Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Deaf Drivers?

I have had more than a couple of drivers - including one today - who have had their radios set so they are blasting loud in the back. Apparently some can't figure out that there are settings for back speakers and front speakers? Or some only have the back speakers working? Or maybe they just think passengers really really want to hear whatever is on at deafening volumes.

8 Comments:

At 10:26 PM, Blogger brokemoto said...

Are you aware, that the driver is supposed to have your permission to play a radio? Over the years, the adjudicatory authorities have not considered lack of the passenger's objection exculpatory to the driver. The rule does read that the driver must secure the passenger's permission.

The only exception to this is the dispatch radio. The driver DOES NOT need your permission to play that radio. You have dispatch radios playing only in Diamond cabs or in those cabs whose drivers subscribe to the Liberty/District Cab radio service. Yellow cabs now have a satellite and a computer.

I have always had a hard time figuring out how to work the settings on these new-fangled AM/FM radios. The owner's manual is not always helpful. It was so much easier when there was just a knob, or two, that you turned. These days it all has to be that high-falutin' technology. Did'ja' know, f'r'instance, that now, your headlights are controlled by a five-hundred dollar computer module? I learned that one the hard way. WHY do I need a five-hundred dollar computer module to turn my headlights ON and OFF, when a fifty-nine-ninety-five switch used to do the job just

fine, hank-ee?

I do not often have the AM/FM or
CD player on when there is a customer. The exceptions are:

1. If I have a customer going to Friendship Airport between the hours of 1400 and 2000. I put on the radio station that does traffic reports every ten minutes. Especially in rush hour, you can bet the telephone bill that there is an accident on at least one of the principal northbound roads, (I-95, US-1, B/W Parkway), often at Maryland Route #32. I always tell the customer why I am turning on the AM/FM radio.

2. During football season, I put on the Redskins. I am no Redskin fan (except for twice a year, and maybe during playoffs, depending on the teams), but the majority of my customers are. And no, I am no Dallas fan. In fact, my second favourite team is whoever is playing Dallas. If the customer asks me to turn off the Redskins, I always do.

 
At 5:09 AM, Blogger brokemoto said...

Thanks for your help, there, Madmeister.

If Best is President, and he is in charge, and I am out on the street, how is it that he had nothing to do with the decision? He had to have approved of it, at least.

The Regulations do require that you secure the passenger's permission. If you do not do it, that is your business, but if someone complains, you could face sanctions. I would not complain if you played it while I was in your cab, as long as it is not opera, rap, disco or Philly soul.

Lowell George, Berrychuck, Mingus, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Joe Farrell, John Mayall, B-52s or Greenday, you can play those, or maybe some Doors, VERY OLD Pointer Sisters or Ellington; play them.

 
At 7:45 AM, Blogger Mad Cabbie said...

I heard that there is a dispatcher there who doesn't like you and your girl who really pushed those GED bunch for this decision Phil!

I have friends from all over the world speaking English with all kind of accents but I do like someone on the radio with an English that I can understand clearly!

 
At 3:22 PM, Blogger brokemoto said...

Best helped to make the decision; he called me upstairs. He added his part when I was told that I was being tossed out onto the street, for no reason, again. He repeated the lies that people told about wife and me, and believed those lies.

One of the people telling those lies to management, is, in fact, an employee. You are no fan of this particular employee, there, Mr. Mad Cabbie. He did this partly in retaliation for wife's recent and repeated refusal to give him calls over the telephone. In other words, wife did what Best told her to do, and got fired for it. She even told Best that this employee was harrassing her for jobs. Best said that he would take care of it. He took care of it, allright, he fired the both of us. Now this employee can not harrass her for jobs, she AIN'T there to be harrassed.

The employee in question also spread his lies in retaliation for my refusal to write a false letter to another state to get him out of paying a traffic summons. This refusal happened when I was still Secretary of the Corporation. I told him what to do, he failed to do it and blamed me for his failure. As an Officer of the Company, I could not put the Company's name on the line without the proof that I required of him. He could easily have produced it, had he acted in a timely manner. He failed to do so. He waited until the last minute and offered only something in his own handwriting instead of the original document that I required.

Understand my English clearly? When a driver does not repeat the job correctly, I often remark that I come from the Northeastern part of the country, so I talk funny.

 
At 11:25 PM, Blogger gwadzilla said...

funny.

as a cyclist I am more worried about the blind cabbies with their braille dashboards than the deaf ones

 
At 3:11 PM, Anonymous Defensive Driving Texas said...

High volumes in cars makes those cab drivers blind to other vehicles, i just like to suggest Automotive industry adopt an upper limit on volume of speakers for cars.

 
At 7:26 PM, Anonymous taxi service la mesa ca said...

Maybe some of these drivers are deaf or have low sense of hearing. Studies shows that constant exposure to loud music can affect ear drums.

Moreover, I encountered the same situation in buses where drivers and conductors turn their vehicle into mini disco house. Well, it feels sickening to ride in this kind of transport.

 
At 8:14 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Wow I'm amazed when I read this blog about the cab driver who are deaf he's still he's a hard working man doing a good kind of job.-long term car rental San Diego-

 

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