The American Medical Association -- already on record against text messaging while driving -- has endorsed laws that ban all forms of handheld devices for those behind the wheel. Members called the use of handheld devices such as cell phones and texting devices "a very serious public health problem." "We're very supportive of legislation to deal with this," said AMA board member Dr. Edward Langston. "We want your hands on the steering wheel. "A Harvard study estimates that about one in 20 traffic accidents involve a driver talking on a cell phone. By banning the use of handheld devices … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2009
Fla. no longer distracted on texting, driving
November 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Florida, one of the stumblebum states when it comes to distracted driving laws, finally appears to be waking up to the dangers of cell phoning and text messaging behind the wheel. Republican Gov. Charlie Crist signaled the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to get behind legislation that would rein in drivers' texting and mobile phone chatting. “I think it would provide some safety for our people,” Crist told highway department chief Julie Jones, in a classic of understatement (according to the News Service of Florida). The Legislature rejected or ignored all 2009 bills that … [Read more...]
S.C. proposal: text & drive, go to prison
November 18, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The nation's toughest sanctions against driving and text messaging have been proposed in South Carolina. House Bill 4189 calls for fines of up to $2,500, two months in jail and a driver's license suspension. And that's for the first offense. A driver who kills someone while text messaging is looking at 25 years in prison. The legislation would also allow law officers to seize and inspect a driver's cell phone to if he or she was texting while driving when they were stopped. That provision, no doubt, would face opposition from civil liberties advocates. Rep. Don Bowen, R-Anderson, on … [Read more...]
Prolonged texting like DUI in Britain
November 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The New York Times continues its welcome crusade against texting and driving with a look at a British case in which one young woman was sent to prison for killing another young woman. Phillipa Curtis, 22, rear-ended Victoria McBryde's broken-down yellow Fiat, killing McBryde instantly. Curtis had been texting, but not at the exact moment of the crash, the Times reported. New British sentencing guidelines equate prolonged texting before a crash with drinking and driving, or with drag racing. The guidelines call for terms of four to seven years. Curtis received only 21 months. The Times … [Read more...]
Recent Comments