A sobering question - is a pic of your Rolex taken driving at speed really worth it?

[superdog]

I hope everyone agreeing with the OP pays attention to their own habits.

If you are doing nearly anything in the car, besides driving, you are causing the same risks as what the OP has concerns about.

Eating. Doing make up. Changing the radio station. Adjusting the GPS. Lighting a cigarette. Looking at your watch for the time. All these and more can create similar distractions.

I happen to agree with the sentiment of the OP. But I’m also self aware enough to know that I’m by no means nearly perfect enough to disparage anyone else.

Then again, if you do none of these distracting things, and you only drive, disparage away.

[Brew]

No one needs to be perfect to remind us all to be careful and not endanger others. The reminder is appropriate, imo.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Brew

No one needs to be perfect to remind us all to be careful and not endanger others. The reminder is appropriate, imo.

Agree.

But there is a difference between a reminder, and a disparaging reminder.

Nothing wrong with a PSA. But inevitably people like to get on their high horse. By no means am I speaking about anyone in particular. Definitely not doing that.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by superdog

I hope everyone agreeing with the OP pays attention to their own habits.

If you are doing nearly anything in the car, besides driving, you are causing the same risks as what the OP has concerns about.

Eating. Doing make up. Changing the radio station. Adjusting the GPS. Lighting a cigarette. Looking at your watch for the time. All these and more can create similar distractions.

I happen to agree with the sentiment of the OP. But I’m also self aware enough to know that I’m by no means nearly perfect enough to disparage anyone else.

Then again, if you do none of these distracting things, and you only drive, disparage away.

Good points here. And distractions in the car are getting worse as a function of the advancement of car design.

I recently tested an Audi A6. Basically all the controls, including those for the a/c have been replaced with a touchscreen that is situated low down on the central console. The sat nav and other functions of the car are controlled by a separate touchscreen higher up on the dash. Although the screens have haptic feedback, if you want to change any setting in the car you have to take your eye off the road to look at the screens. Not only that, because they’re screens you have no tactile cues to know where you’re pressing, meaning you actually have to spend more than a split second working out what the screen is doing. I defy anybody to explain how that is any different in practical terms to using an iPad whilst driving. It’s also the way that design of car interiors is heading. It’ll be fine once we’re all being chauffeured in autonomous vehicles, but until then it strikes me as pretty dangerous.

[pickettt]

Originally Posted by Brew

No one needs to be perfect to remind us all to be careful and not endanger others. The reminder is appropriate, imo.

I agree

[Tschyvon]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

Good points here. And distractions in the car are getting worse as a function of the advancement of car design.

I recently tested an Audi A6. Basically all the controls, including those for the a/c have been replaced with a touchscreen that is situated low down on the central console. The sat nav and other functions of the car are controlled by a separate touchscreen higher up on the dash. Although the screens have haptic feedback, if you want to change any setting in the car you have to take your eye off the road to look at the screens. Not only that, because they’re screens you have no tactile cues to know where you’re pressing, meaning you actually have to spend more than a split second working out what the screen is doing. I defy anybody to explain how that is any different in practical terms to using an iPad whilst driving. It’s also the way that design of car interiors is heading. It’ll be fine once we’re all being chauffeured in autonomous vehicles, but until then it strikes me as pretty dangerous.

Agree. Buy 5 Serie instead

[tie219]

Originally Posted by pickettt

I agree

Also agree.

I am not perfect either, as Seth rightly pointed out, but I think this post is a sobering reminder of what the consequences could be of distracted driving. Despite the innocent intentions, in most cases, of the driver.

[R.bartlett]

Originally Posted by pigman08

How many accidents have you seen, and how many of those accidents can you personally confirm were not mobile caused?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think you need to go back and re-read/comprehend my comment and the post I commented on. the onus of proof is on him not me.. He made the wild accusation that I doubt he has any real evidence to back it up unless as I say he's a traffic cop..

[Dr.Brian]

Originally Posted by superdog

Agree.

But there is a difference between a reminder, and a disparaging reminder.

Nothing wrong with a PSA. But inevitably people like to get on their high horse. By no means am I speaking about anyone in particular. Definitely not doing that.

I agree with you 100%.
The air is pretty thin up there on that high horse.
If I was the poster he referenced I’d share my thoughts, but I’m just a guy on a watch forum.
I see horrendous, obviously dangerous driving and parenting on the roads in the city every day. Saw some 15 min ago. Somehow I resisted the urge to try to shame them.
Maybe the OP can make a bumper sticker for us to put on our luxobarges to raise awareness?

