Pop quiz: What do you do?

Underscore

I was on a rural lane with passing places as part of my commute this morning. It is (just) wide enough for a car and bike to pass safely so most cars do not wait for bikes. However, at one point I was pleasantly surprised when a car slowed down so that we could pass at a passing place. However, when I got closer to him, I saw that he was holding a phone to his ear with his left hand, a cigarette in the index and middle fingers of his right, so he was controlling his car with two fingers and a thumb.

I'll post what I did later,

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Eat My Dust

I'd just ignore him, I've given up on stupid motorists. If the laws of the land can't stop people using their phones while driving what chance does a lyra clad cyclist have. I had a similar situation a couple of weeks ago when a woman seemed to think I was waving thanks for giving way to me (I had ROW) I was actually making a phone sign to my ear, she smiled and waved back.

BTW I had to laugh at the woman in the BMW last night with her Sat Nav on AND reading a map as she drove up the road. Car was all over the place!!

Clever Pun

While he was breaking the law as such he was a courteous driver to you and that should always be thanked.

he probably thought it would be unsafe to overtake you while pissing around with his phone

Belv

I'd have ignored him because his good action was cancelled out by his bad action.

It makes sense in my head! :?

Underscore

Well, FWIW, I subscribe to the dog training approach to these things; praise the positive, ignore the negative. So, I thanked him before muttering various obscenities under my breath.

Anything that makes him more likely to behave with similar courtesy to the next cyclist he encounters (whether on the phone/smoking, or not) can only be good, whereas having a go would probably have achieved, at most, for him to call me a "damned, tree-hugging hippy", or similar :shock: .

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