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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: driver distraction

driver distraction stories: 21 news summaries

1 - 20 of 21 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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Teens Cop to Texting and Driving—But Say Dad's Worse

No age limit for bad behavior behind wheel

Nov 16, 09 5:57 PM CST
(Newser) - One-third of 16- and 17-year-olds say they have written text messages while behind the wheel. Despite that, young drivers are actually more responsible than many adults: 48% of respondents aged 12 to 17 say they’ve been in the car with a driver who was texting. One boy said his... More »

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driving • GPS • texting • teenage drivers • driver distraction • reckless driving • bad example

 Sorry Shriver Goes Hands-Free 

Governator's wife takes questionably 'swift action' he promised

Oct 15, 09 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - TMZ got an “I’m sorry” out of Maria Shriver a day after exposing her law-breaking habit of using her cell phone while driving. Hubby Arnold Schwarzenegger—who happened to sign the particular law that bans it—promised “swift action.” What does that mean? “I will... More »

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entertainment • cell phones • Arnold Schwarzenegger • celebrity • Maria Shriver • driver distraction

Governator: 'Swift Action' for Wife's Serial Car Phone Use

But TMZ catches Maria Shriver on cell behind wheel after Schwarzenegger promise

Oct 13, 09 6:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - California’s ban on using cell phones (other than hands-free) while behind the wheel is loosely enforced at best, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is promising “swift action” after TMZ brought wife Maria Shriver’s serial violations to his attention today. Schwarzenegger made the promise via Twitter to TMZ boss... More »

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entertainment • Arnold Schwarzenegger • Los Angeles • paparazzi • TMZ • Harvey Levin • Maria Shriver • driver distraction • hands-free cell phone

Only Fines Will Get Drivers
Off the Phone: Experts

Conference tells Transportation Department to get tough

Oct 5, 09 8:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - If the Department of Transportation wants to curb distracted driving, it’ll have to do more than ask nicely, concluded experts at last week’s conference on the issue. Previous efforts to curb drunk driving and promote seat belt safety have proven that drivers don’t respond without the threat... More »

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driving • Department of Transportation • driver distraction • reckless driving • Ray LaHood • cellphones • public safety

 Federal Workers Banned 
 From Texting While Driving 

Executive order is part of larger push against distracted driving

Oct 1, 09 3:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Federal employees are now forbidden from sending text messages while driving on government business or operating government vehicles. The new executive order, signed by President Obama last night, also encourages executive agencies to adopt texting bans for contractors, reports ABC. "To put it plainly, distracted driving is a menace... More »

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Barack Obama • driving • text message • texting • driver distraction • reckless driving • Ray LaHood

(Newser) - Accidents caused by distracted drivers killed at least 5,800 and injured another 515,000 last year, according to data pulled from police reports and presented today to Transportation Department conference on the issue. The actual figures may be significantly higher, say Transportation officials, since distraction is often hard to... More »

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cell phones • car accident • texting • Department of Transportation • driver distraction

 Truckers Fight to Keep 
 Computers in Cabs 

As ban on texting while driving gains grounds, drivers want an exception

Sep 28, 09 10:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - With Congress considering legislation to ban text messaging while driving, the trucking industry is fighting to keep its in-cab computers. Truckers use the machines to get directions and talk to dispatchers without having to pull over, saving them precious time on long hauls. The industry says the devices are less... More »

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driving • truckers • texting • driver distraction • trucking

Texting Boosts Driver
Crash Risk 23 Times

Texting while driving found to be
deadliest distraction 

Jul 28, 09 1:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - A first-of-its-kind study has found that sending and receiving text messages is the deadliest distraction for drivers by far, the New York Times reports. The study, which involved cameras in the cabs of long-haul trucks, found that texting raised a driver's risk of collision a whopping 23 times, putting it... More »

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cell phones • text message • texting • road safety • drivers • driver distraction

(Newser) - In 2003 a federal agency compiled hundreds of pages of research on the dangers of using cell phones while driving, but suppressed the findings because of pressure from Congress. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, also planned a long-term study of the risks of... More »

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cell phones • highway safety • Freedom of Information Act • driving • car safety • consumer advocacy • Department of Transportation • driver distraction

 Pols, Drivers Dial Up 
 Cell Phone Danger 

It's just as bad as drunk driving, and millions do it

Jul 19, 09 10:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Driving while talking on the phone—regardless of whether you're using a hands-free device—impairs your attention and reflexes as much as a blood alcohol content of .08, according to studies. With 81% of drivers admitting to gabbing in traffic, it might seem that stricter laws are inevitable, writes the... More »

