Like to text message while behind the wheel? Beware the wrath of vigilante justice. A woman in North Providence, R.I., allegedly was texting away on her cell phone as she cut off another motorist. Anthony Rapone, 60, allegedly forced her to stop in the middle of the road, threw her cell phone to the ground and punched the woman in the face. He then kicked the woman's car repeatedly for good measure, police said. Rapone said his father had been killed in a wreck caused by a driver who was driving and texting. He was charged with assault, vandalism and disorderly conduct, according to the … [Read more...]
Distracted driving fines need punch
August 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
A swarm of newspaper editorials resulted from recent developments about distracted driving. Most of the editorials called for action at the state level to cut down on the use of text messaging devices and handheld cell phones. The editorial board of the Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) had something new to say, however. After making the usual points about the perils of distracted driving, the newspaper took aim at the puny fines most of these laws hand out: "Silly, selfish behavior that puts people's lives at risk should carry stinging penalties. ... It's time for a major crackdown on talkers and … [Read more...]
A close shave with Ontario cell phone ban
July 9, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Ontario's government ombudsman is taking heat for distracted driving -- because he was busy making a tattle-tale video of an extreme case of distracted driving. Andre Martin, the province watchdog, noticed a driver ahead of him using an electric razor to shave his head. Martin whipped out his iPhone and made a video of the outrage, posting it as an example of how motorists will do just about anything behind a wheel, the Toronto Sun reported. Martin was stopped at a light at the time. Unfortunately for Martin, his actions were in violation of the Ontario's new hands-free law, at least in … [Read more...]
Two years later, no N.Y. texting ban
June 27, 2009 by Leave a Comment
This weekend marks the second anniversary of the horrific crash that killed five teenage girls from the Rochester, N.Y., area. Investigators found that the driver was text messaging just before the girls' SUV collided with a truck. New York's cities and counties have been actively banning text messaging by drivers in the years since the crash. Ontario County, where the teenagers' crash occurred, outlawed texting while driving in April. (July 17 update: A ban on texting while driving has been approved by the Senate and Assembly, and now awaits the governor's signature. It is expected to take … [Read more...]
Car-crash scene no thriller
June 26, 2009 by Leave a Comment
There's a new release in the genre of scary PSAs about teens who text message while driving. Students from Treorchy Comprehensive School in Wales worked on the half-hour film "Cow," which tracks the character Cassie Cowan and her friends as they tempt fate in various ways while behind the wheel -- speeding, drunken driving. The final flirtation with death comes as the kids send and read text messages on a handheld phone. The results are horrific; the message is clear. A Florida foundation recently produced a similar text messaging video, with an almost identical ending. Fade to … [Read more...]
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