Britain Gets Tough on drivers who Text while Driving

A hearbreaking story in The New York Times of a young woman who has been sentenced to a high-security women’s prison, for killing someone much like herself, while texting and driving.

... Britain’s new guidelines state that using a hand-held phone when causing a death will “always make the offense more serious” in terms of punishment and lead to prison time. Texting is given special treatment.

7,000 fines issued in NY City daylong crackdown on cellphones and driving

Last Thursday, in a daylong crackdown, The New York City Police Department issued 7,529 fines - which are normally $130 - to drivers caught talking on their cellphone while at the wheel.

This is actually an improvement and 1,500 fewer than were written on the first crackdown day in May. However, it was about 100 more than were written on a similar day in August.

[CityRoom]

Mobile phone users cannot walk in straight line

People chatting on mobile phones are oblivious to their surroundings and can pose a risk to themselves and others, scientists have claimed, reports The Telegraph.

Researchers made the discovery by watching the movements of hundreds of people as they crossed a university campus.

They then got a clown to ride a unicycle around the campus square and asked how many phone users spotted him as they walked by.

They found that those that used mobile phones meandered randomly and failed to ackowledge other pedesterians.

More than two-thirds also failed to notice the clown, even though he wore a purple and yellow shirt, outsized shoes and a giant red nose.

... Professor Ira Hyman, a psychologist who led the study at Western Washington University in the USA, called the phenomenon “attentional blindness”.

The study does not imply that people should be banned from walking and talking, but it backs up safety concerns about the use of the phones in cars.

Read full article.

Related:

-- 6 million people hurt in the UK last year while texting and talking

-- Padded lampost to protect texters was PR stunt

NYC Plans to Forbid Taxi Drivers from Using Cellphones

In November or December, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission will be voting on the implementation of new rules for taxi drivers. [NY Post via NYConvergence]

These rules would not only ban them from talking on a cellphone, but they also would ban any technology, except for voice-activated GPS units, capable of distracting the driver in any manner while the cab is moving.

The new regulations would also come with skyrocketed fines and a "three-strikes-and-yer-out system" in which repeat offenders will have their licenses revoked.

Maria Shriver caught calling while driving

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling out his wife, Maria Shriver, for apparently violating a state law he signed -- holding her cell phone while driving. TMZ posted pictures.

[via The Huffington Post]

Bus driver gets fired after calling back management

A bus driver in Stockholm has to quit his job after using his cell phone when driving the bus. Stockholm News reports.

The driver was caught on tape this Tuesday when a passenger filmed him with a mobile phone camera. On the film it seems like he was sending text messages while driving the bus with his forearms.

The driver, who had a trial employment, says to the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter that he only tried to get in touch with the management since they had tried to call him just before. The management does not want to comment on this particular case but says that they never call the drivers when they are driving.

Representatives for the trade union believe the company puts all the blame on the driver to avoid criticism against their own practice and regulations.

UK Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman has car accident while using cell phone

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman is being investigated by the police after she was involved in a traffic collision while using her mobile phone, it was revealed last night, reports The Guardian.

The accident did not result in any injuries.

Related: - British Lord Jailed over Fatal Road Accident After Sending Text Messages

Jon Stewart Exposes CNN's Texting and Driving Silliness

The Daily Show about CNN's report on the dangers of texting while driving.

[via Comedy Central]

Obama bans text messaging by gov't drivers

President Barack Obama signed an executive order barring the nation's 3 million federal workers from sending text messages while driving government vehicles, the White House said Thursday.

The directive, ordered Wednesday night, also applies to privately owned vehicles if the employee is on official business.

[via The Detroit News]

Foreign Airlines Ahead of U.S. on Cellphone Use

Cellphone use on airplanes, it would seem, is on extended hold in the United States. The New York Times reports.

The national union representing flight attendants wants Congress to ban in-flight phone calls, and survey after survey of airline passengers shows strong opposition to allowing cellphones on planes.

... In much of the rest of the world, meanwhile, passengers on various foreign airlines are already routinely using cellphones and other personal wireless devices to make and receive calls in flight. Industry officials say cellphones can be used on more than 15,000 flights a month.

Read full article.

New Zealand to Ban Cell Phone GPS Features While Driving

New Zealand is taking their cell phones-while-driving-ban beyond text messaging and calling, prohibiting the use of GPS, reports Cellular News.