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

Good points here. And distractions in the car are getting worse as a function of the advancement of car design.

I recently tested an Audi A6. Basically all the controls, including those for the a/c have been replaced with a touchscreen that is situated low down on the central console. The sat nav and other functions of the car are controlled by a separate touchscreen higher up on the dash. Although the screens have haptic feedback, if you want to change any setting in the car you have to take your eye off the road to look at the screens. Not only that, because they’re screens you have no tactile cues to know where you’re pressing, meaning you actually have to spend more than a split second working out what the screen is doing. I defy anybody to explain how that is any different in practical terms to using an iPad whilst driving. It’s also the way that design of car interiors is heading. It’ll be fine once we’re all being chauffeured in autonomous vehicles, but until then it strikes me as pretty dangerous.

I'm in complete agreement with you here, and this coming from a big Audi fan. All of the manufacturers are trending in the direction of touch and voice control for everything in cars. These are each distracting in distinct ways. With touch, one's eyes are off the road when there is no dedicated knob. With voice, it's simply not the same as conversing with a human passenger and while one's eyes may be on the road, one's attention is on confirming that the damned thing did what you asked.

In my S4 (B8.5) the controls for audio volume, source, and track selection are all tactile and second nature. Tiny info LCD right by the speedometer. That's all I need. I don't do anything else when the car is moving other than drive, in an attempt to avoid the other distracted drivers. I may be one of the rare people who ignores pretty much all calls and texts, other than from my wife when I'm stopped at a light. If I have to reply, I usually just pull over, or it can wait.

We recently looked at a Q8 to replace her old Acura MDX, and as the sales guy was touting the new interior, my wife and I were cringing at the touch interface, though the overall package is awesome. It makes no sense based on what we know about distracted driving, but the manufacturers continue to push it. I frankly can't wait until automated cars are the de facto standard so I can finally relax on the road.

[Kyle89]

Wrist shots in a self driving car, problem solved! Im sure there will be a thread on tomorrows Forum broadcast....IS IT SAFE to drive while taking a wrist shot?

[pickettt]

Interesting that having stickers on a watch is so shameful, while taking pictures of a watch (which we all know what looks like anyway) while operating a moving vehicle is defended.

[GradyPhilpott]

I think it all depends on the circumstances.

Most people can operate their car stereo or a/c while driving and with a little forethought, it's not that hard to point a camera at one's wrist while, say, driving on a deserted stretch of an interstate highway.

Over the years, I've taken lots of pictures while driving, even before the advent of phones with cameras.

When you think of all the things you see people doing while driving (eating, painting their toenails, shaving, slapping their kids in the backseat, etc.), taking less than a second to snap a picture seems quite benign.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by pickettt

Interesting that having stickers on a watch is so shameful, while taking pictures of a watch (which we all know what looks like anyway) while operating a moving vehicle is defended.

Not sure there is any correlation between the two.

But anyway. Where is it being defended?

[77T]

Originally Posted by Kyle89

Wrist shots in a self driving car, problem solved! Im sure there will be a thread on tomorrows Forum broadcast....IS IT SAFE to drive while taking a wrist shot?

Maybe safer than sleeping at 117kph...



https://www.cbs17.com/news/national/...way-at-70-mph/

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[encarter13]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

I think it all depends on the circumstances.

Most people can operate their car stereo or a/c while driving and with a little forethought, it's not that hard to point a camera at one's wrist while, say, driving on a deserted stretch of an interstate highway.

Over the years, I've taken lots of pictures while driving, even before the advent of phones with cameras.

When you think of all the things you see people doing while driving (eating, painting their toenails, shaving, slapping their kids in the backseat, etc.), taking less than a second to snap a picture seems quite benign.

This pretty much sums up my feelings as well.

Not everyone lives in a city or congested area. I can drive miles at a time and not pass a car. I think it is safe enough to snap a picture of my watch will driving when the roads are clear.

[droptopman]

This thread is interesting. I can take a pics in 1.5 seconds, which is about 1/10 of the time it takes to find a song, enter in NAV or just about any simple tech command. And I think the tech in my car is good compared to others I have tried. For more complicated system adjustments a pic is about 1/20 of the time/distraction. Took this one a couple days ago just because this thread kind of irritated me...little top down cruising. I know it is hard to believe but nothing happened.

