distracted driving

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Tesla's Autopilot Put to the Test in High-Stakes Jury Trial

Crash involving distracted driver prompts showdown over self-driving claims

(Newser) - Tesla is set to face its first jury trial over a fatal crash involving its Autopilot driver-assist system. The trial in Miami federal court set to begin on Monday centers on a 2019 incident in South Florida in which a Tesla Model S, with its Autopilot engaged, crashed into...

Cops: Driver Was Playing Video Games While Going 107mph

'We forgot to ask if he was playing NASCAR, but we'll assume'

(Newser) - A man in Missouri has been nailed for completing an unusual trifecta of dangerous driving: speeding at more than 100mph, with a suspended license, all while playing a video game. According to police in Claycomo, the unidentified driver was in a white car on Tuesday evening on Interstate 35 when...

Truck Driver Gets 22 Years for Crash Involving TikTok

Officials said Danny Glen Tiner saw four videos just before the crash

(Newser) - After Danny Glen Tiner crashed his tractor-trailer into stopped traffic on I-10 near Chandler, Arizona, he told officials he had been reading a message on his "electronic work tablet" and didn't have enough time to brake after he looked up. The crash killed five—and AZ Family reports...

Experiments Suggest Toll of Distracted Driving Is Higher

Research shows brief impairment after trying to multitask at the wheel

(Newser) - Research into distracted driving has found reason to think it's more of a problem than data and past studies have shown. And distracted driving already is linked to numerous fatal accidents—more than 3,500 of them in the US in 2021. The research published in the Journal of ...

Problematic Data Hamper Distracted Driving Battle

Coalition plans to use technology to address what NTSB calls an 'epidemic'

(Newser) - The methods of collecting the data are so flawed that it's not clear how many road deaths are caused by distracted driving, says the vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. But Bruce Landsberg is sure of this much: "This is an epidemic." The toll goes...

Ohio Unveils Distracted-Driving Bill as Lawmaker Zooms While Driving
Lawmaker on
Video Call Busted
by His Seat Belt
in case you missed it
May 9, 2021 2:40 PM CDT

Lawmaker on Video Call Busted by His Seat Belt

State Sen. Andrew Brennerd drives while Zooming, on day Ohio unveils distracted-driving bill

(Newser) - On Monday, House Bill 283 was introduced in Ohio in a bid to tamp down on distracted driving by banning texting, taking photos, livestreaming, or otherwise using an electronic device while behind the wheel. That same day, a state senator was busted doing just that during a virtual meeting of...

State Senator on Zoom Call: Yeah, I'm Breaking the Law

Rebecca Saldana admitted she attended virtual hearing while driving in Washington state

(Newser) - Washington state Sen. Rebecca Saldana has voted in support of penalties for distracted driving. She's also vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, which makes it especially surprising that she opted to break a distracted-driving law during a virtual hearing of that committee on Tuesday. The Democrat representing parts...

Investigators: State AG Was Distracted During Deadly Crash

But what distracted Ravnsborg hasn't been revealed

(Newser) - The investigation into the fatal crash involving South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is nearly complete, the state's governor and public safety secretary said in a Monday press conference. The big finding is that Ravnsborg was distracted when he struck and killed a pedestrian on Sept. 12—a crash...

Trucker Set Down Coffee Mug, Allegedly Caused Fatal Crash

Driver charged after 3 were killed in Indiana

(Newser) - Police in Indiana say a fatal crash on an interstate happened after a trucker took his eyes off the road to set down his coffee mug, reports Fox News . The crash occurred Sunday morning on I-65 when a semi plowed into eight vehicles that had slowed down ahead, says the...

New Cameras Have One Goal: Catch Drivers on Phones

Australia's New South Wales may be the first to employ the technology

(Newser) - Australia's most populous state is trying to get people to put down their phones while driving by rolling out cameras to prosecute distracted motorists. New South Wales Roads Minister Andrew Constance says his is the first jurisdiction in the world to use such technology to punish drivers distracted by...