Under the new law, that would be illegal, according to Transport Ministry spokesman John Summers: "The Road User Amendment Rule 2009 means drivers will not be able to look at a navigation aid on a mobile phone when driving, even if it is mounted on the dashboard.

"You can use a mobile phone held in a cradle while driving, but only to make, receive or terminate a phone call. You cannot use them in any other way, such as reading a GPS map, reading email or consulting an electronic diary."

The restriction will only apply to navigation systems with mobile phone functionality.

A one man campaign against distracted driving

Jeff Larson of Safe Roads Alliance campaigning against distracted driving by offering drivers $1 to hang up phones.

[via The Boston Globe]

Auto industry supports ban on texting in cars

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Wednesday announced its support for banning text messaging using a hand-held device or calling using a hand-held device while driving a motor vehicle, saying the visual/manual task interferes with the attention a driver needs to safely operate an automobile.

"Alliance member companies have long recognized the risks of distracted driving. That’s why automakers voluntarily developed and implemented guidelines for integrated advanced information and communications systems," added Alliance President and CEO Dave McCurdy.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 11 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.

[Press release via Cellular News]

Previously: - Ford Backs Ban on Text Messaging by Drivers

Ford Works to Develop Voice-to-Text System

Looking to add to its winning Sync system, Ford is researching a voice-to-text system that would allow drivers to keep the utility of text-messaging without taking their eyes off the road. Ford is so far the only automaker to endorse the national texting ban.

[via KickingTires]

Continental Airlines sends boarding passes to cell phones

Starting today Continental passengers in Philadelphia who go to the airline's Web site within 24 hours of their flights can get their boarding passes e-mailed to cell phones or personal digital assistants, like a BlackBerry or Palm.

The paperless boarding pass has an encrypted tamper-proof bar code, identifying the passenger, and the usual information - flight number, seat assignment, gate, and departure time.

[via The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Related:

-- American Airlines introduces mobile boarding passes

-- Delta Adds Cell Phone Boarding Pass

-- Lufthansa trials mobile boarding pass

Ford Backs Ban on Text Messaging by Drivers

The Ford Motor Company on Thursday became the first automaker to endorse a federal ban on sending text messages while driving, reports The New York Times.

Ford issued a statement in support of legislation proposed by Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, that would cut by 25 percent the federal highway financing given to states that did not comply with a text-messaging ban. Ford also said it supported a similar proposal in the House by Carolyn McCarthy, Democrat of New York.

... The ban would not affect use of Ford’s in-car communications and entertainment system, called Ford Sync, which allows most mobile phones to be used hands-free. The system can also read text messages aloud to the driver.

iPhone game conveys road safety

Australian road authorities are so worried about mobile phones distracting young drivers that they have become among the first in the world to convey their safety messages through iPhone games and video game billboards, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Victoria Roads this week launched a free iPhone game, CityGT, which plays like a simple car racing game but is peppered with road safety messages.

Players steer the car by rotating the phone and while they are driving the phone rings.

If they answer, the car immediately crashes and a safety message is displayed, but if they ignore the ring they are able to continue playing to the end of the race and receive a score.

Moms put a face on the dangers of teen driving

Driving It Home is heart-wrenching program that makes teens sit up and listen. Parents who have lost cherished children in car accidents lecture them on safety as technological distractions have made the task of driving all the more perilous. HeraldNet reports.

“They say it gets easier as time goes by. It’s a lie,” said Sue Crolley, Josh’s mother. “The first year you’re in total shock. The second year slams you in the face — it did happen. I’ll never have grandchildren, never see him get married, or have his first date. He never got to graduate.

“Those are the things you can never get back,” the Arlington woman said Friday.

Crolley is one of the scheduled speakers at a Driving It Home collision awareness seminar starting at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Stanwood High School auditorium.

Amusement Park Operators Texting on the Job

CBS Chicago conducted an undercover surveillance of amusement park operators and filmed then texting repeatedly while operating the rides. Horrifying.

Highway safety group gets behind texting and driving ban

Using a cell phone while driving has never been a good idea, but recent research says that texting and driving increases drivers' chances of getting into an accident exponentially. Now, a highway safety group is using that research to justify its support for a ban on the activity across all US states. [ars technica via TXTResponsibly.org]

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) originally opposed enacting anti-texting-and-driving laws on the grounds that enforcement would be difficult. The GHSA still believes this, but says that recent evidence has pushed it to reconsider supporting the ban.