[V25V]

Originally Posted by InitialAndPitch

Thanks Brew. Appreciate your note.

Several years ago I was walking to a final meeting of the day. A young girl - maybe late teens was walking, reading her phone and had her ear phones plugged in. She turned her back on the edge of the road and moved back a small, small step. A bus drive by and clipped her and in doing so dragged her up under the wheel arch. Took seven minutes for a motorcycle ambulance to get there. I had never heard screaming or seen disarticulated limbs in a wheel well. like that. She had milk and noodles in a bag with two sets of chopsticks. I have always wondered if they were spare sticks and napkin or for a special friend. She would die as three of us including the bike ambulance rider (bloody hero!) hunted for venous access and tried to diminish her pain and make her last five minutes on earth as personal as it could be or at least less horrendous.

I consider that young distracted woman a model of dignity and heartbreakingly lost potential. I still see the accident vividly and hear the gutteral screams, the sobbing and times of awful quiet. Irony drips from every molecule of her torn body. She cut herself off from the world electronically as we all wish we could some days but on this day it worked too well and in her last breath, her phone played its last request instead of the voices of those she craved.

We tried to find pictures of koalas to distract her for a wretched moment and it is so sad what passes for comforting a young woman who was full of life that morning and likely for another 60 years. If we were to assign fault it would fall to squarely on her. We’ve all got to keep an eye out because we can’t un-ring that bell.

Save just one by going handsfree and it’s my deep hope that you’ll never see, hear and smell all that. What I can do is speak briefly for her.

Dude, stop. Good lord.

Originally Posted by Catatafish

For the love of God please stop doing this. I commute on a motorcycle and the number of cagers I see drifting over their line due to phoning is staggering. And please don't take them at traffic lights either. I'm tired of honking at people that the light has turned green while they're doing who knows what on that damn phone.

Why I stopped riding on the street. Too damn dangerous and not just because of rolling wrist shots.

[Blansky]

Is any risky behavior worth it?

Ask pro athletes, sky divers, mountain /rock climbers, race car driver, online daters......

People do many things that are risky and when they do they always perceive a benefit.

In this case it's "hey look, I took a cool picture of my watch and car".

I'd think we'd have to ask them if it was worth it. I'm guessing they'd say "totally dude."

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by InitialAndPitch

It had to happen eventually - somebody trots out the “my grandmother smoked everyday until she died at 91. Therefore all smoking science is piffle”.

And now based on your sample of one, I’ll alert legislators to your stunning contribution in the form of inferential statistics. We’ll reverse all driving laws that are not consistent with your street corner immediately.

Thanks for your report.

Australia is a special case in what passes for linkage between mobile phone usage and car accidents. I remember watching an Australian TV show, some sort of police investigation of everyday stuff. The case was a fatal, single-car accident that killed the driver (maybe passengers too, can't remember). They drew it out looking at every aspect of evidence related to the crash and what led up to it.

In it they established that the driver had been drinking heavily (lots of beers) with friends/relatives all day and evening before jumping in his car that night. It was dark, raining, the country road was twisting, and he left the road at high speed.

What amused me was, with all seriousness, the police investigator also described how they pulled the guy's mobile phone records to see if he was talking or texting on his phone leading up to the crash (he hadn't been) to see if that had been a factor.

But if there had been a phone call logged within a minute of the accident, it's clear that guy's crash would have been added to the "Phone related crash" statistics.

Makes me think that in Australia as far as "official numbers" are concerned, it matters not if one is drunk, speeding, driving too fast for conditions at night....if you make a phone call that's what "caused" the crash.

I know years ago a study out of Perth came up with a supposed statistic that talking on a mobile phone quadrupled one's chances of crashing. Turns out that study took a handful of crashes and did the phone record checking thing, and if it occurred within 2 minutes or so the crash was attributed to the phone use. They didn't look at intoxication levels, conditions, reckless driving outside the phone call, etc etc. It wasn't even supported by police records, for the purposes of the "study" the phone use was held to be the cause.

As they say, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by superdog

I hope everyone agreeing with the OP pays attention to their own habits.

If you are doing nearly anything in the car, besides driving, you are causing the same risks as what the OP has concerns about.

Eating. Doing make up. Changing the radio station. Adjusting the GPS. Lighting a cigarette. Looking at your watch for the time. All these and more can create similar distractions.

