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...]

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...]

Ever feel like doing some detailed staff scheduling while cruising along at 500 miles per hour? That's the story du jour from two pilots at Northwest Airlines regarding their infamous 150-mile overshoot of the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport the other day. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called the incident "the ultimate case of distracted driving -- only this time it was distracted flying." Having just days before made that landing at MSP on that very airline -- sitting next to my 16-year-old boy -- I'm rooting for some serious prison time for these clowns (who apparently dressed as pilots for … [Read more...]

Maine's controversial distracted-driving law is now in effect and has snared at least one violator: a teenager from New Hampshire. The 19-year-old admitted she was text messaging Oct. 4 just before she plowed her vehicle into a utility pole in the city of Kittery. The neighbors took notice -- their power was knocked out for the afternoon. Maine's distracted driving law went into effect Sept. 12. Legislation specifically prohibiting texting and handheld cell phone use while driving failed to advance in 2009, and critics have said the general law does not adequately address these dangerous … [Read more...]

We're becoming connoisseurs of ridiculous arguments against driver-safety laws for cell phones and text messaging devices. It's rare to see two in the same day, but we are doubly blessed today. Check out these bone-headed comments from a couple of Republicans during West Virginia's committee meeting on texting while driving: Delegate Carol Miller, R-Cabell, pointed out that kids are really, really good at text messaging while driving. "Young people can text all day without even looking," she said. If texting and driving is banned in West Virginia, perhaps there should be an exemption for … [Read more...]