This is why drivers shouldn’t be chatting on their cellphones when they are behind the wheel. A Bridgewater, N.J., man Saturday was talking on his cellphone when he lost control of his car and drove it into the Raritan River,…
Texas Youth Texted Before Almost-Fatal Truck Accident
Chance Bothe waited a little too long to take his own advice. The 21-year-old Texas native on Jan. 24 sent a prescient message to a friend. “I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident,” he…
N.J. Distracted Drivers Can Now Face Vehicular Homicide Charges
New Jersey last week enacted a tough distracted-driver law: A motorist who kills someone while using a handheld cellphone can face charges of vehicular homicide. New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno last Wednesday signed into a law legislation that permits…
Possible Driver Texting, Cellphone Ban Has People Griping
It didn’t take long for the public to start squawking about the prospect of being banned from using their cellphones, or texting, while driving. The Associated Press Thursday did a long story about salesmen and attorneys who are livid that…
Highways Deaths Hit All-Time Low, Federal Officials Focus On Better Distracted-Driving Data
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood delivered some good news last Thursday, and part of it was that federal officials are improving their methods to collect data related to distracted driving. The first good news was that updated 2010 fatality and injury…
Transportation Secretary Unveils New Anti-Texting Rules, Blasts Car Makers For Distractions
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is doing a great job of getting the problem of distracted driving in the national spotlight. He kicked off the 2010 national Distracted Driving Summit Tuesday by announcing new anti-texting regulations for drivers transporting hazardous materials, commercial truck…
Deaths Caused By Distracted Driving Dropped 6 Percent In 2009
On the eve of the 2010 Distracted Driving Summit, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Monday released statistics for fatal distracted driving-related crashes, which dropped 6 percent last year from 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/technology/21distracted.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=distracted%20driving&st=cse But LaHood reminded Americans that they shouldn’t be complacent about…
Manicures While Driving Add Up To Fatal Accidents
It’s so ridiculous that it would be funny — if nobody had been killed. An Illinois woman, Lora Hunt, went on trial this week on reckless homicide charges in the death of motorcyclist Anita Zaffke, of Lake Zurich, Ill. Hunt…