Three out of four mobile phone users in the U.S. now has an Internet-connected smartphone, according to an industry study. That translates to about 182 million people in the U.S. with the advanced mobile phones -- with smartphone penetration at an all-time high of 75 percent, according to the comScore report. The quick market adoption of smartphones has been seen by safety experts as a factor in the widespread problem of electronic distracted driving, with the phones providing speedy access to email, instant messaging, Web browsing and social media access, as well as video and … [Read more...]
‘Selfies’ led to Cessna crash, feds say
February 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The story remains yet to written about "selfies" and distracted driving, but safety experts have no doubts the craze for cell phone photography is contributing to the crash total on the nation's highways. And in its airways, apparently. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation of a May crash in Colorado found that the pilot and passenger apparently died because they were busy taking selfies. "A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation," the NTSB report said of the crash of a two-seat Cessna 150. … [Read more...]
Judge: ‘Hands free’ means no hands. Period.
January 15, 2015 by 1 Comment
Wedging a cell phone between your shoulder and ear qualifies as hands-free driving -- at least in the eyes of the Yukon courts. The Canadian territory's distracted driving law is simply too mushy, a judge ruled. Update: An appeal court judge sided with the government in early May, saying that "hands free" means not holding a phone. The driver received one day's probation. /update The Marsh Lake man fought his distracted driving ticket and won in January, saying that he was using the smartphone's speaker with both hands on the wheel. A Yukon Courts judge agreed with the low-fi … [Read more...]
No texting admission, no ticket
December 14, 2014 by 1 Comment
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission is busy trying to push through a legislative rewrite of the state's outdated distracted driving law, which limits itself to texting while behind the wheel. The panel just released an online video that shows officers pulling over a pair of distracted drivers. Both drivers explain away their actions as something other than texting. One man says he was entering GPS data into a smartphone; another guy who was weaving repeatedly into a bike lane beats the ticket by saying he was checking his currency-trading updates. "Everything else you can do on your … [Read more...]
South Carolina writing texting tickets
December 7, 2014 by 4 Comments
South Carolina drivers who text while driving now can be stopped and cited for the distracted driving offense, as the new law's six-month warning period has elapsed. Tickets range from $25 (first offense) to $50 (subsequent). Distracted drivers will not see points vs. their licenses for infractions, meaning insurance rates will not increase for violators. Enforcement is primary, meaning police are empowered to stop and cite drivers who are texting for that reason alone. The South Carolina texting & driving law does not affect use of cell phones for making calls. Drivers will be able … [Read more...]
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