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cell phones • legislation • driver distraction • hands-free cell phone • traffic fatalities

 NYC Ranks No. 1 
 in Road Rage 

City's drivers are angriest in the US

Jun 16, 09 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - New York drivers are the most aggressive and angry in the US, an annual road rage survey finds. Gotham cut off Miami, which had zoomed to the top of the list the past 4 years, Reuters reports. "New Yorkers were most likely to wave their fists or arms,"... More »

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Minneapolis • cell phones • Atlanta • Cleveland • New York • Detroit • Dallas • road rage • Miami • driving • Portland, Oregon • driver distraction

Driver Polishing Nails Charged in Fatal Crash
 

She hit a motorcyclist yielding at a signal

May 4, 09 4:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - A woman who fatally rammed into a female motorcyclist yielding at a yellow light said she was painting her nails before the accident, the Chicago Tribune reports. The driver was ticketed for failing to slow down and could face more charges. Authorities say the deceased biker was wearing a helmet... More »

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Chicago • car accident • Illinois • motorcycle crash • drivers • driver distraction

(Newser) - A Norwegian man faces a stiff fine and driving ban for having sex behind the wheel, the AFP reports. Cops thought he was just speeding—about 80 mph in a 60 zone—until they pulled closer and found his view obstructed “because her back was in the way.”... More »

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police • sex • Norway • speeding • fines • driver distraction

Mom Nabbed for Breastfeeding While Driving

Unrepentant Ohio woman charged with endangering her child

Feb 28, 09 1:23 PM CST
(Newser) - Turns out, it’s not legal to breastfeed and drive at the same time. Genine Compton found that out the hard way when a male motorist spotted the Ohio woman chatting on a cellphone and breastfeeding one child while driving her other children to school. When police tracked Compton down,... More »

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Ohio • breast feeding • driver distraction • reckless driving

Jail for UK Driver Who Texted Before Fatal Accident

Woman who slammed into victim at 70 mph said phone wasn't involved

Feb 2, 09 3:04 PM CST
(Newser) - A UK woman who sent more than 20 text messages while driving before crashing into a stopped car and killing another motorist has been sentenced to 21 months in jail, the Times reports. Philippa Curtis, 21, said she was not using the phone when she plowed into Victoria McBryde at... More »

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crime • car accident • jail • driving • text message • Britain • texting • driver distraction

Texting, Research Laws
 to Hit Calif. in New Year 

Student journalists, bottled water also targeted by lawmakers

Dec 29, 08 3:40 PM CST
(Newser) - A texting-while-driving ban isn’t the only new law Californians will wake up to on Jan. 1. The San Francisco Chronicle lists some other new regulations:
  • Drivers can now mount a GPS system in the lower corners of their windshields.
  • It will become a crime to publish the
... More »

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recycling • bottled water • journalist • text message • GPS • scientific research • driver distraction

(Newser) - California is beefing up its distracted-driving laws, DailyTech reports, with a ban on adults texting while at the wheel going into effect Jan. 1. The state instituted a hands-free law in July, at the same time prohibiting teen drivers from texting and driving; the new law extends to adults, and... More »

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California • driving • texting • driver distraction • hands-free cell phone

California Bns Txtng
While Driving

Reading, sending texts will cost motorists $20

Sep 25, 08 1:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - California has become the latest state to outlaw text messaging while driving, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Motorists will be fined a minimum of $20 the first time they are caught reading or writing an electronic message behind the wheel, and $50 for any subsequent offenses. More »

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California • cell phones • Arnold Schwarzenegger • driving • text message • texting • drivers • driver distraction

Texting Raises Alarms as Accidents
Turn Fatal

Docs see danger while driving—or walking

Sep 20, 08 8:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - The steep rise in text-messaging is being matched by a steep rise in people not paying enough attention to what they're doing, the New York Times reports. Fatal accidents involving distracted texters are on the rise and a group of emergency room doctors has issued a stern warning against attempting... More »

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cell phones • safety • text message • texting • telephone • driver distraction

 Calif. Bill Would 
 Drive Pets Off Laps 

Drivers would have to steer clear of distracting pals

May 7, 08 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - California legislators are pushing a bill banning pets from drivers' laps after a national study ranked pets, along with cell phones, among the leading causes of road distractions and a cause of thousands of accidents. A bill before the state legislature will impose a fine for driving while holding dogs,... More »

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pets • California • cell phones • Arnold Schwarzenegger • accident • driver distraction • Bill Maze • Department of Motor Vehicles

1 - 20 of 21 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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