Using a phone behind the wheel? Check. Stopping in a bike box? Check. Inhaling nitrous oxide? Errr… check?

We receive a lot of videos here at road.cc of instances of dangerous driving, but I think it’s fair to say that few of them involve a balloon.

The Coventry-based cyclist who filmed the video below, of an apparently “stoned” driver inhaling nitrous oxide while also using his phone behind the wheel, told us that he has witnessed motorists using the substance, commonly known as laughing gas, several times over the last few years.

“Over the last few years, I’ve seen an increasing number of drivers with balloons in their mouths like this, but this is the first one where I’ve got decent video,” says road.cc reader James, who you may remember from yesterday’s run-in with the reversing close passer (he’s had an eventful few months on the road, has James).

“As you can see in the video, the driver dropped the mobile phone fairly quickly but beyond that he’s not very responsive. And later in the video he appears to forget he’s trying to hide the phone and picks it up again.

“When I’m alongside him at the junction you can see the N20 container sitting on the passenger seat. I’d have to say he looks stoned.

“I reported this to West Midlands Police but I have no idea if any action was taken since West Midlands Police don’t normally provide any feedback.

“I say they don’t normally provide feedback because they do provide some feedback but it’s really quite rare. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t any action taken.

“With hindsight I should have immediately called 999 and reported this.”

While driving under the influence of nitrous oxide is illegal, the substance only stays in the body for a short time, making it difficult to trace in drug tests.

Motorists using laughing gas (or ‘hippy crack’, as it’s also known) have been responsible for several deaths on the road in recent years, prompting cycling activist Mike van Erp – known to regular blog readers as Cycling Mikey – to call for a change in the law (link is external)to ensure that drivers found in possession of nitrous oxide can be prosecuted.

On 1 January, the Dutch government banned the sale, import, and possession (link is external)of laughing gas, amid growing concerns over its effects on health and road safety.

According to a police survey report, there were almost 1,800 road safety incidents, including 63 fatal collisions, involving drivers using nitrous oxide between 2018 and 2021 in the Netherlands.

https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-23-january-2023-298805#live-blog-item-42475

swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> According to a police survey report, there were almost 1,800 road safety
> incidents, including 63 fatal collisions, involving drivers using nitrous
> oxide between 2018 and 2021 in the Netherlands.

> https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-23-january-2023-298805#live-blog-item-42475

According to official UK data, in the period 2016 to 2021, there were 101
cyclist deaths that involved no other vehicle, a very similar rate to the
Dutch ‘nitrous oxide’ drivers.

Unfortunately, road.cc - not noted for the clarity of its reporting - does
not mention whether cyclists were categorised in the Dutch report it or to
what extent (if any), or what levels of such abuse was found among Dutch
cyclists.

All in all, not much of a report.

--
Spike

Patrick9-32 | 167 posts | 6 hours ago
2 likes
Using some drugs while driving is stupid but reasonably understandable (The logic of "I am stoned but that makes me concentrate better" or "I'm drunk but that means I am more relaxed" is completely moronic but there is at least a train of thought there...) but laughing gas makes you lose all control of your body. I can't think of a single excuse for using it while driving.

swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Patrick9-32 | 167 posts | 6 hours ago
> 2 likes

> Using some drugs while driving is stupid but reasonably understandable
> (The logic of "I am stoned but that makes me concentrate better" or "I'm
> drunk but that means I am more relaxed" is completely moronic but there
> is at least a train of thought there...) but laughing gas makes you lose
> all control of your body. I can't think of a single excuse for using it while driving.

“…but laughing gas makes you lose all control of your body” could explain
the unfortunate coming-together of cyclists and village greens?

PS: Can we take it you’ve had enough of ‘cyclists and snow’ for the
present?

--
Spike

I disagree. Having been administered this (NHS) on occasion I would suggest it certainly can lead to a disinclination to move at the least. Although there's a risk of serious injury or death by oxygen deprivation I think pumping nitrous oxide into the wheelhouse of motor vehicles could lead to safety improvements as they fail to even start driving.

Unless the "cars in houses" thread shows this is already happening - but the concentration isn't strong enough to stop the drivers getting up to speed before losing their ability to control things?