I happen to agree with the sentiment of the OP. But I’m also self aware enough to know that I’m by no means nearly perfect enough to disparage anyone else.

Then again, if you do none of these distracting things, and you only drive, disparage away.

A number of years ago the NHTSA undertook a huge distracted driving project and wired up hundreds of normal peoples' cars/SUVs/trucks with data and video recorders and collected information for a year. Invariably over the course of that year there were actual accidents, but they also looked at near-misses, loss of control, driving that resulted in traffic tickets etc.

There was no anti-phone agenda at work with the study or presumed them to be super-distractors as compared to anything else, and they took into consideration all distractions.

What they found (not surprisingly) was that the moments spent dialing the phone was on par with a person looking over to try and tune the radio. Once the conversation was begun, talking on the phone was on par with talking with someone else sitting inside the car with the driver.

As you say and logic dictates, distractions such as looking in the mirror, reading billboards, other signs, eating food were similar. Driving down the road reading words on a phone was the same level of distraction (and stupidity) as digging around looking in a handbag, finding something in the glove box, or reading the Wall Street Journal.

There's so much hyperbolic nonsense, legislative or otherwise, linked to mobile phones as if they're so super-distracting merely to talk on they deserve a category all their own. Meanwhile, billboards and advertisements are purposely placed beside roadsides for people to read while driving, yet nobody is on a crusade to ban billboard-reading.

[Rashid.bk]

Originally Posted by droptopman

This thread is interesting. I can take a pics in 1.5 seconds, which is about 1/10 of the time it takes to find a song, enter in NAV or just about any simple tech command. And I think the tech in my car is good compared to others I have tried. For more complicated system adjustments a pic is about 1/20 of the time/distraction. Took this one a couple days ago just because this thread kind of irritated me...little top down cruising. I know it is hard to believe but nothing happened.

...yet.
Shameful.

Concerning to see so many justifying their irresponsibility and equating photo taking to tuning a radio. While it has a small degree of merit, they are not the same and every vehicle outside of supercars has steering wheel controls.

Bottom line, if you can be distracted by the action, you should consider pulling over. It only takes a blink of an eye to find yourself in trouble. Just look at youtube dash-cam videos....

[BNA/LION]

Highly Recommended to NOT take Pictures in Launch Control Mode!

Launch Control Activation Sequence – BMW M6

From a complete Stop, Deactivate DSC, get the car in Manual/Sport mode (push the lever to the right) and get the gearbox in the fastest shifting setting. Once all of those are done, mash the brake and the gas pedals at the same time. You’ll see a checkered flag on the instrument cluster and the car will rev but not up to the red line.

This is where you get to pick the perfect launch RPM. According to BMW Instructor Stefan Landmann, the perfect choice would be between 3,000 and 3,500 RPM. You can set the preferred RPM using the cruise control button on the left side of the steering wheel. Once you’re done, release the brake and enjoy the ride.

[zama]

Interesting reading comments between those from the UK and Australia where we have very strict laws on phones in cars and the US where most things seem to be more open slather. I concur this is dangerous, given you actually are doing 3 things at once, turning on a photo mode, then trying to line up your watch while driving. In Australia if you are caught using your phone on a public holiday or in a school zone you lose your licence for a year even if you have had no other fine in your life.

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by Rashid.bk

... Concerning to see so many justifying their irresponsibility and equating photo taking to tuning a radio. While it has a small degree of merit, they are not the same and every vehicle outside of supercars has steering wheel controls...

No they don't.
I know some people with luxury cars may think that everyone else has luxury cars but the fact is that not everyone lives the same life.
This is important to note because issues (city traffic) that may seem important to some may not apply in others.

[Brew]

If "A" is under consideration as a problem, that "B", "C", and "E" are also problems does not negate the fact that "A" is a problem. The radio, the sandwich, the billboards are all just smoke, hiding the problem.

[dxbtousa]

this thread is comical.

[Milles396]

Originally Posted by blufinz52

This thread looks remarkably familiar. Is this Unfamiliar_Moon from the Omega Forum?

Oddly enough totally random. That’s me, unfamiliar Moon, but I hadn’t seen this before I posted that. It was a pic on another forum I saw of someone at speed.

At least here more people are saying how utterly absurd distracted driving is. I was raked over the coals on OF.

[wisguy]

Stupidest thing ever... everytime I see a story of an idiot doing that I send him a DM.

Most of the time they get it.