In urban / suburban environments it’s pretty common to watch the car in front of you wandering in (or out of) its lane, reacting late to traffic situations farther ahead, or be slow to react to green lights.
And it’s also fairly easy to see if they’ve got a phone pressed to their head or they’re looking down while txting or they’re more attuned to their face in the mirror, or they’re turned half sideways to look at somebody else in the car with them.
Being a pedestrian gives one a whole new perspective as you eyeball the cars and drivers headed your way without the distraction of you needing to drive yourself.
Fully blacked out windows & windshields are rapidly becoming the norm around here. Plenty of times I can’t see the driver’s face through their windshield.
But yeah, I 100% agree w your sentiment. It’s the only smart way to operate if you have to walk in front of, not behind, a car.
Even then, there is the problem of the person seeing the pedestrian, stopping for said pedestrian…and the person behind them swerving around them without thinking because they have a divine right to drive without hindrance.
One of the main reasons to be more worried about distractions from cell phones rather than other people is because other people have some peripheral vision and attention to things outside the vehicle, and their reactions when something occurs on the road can cue the driver into shifting their attention (though not necessarily soon enough to avoid a collision).
But others in the car should also be focused on keeping the driver’s attention on the road, even if there’s a conversation going on. Indeed, drivers with passengers in the front should be less distracted, as the passenger can adjust radio, climate control, and the like according to the vocalized wishes of the driver, which should allow the driver to stay focused on the task.
I can’t even see through most people’s rear windows; can you? Even if I could, driving at a safe distance puts them too far away to notice they are talking to someone.
My wife and I know this. And say, at an intersection, we both shut up.
We will say ‘clear’ when it’s clear to the right and you are the passenger. But only if no peds or bikes are around, and we have a better view than the driver does.
Of course the driver does a quick double check before proceeding.
You can’t do this with everyone though, or every intersection. It’s too dynamic.
I was once behind a car that was stopped in the road for no apparent reason. There were no pedestrians in sight, I was going to go around but thought I should wait a few seconds to assess the situation. I was glad I did. A few seconds later there emerged into view a mother duck followed by a very orderly parade of little baby ducklings crossing the street!
Married couples, ref @eniplamight have a more cooperative driving style. But probably not.
My second now ex- wife was adamant that if I rode while she drove that I touch nothing, say nothing about traffic or navigation, and definitely don’t look around for hazards.
I for one am distracted by the conversation itself. I am only comfortable with a real conversation (i.e. one that involves actual thought) if I am not doing anything else at the moment. Not driving, not reading the newspaper, not eating, not crossing a street. When my wife and I need to talk about something, I suggest stopping everything that we are doing, sit down on the couch and talk about that topic and only that topic.
That is a major issue between my wife and me:
when I drive, I want to concentrate on the one task of driving. Conversation should be limited to technical issues with the trip itself. My wife considers me unfit to drive if I am not willing to drive in a foreign city’s traffic and at the same time discuss political issues that are controversial between the two of us
when my wife drives she complains that I don’t chat with her. I avoid unnecessary conversation because I’d like to continue living, Also when my wife drives, usually I navigate, and for that it is necessary that the communications channel is not blocked by her talking when I have to say something time-critical.
Another issue: When I drive and my wife wants me to look at a landmark, my reaction is often: sorry, I want to keep my eyes on the road. When my wife drives she looks and points at the landmark, and I mentally prepare to meet my Maker.