On 23/01/2023 07:14 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Patrick9-32 | 167 posts | 6 hours ago
> 2 likes
>
> Using some drugs while driving is stupid but reasonably understandable (The logic of "I am stoned but that makes me concentrate better" or "I'm drunk but that means I am more relaxed" is completely moronic but there is at least a train of thought there...) but laughing gas makes you lose all control of your body. I can't think of a single excuse for using it while driving.

You seem to know a lot about it.

I don't believe that I have *ever* encountered such a drug, whether
legitimately or otherwise.

Mullered zombie using a mobile phone and in the bike box 🤣

MJ08XKK nitrous oxide and mobile phone reported to the police.

On Monday, 23 January 2023 at 20:36:22 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> On 23/01/2023 07:14 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Patrick9-32 | 167 posts | 6 hours ago
> > 2 likes
> >
> > Using some drugs while driving is stupid but reasonably understandable (The logic of "I am stoned but that makes me concentrate better" or "I'm drunk but that means I am more relaxed" is completely moronic but there is at least a train of thought there...) but laughing gas makes you lose all control of your body. I can't think of a single excuse for using it while driving.
> You seem to know a lot about it.
>
> I don't believe that I have *ever* encountered such a drug, whether
> legitimately or otherwise.

Depends whether you ever buy those pressurised cans which produce instant whipped cream. I believe they use nitrous oxide to do the “whipping” when one presses the button at the top.

I believe I’ve read about Mason types trying to inhale the nitrous directly from the can and ending up damaging their lungs by freezing them.

Mason has also boasted about using ether, which, I’m told, makes you absolutely stink.

Open and shut case for the police.
MJ08XKK.

https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/teasers/public/cyclist-films-motorist-using-nitrous-oxide-and-mobile-phone-behind-wheel.png

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Open and shut case for the police.

Sounds like an open and shut case for Mr Arsehole.

> https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/teasers/public/cyclist-films-motorist-using-nitrous-oxide-and-mobile-phone-behind-wheel.png

I hope the cyclist was in full control of his machine at the time, because
we now know the police won’t overlook one crime in order to prosecute
another.

--
Spike

QUOTE:The Coventry-based cyclist who filmed the video below, of an apparently “stoned” driver inhaling nitrous oxide while also using his phone behind the wheel, told us that he has witnessed motorists using the substance, commonly known as laughing gas, several times over the last few years. ENDS

Their discarded canisters are already causing a hazard for cyclists.
Dirty druggies.

On 23/01/2023 10:24 pm, Peter Granger wrote:

> On Monday, 23 January 2023 at 20:36:22 UTC, JNugent wrote:
>> swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

>>> Using some drugs while driving is stupid but reasonably understandable (The logic of "I am stoned but that makes me concentrate better" or "I'm drunk but that means I am more relaxed" is completely moronic but there is at least a train of thought there...) but laughing gas makes you lose all control of your body. I can't think of a single excuse for using it while driving.

>> You seem to know a lot about it.
>> I don't believe that I have *ever* encountered such a drug, whether
>> legitimately or otherwise.

> Depends whether you ever buy those pressurised cans which produce instant whipped cream.

No.

> I believe they use nitrous oxide to do the “whipping” when one presses the button at the top.

OK. But that can't be the "cannisters" of which Mason complains.

> I believe I’ve read about Mason types trying to inhale the nitrous directly from the can and ending up damaging their lungs by freezing them.

> Mason has also boasted about using ether, which, I’m told, makes you absolutely stink.

With a fairy-cyclist, how could you tell the difference?

QUOTE:According to a police survey report, there were almost 1,800 road safety incidents, including 63 fatal collisions, involving drivers using nitrous oxide between 2018 and 2021 in the Netherlands.ENDS

We don't want to import that sort of carnage over here.

swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> QUOTE:According to a police survey report, there were almost 1,800 road
> safety incidents, including 63 fatal collisions, involving drivers using
> nitrous oxide between 2018 and 2021 in the Netherlands.ENDS

> We don't want to import that sort of carnage over here.

If you look up the official data and do some elementary arithmetic, you’ll
find that the ‘carnage rate’ in the Netherlands from drivers using nitrous
oxide is very nearly the same ‘carnage rate’ arising from single-vehicle
cyclist deaths in the UK.

But for some strange reason you’ve never ever referred to this particular
UK form of cyclist carnage before. Why, if you’re concerned about carnage
in the Netherlands, are you not concerned about cyclist single-vehicle
carnage in the UK, the frequency of the two carnages being so similar?