Cops Go Undercover in Georgia
Cops Go Undercover in Georgia
Jul 21, 2019 6:15 PM CDT

Cops Go Undercover in Georgia

Police hand out tickets under the state's hands-free law

(Newser) - Drivers in Cobb County, Georgia got a little surprise this week when construction workers turned out to be undercover cops, CBS News reports. The helmet-wearing officers aimed to stop drivers from using smartphones behind the wheel, and wrote 170 tickets at one crossing alone in only a few hours, mostly...

Teen Driver Who Killed 2 Must Speak Publicly 25 Times

Callison Mae Olson will also have to serve 60 days in jail

(Newser) - A Minnesota teenager who killed a former police officer and his university professor wife after being distracted by her phone has been sentenced to 60 days in jail—and 25 speaking engagements on the dangers of distracted driving. Callison Mae Olson, now 18, was 17 at the time of last...

Solution for Road Safety: Stick Shift?
To Make
Roads Safer,
Make People
Drive a Stick
OPINION
Mar 25, 2019 6:00 PM CDT

To Make Roads Safer, Make People Drive a Stick

It's tough to shift and text, op-ed points out

(Newser) - An op-ed in the New York Times makes the case for a low-tech solution to the problem of distracted driving: Embrace the stick shift. Drivers have to pay attention to actual driving when operating a manual transmission, writes Vatsal Thakkar, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU. "A...

Cop Pulled Up to a Light. In the Car Next to Him, a 'Glow'

Canadian woman who used Apple Watch found guilty of distracted driving

(Newser) - A Canadian woman says she was just checking the time, a police officer says her mind wasn't fully on driving, and an Ontario judge has sided with the cop. The National Post reports Victoria Ambrose was found guilty of breaking a distracted-driving law, after a University of Guelph police...

Traffic Law Cracks Down on Holding Phones, Coffee in WA

New distracted driving law went into effect Sunday

(Newser) - Washington state is cracking down on texting and eating at the wheel with a new law that went into effect Sunday. The new “Driving Under the Influence of Electronics” law puts stricter restrictions on the use of handheld devices in cars, reports the Seattle Times . Even when stopped at...

Out of Dad's Grief, NY Mulls a 'Textalyzer' Bill

Dad who lost son to texting driver want cops to be able to examine phone data at scene

(Newser) - When Ben Lieberman's 19-year-old son died in a head-on collision in New York, he sued to get phone records showing the driver of the car his son was in had been texting. Lieberman is channeling his grief into a proposal that would allow New York police at accident scenes...

Drivers Use Phones on 88% of Car Rides
'Damn Near Everybody' 
Uses Phones While Driving
STUDY SAYS
Apr 18, 2017 8:33 AM CDT

'Damn Near Everybody' Uses Phones While Driving

Zendrive shares concerning numbers in largest distracted-driving analysis yet

(Newser) - An eyebrow-raising new study assesses the extent of distracted driving, with stats revealing just how many people use their cellphones while behind the wheel. "Damn near everybody … damn near all the time," Wired concludes after reviewing the Zendrive report, which the driving analytics company says is the...

Witness: Driver Was Texting Before Crash That Killed 13

There's no statewide Texas law against it

(Newser) - A witness says the driver of a pickup truck that collided with a church minibus in rural Texas, killing 13 people, acknowledged he had been texting while driving—highlighting the dangers of sending messages on smartphones while behind the wheel. Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Conrad Hein wouldn't...

Driver Kills Man While Allegedly Texting, Gets 4 Days in Jail

Judge advises teacher to educate others about distracted driving

(Newser) - A Minnesota woman who struck and killed a man while allegedly texting and driving will spend just four days in jail over two years. As part of a plea deal, Le Sueur County Judge Mark Vandelist on Monday sentenced Susan Ann Russo to four days behind bars, 40 hours of...

NJ Weighs Big Fines for Distracted Drivers (but Coffee Is Likely Safe)

Bill generates a lot of attention

(Newser) - A New Jersey lawmaker wants to slap stiff fines on motorists guilty of distracted driving, which his bill defines as "any activity unrelated to the actual operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that interferes with the safe operation of the vehicle." A story at NJ.com...

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