When you say “open laptop” I presume you mean seeing someone with a laptop that’s watching a film etc rather than someone who’s got it positioned on their dashboard and is using is as a satnav like a lot of European drivers do and quite a few over here do as well. Attempting to drive down the road while watching a DVD is obviously one thing but using a laptop as a satnav, although quite large and not ideal in my opinion isn’t really that much different to using a largish satnav on your wind screen, you’re only looking at it occasionally and in my opinion isn’t the same kettle of fish at all.
I don’t know if I’d report someone in the UK for watching a DVD while driving though, not because I think its okay to do so, but because I can’t help but think that I’d be the one to be made to feel like a criminal with questions about my use of phone while driving and what am I doing looking in other people’s cars instead of concentrating on the road. That’s just how the UK is these days, always looking to do someone for something so in all honesty I’d just carry on and say nothing.
As for reporting things on the road here. I wouldn’t even know who to call over here for such things apart from 911 and unless it was something really serious I wouldn’t bother. Just about all trucks here have CB’s so its the norm to report things to trucks approaching a hazard etc. The one thing that really annoys me about driving in North America is the sheer amount of cars who drive around in the dark with no lights on, or auto daylight running lights on the front and nothing on the back. I often feel like reporting them to the police for everyone’s safety but having witnessed a few times over the years such idiots drive right by police cars sitting on the central reservation or hard shoulder, and nothing happening, I just can’t be bothered and no amount of flashing your lights behind the fools in question alerts them to their error as North American car drivers tend to be the lowest form of human intelligence while behind the wheel, even if they’re otherwise intelligent people. The worrying thing is that many of them have probably owned the same car for years and never realised that they drive around with no lights because the dash board lights up with the ignition and lower power day light running lights often give the impression of head lights being turned on.
robinhood_1984:
When you say “open laptop” I presume you mean seeing someone with a laptop that’s watching a film etc rather than someone who’s got it positioned on their dashboard and is using is as a satnav like a lot of European drivers do and quite a few over here do as well. Attempting to drive down the road while watching a DVD is obviously one thing but using a laptop as a satnav, although quite large and not ideal in my opinion isn’t really that much different to using a largish satnav on your wind screen, you’re only looking at it occasionally and in my opinion isn’t the same kettle of fish at all.
I don’t know if I’d report someone in the UK for watching a DVD while driving though, not because I think its okay to do so, but because I can’t help but think that I’d be the one to be made to feel like a criminal with questions about my use of phone while driving and what am I doing looking in other people’s cars instead of concentrating on the road. That’s just how the UK is these days, always looking to do someone for something so in all honesty I’d just carry on and say nothing.
As for reporting things on the road here. I wouldn’t even know who to call over here for such things apart from 911 and unless it was something really serious I wouldn’t bother. Just about all trucks here have CB’s so its the norm to report things to trucks approaching a hazard etc. The one thing that really annoys me about driving in North America is the sheer amount of cars who drive around in the dark with no lights on, or auto daylight running lights on the front and nothing on the back. I often feel like reporting them to the police for everyone’s safety but having witnessed a few times over the years such idiots drive right by police cars sitting on the central reservation or hard shoulder, and nothing happening, I just can’t be bothered and no amount of flashing your lights behind the fools in question alerts them to their error as North American car drivers tend to be the lowest form of human intelligence while behind the wheel, even if they’re otherwise intelligent people. The worrying thing is that many of them have probably owned the same car for years and never realised that they drive around with no lights because the dash board lights up with the ignition and lower power day light running lights often give the impression of head lights being turned on.
In well let area’s it is easy to forget to turn your lights on if you dash auto lights up on ignition.
Radar19:
In well let area’s it is easy to forget to turn your lights on if you dash auto lights up on ignition.
Is it? I’ve always been in the habit of thinking my lights aren’t on unless I’ve turned them on. For that reason I don’t use the auto lights function if fitted on cars because I don’t want to be the moron driving down the road at night without lights. Also, its not just in well lit areas, I see it just as often in pitch black rural roads, three times this week alone in fact with cars speeding down roads doing anything from 60-80mph depending which road it was on, in the pitch black with no rear lights at all, an illuminated dashboard and one of the cars had absolutely no front lights at all and the other two had dim day light running lights that barely lit up 5ft in front of the car in a dim glow. Its a much more common sight over here than in the UK.
This is why I hate all these gizmos in cars. They mean the driver has less to do and will get lazy. Switching things like lights and wipers on should always be manual only so the driver is in the habit of doing these things. Getting out of that habit and then changing car means they are likely to forget to do them. Technology is supposed to aid a driver, not do everything for the driver
I will usually report an incident on the 101 line if its just happened or stop and help if I witness a crash, not minor scrapes though- the buggers will be lieing to their insurance companies after anyway so I don’t want to be in the picture.
Had a moment once when at a party a bloke deceided to lay into his girlfriend, everyone one else stood and watched so I dragged him off then knocked him out when he subsequently went for me(he was ■■■■■■ and I was sober so it wasn’t a fair fight). Went over to his girlfreind to see if she was OK and yep youve guessed it she went for me as well, luckily my wife was on hand to put her on her arse with a sweet uppercut… Good night come to think of it.
About 20 years ago I was into tiquando in a big way and dealt with a guy who just punched a 15 year old girl in the face on the side of the road,
so hard it sparked her out.
The police then turned up, arrested said arse hole and sent me on my way after a chat.
2 hours later there’s a knock at my door.
The police then tried doing me for assault so these days I don’t get involved anymore with anything to do with them or the stuff they attend to.