"The action by the GHSA membership is based on the fact that texting while driving is indisputably a distraction and a serious highway safety problem," GHSA Chairman Vernon F. Betkey Jr. said in a statement. "If every state passes a texting ban, it will send a message to the public that this dangerous practice is unacceptable. We can begin to change the culture that has permitted distracted driving."

More in GHSA press release.

Drivers Support Ban On Text Messaging Behind The Wheel

Drivers seem to be responding favorably to new legislation signed by NY Governor David Paterson Thursday that bans text messaging, checking e-mail or surfing the web while behind the wheel. NY1 reports.

The law also covers the use of laptops or other handheld devices while operating a moving vehicle.

Drivers can be fined up to $150, but only if they're pulled over for another driving violation.

The new law takes effect November 1.

It is already illegal for drivers to talk on a cell phone while driving unless they are using a hands-free device.

Seems lightweigh compared to Utah, where if a driver who is texting causes a crash that injures or kills someone now faces up to 15 years in prison, according to a new law which took effect in May.

Utah Gets Tough With Texting Drivers

In most states, if somebody is texting behind the wheel and causes a crash that injures or kills someone, the penalty can be as light as a fine. Utah is much tougher. The New York Times reports.

After a crash here that killed two scientists — and prompted a dogged investigation by a police officer and local victim’s advocate — Utah passed the nation’s toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Offenders now face up to 15 years in prison.

The new law, which took effect in May, penalizes a texting driver who causes a fatality as harshly as a drunken driver who kills someone.

TXT Responsibly.org

After yesterday's Don't Tweet and Drive post, yet another site which aims to raise awareness on the dangers of texting and driving: TXT Responsibly.org.

Don't Tweet & Drive website promotes old school driving

There's actually a Don't Tweet & Drive website with a Twitter feed.

Their objective: "Encouraging socially responsible social networking (texting and e-mailing). Promoting old school driving: Hands on the wheel and eyes on the road."

24-hour cell phone crackdown nabs thousands of chatty New Yorkers

According to The Daily News, New Yorkers are using their cars for a lot more than driving.

Cops issued 7,432 tickets during this week's 24-hour crackdown on drivers caught yakking or texting on their cells while behind the wheel.

Getting caught with your hands on a cell instead of the wheel now costs $130, up from $120 just six months ago. Taxi drivers are held to an even higher standard. They can receive a $200 summons for using even a hands-free phone while driving.

The blitz marked a dramatic increase over the 580 phoning-while-driving tickets the NY.

Read full article.

Text drive film to 'shock' pupils

A shocking video has been made for pupils in an attempt to stop car crashes caused by the driver texting while driving.

The short film, starring young actors from south Wales, shows a teenage girl killing four people after she uses her mobile phone to send a text.

Please watch and please make your teenage driving children watch.

[via the BBC]

Other safe driving campaigns related to cell phones and texting:

-- 'Death by Cell Phone' billboards placed in Florida

-- No Texting While Driving Sign

-- Don't drive distracted billboard campaign in Wisconsin and in New Zealand

-- "Crash" and "Accident" : Road safety campaign

Some tech options to help teenagers/drivers from texting and driving:

-- Car key prevents teenagers from using mobile phones while driving

-- CellCoach, the (loud) deterrent to texting and driving

Gauging Your Distraction

New studies show that drivers overestimate their ability to multitask behind the wheel. This game on The New York Times website measures how your reaction time is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving.

Senators Seek a Ban on Texting and Driving

States that do not ban texting by drivers could forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in federal highway funds under legislation introduced Wednesday in the Senate by four Democratic senators. The New York Times reports.

Under the measure, states would have two years to outlaw the sending of text and e-mail messages by drivers or lose 25 percent of their highway money each year until the money was depleted.

Read full article.

In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin

The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds previous estimates based on laboratory research — and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions. The New York Times reports.

The new study, which entailed outfitting the cabs of long-haul trucks with video cameras over 18 months, found that when the drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting.

In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field.

Read full article.

U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers — in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress. The New York Times reports.

On Tuesday, the full body of research is being made public for the first time by two consumer advocacy groups, which filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for the documents. The Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen provided a copy to The New York Times, which is publishing the documents on its Web site.

... Critics say that rationale and the failure of the Transportation Department, which oversees the highway agency, to more vigorously pursue distracted driving has cost lives and allowed to blossom a culture of behind-the-wheel multitasking.

The highway safety researchers estimated that cellphone use by drivers caused around 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents over all in 2002.

Read full article.