It isn’t just cellphones and texting that distract drivers.
Last week a New Jersey woman pleaded guilty to a charge of assault by auto for causing an accident because she was typing an address into her car’s GPS system.
Ann Philback, a 30-year-old Hamburg, N.J., woman caused a head-on collision on Route 23 in Franklin, N.J., on Nov. 3, 2009, according to The Star-Ledger of Newark.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/woman_distracted_by_gps_pleads.html
She was trying to type in an address on her GPS when she struck a car driven by Nancy Latattuta, 53, of Sussex. Latattuta sustained a broken leg and ribs. Philback had also had a glass of wine the night of the accident.
Philback, who only sustained minor injuries, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault by an auto and reckless driving, The Ledger reported. As part of a plea bargain, the woman will get probation and could lose her license for up to 90 days.
Philback, who will be sentenced May 6, could also be deported because she was an illegal immigrant at the time of the accident.
Perhaps it is time to make anti-driver distraction laws more comprehensive, to not only include cellphones and texting but also fooling around with your GPS.