Tag: vehicle crashes

Californians Still Hardheaded About Cell Phone Laws

Jul 06

Last June, Los Angeles city officials including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa along with AT&T took a firm stand against the evils of driving while texting (DWT) during the launch of the “No Texting While Driving” public safety campaign.

However, during the second anniversary of California’s handheld cellphone use ban this July 1, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that too many motorists continue to bend and break the law.

In California, drivers below 18 years old are absolutely prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone or a mobile service device while persons 18 and older are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle while using a hand-held cellular telephone. Similarly, it is against the law to text while driving.

According to the CHP, more than 1200 traffic collisions throughout the state have been caused by distracted drivers on their cellphones. Although the law has been in place for 2 years, 16 people have already died and about 850 injured because of DWT.

Overall, police have issued some 244,000 citations to cell phone law violators. Around 9,000 motor vehicle accidents in Los Angeles could have easily been prevented if people obeyed the law and refrained from texting and/or talking while driving.

While fines ranging from $20 for the first offense and $50 for the second are imposed on errant drivers, CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow says that it is important for drivers to learn when to put down their phones, especially when driving. He said that this kind of distracted driving can cost a driver his life or that of his loved ones.

Distracted driving, like texting and/or talking on the cellphone while operating a vehicle, is the leading cause of most vehicle crashes and near-crashes. A lot of people seem to think that multi-tasking isn’t a big deal and would even do it on the road but in reality, driving is a skill that requires a driver’s full attention.

Once a person starts to text, his/her eyes, hands and mind will be off the road and his/her visual, cognitive, and manual skills will become impaired. Most crashes occur 3 seconds after a distraction so even the mere act of checking a message or picking up a call can put your life or that of your passengers and other motorists in danger.

No text message or phone call is as important as your life or any other person. So the next time you’re out on the road and you hear that familiar ringtone or incoming text message alert, resist the urge to pick up your phone. 3 seconds is all it takes to turn a safe trip to a road disaster.

When Duty Calls and Tragedy Answers

Sep 13

A 50-year old San Diego woman seriously injured a Caltrans employee and a county probation worker when she got distracted while driving her car on the shoulder of northbound Interstate 15 north of state Route 94.

The female driver, who also suffered minor injuries due to the crash, told authorities she was looking for some change when the accident occurred.

The Caltrans spokesman, Edward Cartagena said that probation worker who was hit was one of three probationers picking up trash on the shoulder and that they were being supervised by two Caltrans employees.

The Caltran employee who got hurt was a female and there was another employee who was following slowly behind them in a 2002 GMC Savana van to create a barrier from traffic. The victims were immediately taken to the Scripps-Mercy Hospital.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the female driver, who was driving a white 1992 Infiniti J30, clipped the rear of the Caltrans van, careened to the left, overcorrected to the right, and veered back on the shoulder where she struck the male probationer and female Caltrans employee.

The CHP are still investigating the accident as to whether or not the female driver shall be charged.
Driving is a skill that requires focus and concentration from the driver and it is the driver’s responsibility that she drives safely and responsibly.

According to a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), 80% of vehicle crashes and 65% of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles said that there are three types of distractions: visual (eyes off the road), cognitive (driving under the influence), and manual (texting while driving).

The female driver told CHP investigators that she had merely averted her eyes from the road but that fraction of a second where she took her eyes off the road proved to be a fatal mistake.

Should the CHP find that there is no cause to file criminal charges against the woman, the Caltrans employee and the probationer may still file a civil case against her for damages.

The woman’s act of looking for some change may seem harmless and innocent enough but the consequences arising from it are potentially dangerous and in the end, worth a lot more money than some loose change.