Is it because you are a hypocrite?

--
Spike

On Tuesday, 24 January 2023 at 22:26:17 UTC, Spike wrote:
> swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > QUOTE:According to a police survey report, there were almost 1,800 road
> > safety incidents, including 63 fatal collisions, involving drivers using
> > nitrous oxide between 2018 and 2021 in the Netherlands.ENDS
>
> > We don't want to import that sort of carnage over here.
> If you look up the official data and do some elementary arithmetic,

Now you’re just taunting the poor fella.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.drawception.com%2Fdrawings%2FVyLm5H5bmC.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fdrawception.com%2Fgame%2FPDR8wewHsS%2Fa-stupid-person-does-math%2F&tbnid=haC6rL4zQ6rDlM&vet=12ahUKEwiMs5rs3OH8AhUSpEwKHSR_D84QMygAegQIARBD..i&docid=8bTxrjVnUS1lUM&w=300&h=250&q=stupid%20man%20doing%20math&ved=2ahUKEwiMs5rs3OH8AhUSpEwKHSR_D84QMygAegQIARBD

QUOTE:“Over the last few years, I’ve seen an increasing number of drivers with balloons in their mouths like this.ENDS

Wasn't there a sex act that went wrong for a Tory MP that started like this?
Most weird.

On 24/01/2023 06:06 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> QUOTE:According to a police survey report, there were almost 1,800 road safety incidents, including 63 fatal collisions, involving drivers using nitrous oxide between 2018 and 2021 in the Netherlands.ENDS
>
> We don't want to import that sort of carnage over here.

Indeed.

So what do they do in NL which encourages it?

JNugent <jenningsandco@mail.com> wrote:
> swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

>> QUOTE:According to a police survey report, there were almost 1,800 road
>> safety incidents, including 63 fatal collisions, involving drivers using
>> nitrous oxide between 2018 and 2021 in the Netherlands.ENDS

>> We don't want to import that sort of carnage over here.

> Indeed.

> So what do they do in NL which encourages it?

The Soviet Union used to have posters showing happy peasants and factory
workers, and tough-looking soldiers armed with PPSh41s, with the hammer and
sickle in the background . No-one there believed the message either.

--
Spike

On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:25:04 AM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> QUOTE:“Over the last few years, I’ve seen an increasing number of drivers with balloons in their mouths like this.ENDS
>
> Wasn't there a sex act that went wrong for a Tory MP that started like this?
> Most weird.

Then there was the Tory found dead with an orange in his gob.

On Wednesday, 25 January 2023 at 14:08:28 UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:25:04 AM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > QUOTE:“Over the last few years, I’ve seen an increasing number of drivers with balloons in their mouths like this.ENDS
> >
> > Wasn't there a sex act that went wrong for a Tory MP that started like this?
> > Most weird.
> Then there was the Tory found dead with an orange in his gob.

https://groups.google.com/g/uk.rec.cycling/c/lVc9hJG5uN4/m/78HYouS_ZbsJ

“David Davis is my MP which is fine by me as I live in a rabidly
Conservative area and have always voted Tory myself.”

You are a total fraud and a very bad joke. The future of our country really matters and yet you have descended to adopting contrarian positions just to troll people. On a newsgroup you claim to be trying to protect.

On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 2:08:28 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:25:04 AM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > QUOTE:“Over the last few years, I’ve seen an increasing number of drivers with balloons in their mouths like this.ENDS
> >
> > Wasn't there a sex act that went wrong for a Tory MP that started like this?
> > Most weird.
> Then there was the Tory found dead with an orange in his gob.

With the emergence of UKIP - they have become more swivel-eyed and dangerous.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FnVrg7UWYAYTs3B?format=jpg&name=small

On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:41:11 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 2:08:28 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:25:04 AM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > QUOTE:“Over the last few years, I’ve seen an increasing number of drivers with balloons in their mouths like this.ENDS
> > >
> > > Wasn't there a sex act that went wrong for a Tory MP that started like this?
> > > Most weird.
> > Then there was the Tory found dead with an orange in his gob.

Power corrupts - they all changed their beliefs for money.
TOTAL FRAUDS.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FnVu0B6WYBE3Slz?format=jpg&name=medium