors are two of the items. Failing to clear snow off glass is another.
Driving with two earphones in is a problem. They simply do a better job of blocking ambient sound than the car speakers. People get mad ad pedestrians or cyclists who don’t hav situational awareness because of their headphones; drivers have a greater responsibility because of the size of their vehicle.
I had a cop cite me for turning my bright-ass bicycle light off at night while riding on a quiet, lit sidewalk at 2am.
That is entirely different than grandma getting in a black car and driving on a pitch black night, or a white car leaving their lights off during heavy rain and doing 20 below in the left hand lane.
I have had drivers who forgot to leave room at a stoplight fold their mirror to let me and the dozen other motorcycles by at a light.
Anything that is likely to have nuance can't have zero-tolerance policies or you're subjecting a bunch of people to disproportionate to unjust punishment.
If you were close enough to a car on a motorcycle that they had to fold their mirror in then you were too close and there was no room.
Its vietnam, being inches from cars and other bikes happens every single time you go somewhere, whether by bike or walking. If I had blocked everyone behind me, I would have created a dangerous situation.
Usually there is enough room. The cagers are just scared I'll clip the mirror.
Mind you I don't live in the US and the lanes are much narrower on average, also people don't have guns.
At long light cycles I will duck and weave between lanes and around mirrors as much as necessary to reach the front. As is legal in my state.
What's behind me is behind me. I look only to the future.
Do you guys remember that before Bluetooth cars, headphones were the only way to drive and take a phone call without getting a ticket? And we don't know this woman's situation, someone could have hit her car and the mirrors broke and she's on her way to the mechanic. Let's normalize not taking pictures of people without their knowledge and then making fun of them on the internet.
Absolutely. Speakerphones were never a thing, and phone manufacturers never made wired accessories or aux cables to connect to your car stereo.
True. Broken mirrors look exactly like they've been neatly tucked in.
Are you really advocating for a world where a momentary mistake should be blasted online for strangers to mercilessly make fun of you? She isn't a public figure.
Not everyone could afford that attachment you showed. Everyone and their brother had those wireless Bluetooth earbuds to the point that there is a whole era of movies that make fun of finance bros and their overuse. Idk why you're so upset about this but taking a wireless phone call via an earbud isn't illegal.
I don't know her car situation, but shit happens. As a human with empathy I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt. Someone could have been hurt and she's on her way to the hospital and was too upset to check her mirror and was getting directions on the phone. There are just so many things that this picture could show but everyone wants to assume she's a malicious asshole. For all any of us know, this literally could be a snapshot of the worst moment of her life.
I don't know why you're so hell bent on defending someone driving distracted but where she is and where I am it absolutely is illegal
Let's be real here. She gives zero shits about anyone around her. I see it DAILY. No fucking way she's taking that to the mechanic right now. I don't care about the headphones but she does not give a fuck about anyone else
But but she's in 👏 a 👏 car
I saw people just putting their phones on speaker.
I want some of that weet corn
Side note about driver awareness: I see a lot of cars on the road with rear windows so dirty that they're virtually opaque. The cars clearly have wipers and washers. I can only assume these drivers never check their mirrors. Baffling.
Rear windows serve no useful purpose. You need to look at what's in front, not what's behind
Upvoting because I'm assuming that was sarcasm :)
Never owned a car with rear wipers and I forgot they exist lmao
This picture looks like it was taken in India.
The best example of ignorance yet. Like nothing outside of their car exists!
I don't care about the earphones. May as well say the deaf can't drive.
Yea, earphones aren't going to make a difference, or maybe you shouldn't drive with a radio on? Or that the sound deadening in the car doesn't already block most of the sound outside the car.
Not only is it illegal in several countries, it is also proven to negatively impact attention and reaction times.
Here's the problem: if we gave a shit about safety, we'd get pretty close to banning cars.
This is like complaining that the internal walls of the titanic should have been a few centimeters higher.
Not at all. But ok.
WEET CORN
WEET
She's preoccupied with the thought of picking up a delicious weet cornb.
No distractions, I am trying to drive here!
Meanwhile OP seems to be driving with their seatbelt off because it's out of focus frame left
I think(well sure) that is passenger side, because driver is on the right. And so this picture would have to be taken from outside the driver side to catch the seatbelt.
It was a really snowy day.
Their entire car was covered with snow, except for an eyeslit the size of a business envelope for the driver to look out of.
Crazy people in giant metal boxes.
Years ago I used to live relatively close to a car wash. During the winter months I would pay for a monthly subscription to the car wash. On cold mornings with heavy snowfall I would clear enough of my car to see both wing mirrors, out part of the back windshield, and part of the front windshield, enough that, being very vigilant, I had a good sense of my surroundings. I’d then drive directly to the car wash, which would clear the rest of my car for me while I stayed in the nice warm car.
I stand by this practice, but I was more attentive than usual in my driving on those mornings.
My driver was on a heavily used street, with no way to see out the back or side.
Yeah that’s irresponsible.
Should have FSD on and napping!
probably still safer than the average super insulated modern vehicle with blinding headlights, massive blind spots, and a cockpit lit up like an airport so the driver's night vision is ruined
The car isn't the problem, the idiocy is the problem
That's kinda like saying guns aren't the problem.
I mean, I kinda agree. It's just that the people who normally say "guns aren't the problem" are also the ones who don't want to solve the actual problem.
For guns, the problem is that any idiot can buy and use one pretty easily. The checks are minimal. Same as with cars. Idiot's fault either way.
But for guns you can only get and carry one if you're a moron in america, in almost no other countries is it that easy.
Was anyone unaware of that? I don't think the community name has to be "cars are bad mainly because of the shit ass culture that comes with them" to make valid points.
FuckIdiots would be the name then
Idiots are especially dangerous in cars.
How about knives? Pans? Ladders? Having children? I don't see a FuckKnives community
Ah, so straight up CarBrain. I gave you the benefit of doubt by thinking you were just being weirdly pedantic.
What's with the sun visor? Looks like a partially deflated helium balloon to me.
Some of them are made out of leather-like material which degrades overtime.
Looks like she put a plastic bag over the visor
Some kind of a tissue bah attached to it?
POV is in a car taking a picture of someone else in a car. This is in ![email protected].
headphones are perfectly normal
No the fuck it isn't
Legality aside, how are headphones worse than radio? If you can hear sirens, car horns and whatever else you need, why does it matter if the music comes from a radio speaker or headphones? Keep in mind, some countries use the same reasoning for cars and bikes, and I'd rather not annoy everyone with drive-by beats.
Also, I imagine headphones in cars is more common if you are young and your car is old.
That "if" is doing a LOT of heavy lifting. Also it's technically illegal in India, where this was taken
Ok, when I drive with my headphones at a volume that I can still hear my bicycle chain rattling, I'm not automatically worse than someone with their car radio so loud I can hear it 100m behind them. So I don't think laws that prohibit headphones specifically are necessary, let it be managed by the same laws that bind drivers to keep their radios at a sane level.
But point taken that some governments classify any headphones as distracting, I suspect because one can generally identify radios that are too loud, headphones that are too loud are harder for police to prove.
There's no problem with driving with earphones.
The mirrors are a problem though
LOL.
There's loads of places where people drive with mirrors tucked in so motorbikes don't clip them when they drive past while you're waiting at the lights.
Headphones? Who cares.