driving while texting

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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... More »

School Announced 4 Were Dead—as Part of Lesson

Needless to say, people aren't happy

(Newser) - During morning announcements at Brodhead High School in Wisconsin last week, students were told that four of their classmates had died in a car accident involving texting and driving. The victims' names were read aloud, and students started crying and calling their parents. Then, 10 minutes later, another announcement let... More »

'Morbid' Funeral Home Ad Wants Motorists to 'Text and Drive'

But it isn't quite what it appears

(Newser) - Motorists in Toronto were recently confronted by a huge billboard from Wathan Funeral Home instructing them to "text and drive," Adweek reports. The "provocative in the extreme" billboard understandably sent many angry Toronto residents to the Wathan Funeral website . There they were greeted with this message: “... More »

Texting on Road Impairs Our 'Sixth Sense'

It's worse than other forms of distraction, says study

(Newser) - There are all sorts of ways a person can be distracted at the wheel—kids screeching, sleep deprivation, arguing—and they predate cell phones. But research in the journal Scientific Reports pits two types of distraction (being "emotional" or "absent-minded") against texting and finds the latter far... More »

You Could Be Liable for Texting a Driver

Distracted-driving laws still murky, but more onus being placed on message senders

(Newser) - Court rulings in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are taking texting-while-driving laws down a new road, opening the door to not only holding the offending driver liable for a car accident, but perhaps also the person texting the driver, Consumerist reports. In neither case has anyone (yet) had to legally... More »

Fatal Crashes Are Surging; Buffett Says He Knows Why

It's not just about more cars on the road, he insists

(Newser) - If automobiles are constantly improving, why are traffic deaths going up? Warren Buffett thinks he knows. Fatal accidents surged 14% in the first half of the year, and one of the consequences of that is that Geico lost money and is now raising insurance premiums. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway owns... More »

Man Texting While on Motorcycle Loses His Life

Brandon R. McClain was headed south on I-65 in Indiana

(Newser) - Should you need more proof that texting while driving can be a deadly mix, consider the story of Brandon R. McClain. The 43-year-old Indiana man was heading south on I-65 on his motorcycle Thursday afternoon—while texting at the same time, police say. He apparently veered into the grassy median,... More »

School Bus Driver in Fatal Crash Was Texting

2 kids and a teacher's aide were killed in Tennessee accident

(Newser) - A Tennessee school bus driver was texting at the time of a crash that killed two young girls and an aspiring teacher last year, say accident investigators. James Davenport had sent and received multiple text messages leading up to the time the two buses collided in December, Knoxville police said... More »

Woman's Buttocks Impaled When Texting While Driving

Christina Jahnz says she just checked phone for a split second

(Newser) - Ouch, and double ouch: A woman says she was texting while driving when she struck a pole that pierced her truck and ran through her buttocks and thigh, USA Today reports. Christina Jahnz says she had just dropped off her daughter's saxophone at a middle school in Elizabeth, Colo.... More »

Jenny McCarthy: My Kid Called Cops on Me

12-year-old didn't like her texting and driving, is a 'rule follower'

(Newser) - It hasn’t been the best of summers for Jenny McCarthy: First the vocal anti-vaxxer was unceremoniously dumped from The View, then she was accused of slamming cousin Melissa McCarthy’s weight—a rumor that the blonder McCarthy denied to People . Now Jenny says her own 12-year-old son called the... More »

Texting While Driving? Ariz. to Nail You for, Uh, Speeding

Using loophole, crackdown to begin in January

(Newser) - Arizona hasn't outlawed driving while texting, but it's come up with a strategy to deal with those who do use their phones while on the road: Slap them with a speeding ticket, the Pheonix New-Times reports. The crackdown will begin in January, and if you're wondering how... More »

Woman Drives Into Lake While Texting

She's fine, unlike her car

(Newser) - A 25-year-old woman in Maryland has delivered unto the nation the latest public-service announcement about texting and driving in dramatic fashion: Police say she lost control of her Hyundai while looking at her phone, smacked a tree, then drove 60 feet into a lake in Waldorf, reports NBC Washington . The... More »

'Distracted Walking' More Dangerous Than Distracted Driving?

Researchers say 2M may have been injured in 2010

(Newser) - You've heard of distracted driving, but distracted walking may actually be more dangerous, according to a new study. Cellphone use while strolling about sent more than 1,500 people to the ER in 2010, a figure that has almost tripled since 2004. Researchers expect it to hit 3,000... More »

Laws Against Distracted Driving Aren't Working

Federal survey says 660K drivers are texting and talking at any given moment

(Newser) - Here's a happy statistic to keep in mind on your next drive: A new federal survey estimates that at any given moment, 660,000 drivers are looking at their phones instead of the road, reports the Los Angeles Times . What sounds like good news is that 39 states now... More »

Hey, Adult Drivers: You Text More Than Kids

Just shy of half say they've done it, even though most know it's unsafe

(Newser) - Cast aside your mental image of irresponsible teenagers who just have to text while they're driving. It turns out adults are even worse. Almost half of all adults surveyed by AT&T (49%) admitted to sneaking in a text while driving, USA Today reports, compared to 43% of teenagers.... More »

West Virginia Mulls Ban on Google Glass While Driving

State rep sees 'safety concern' with Internet headset

(Newser) - Ever imagined Google Glass causing nasty accidents? So has West Virginia state Rep. Gary Howell, who introduced a bill last week to ban wearing such gizmos while driving, CNN reports. "The primary thing is a safety concern," said Howell."It could project text or video into your... More »

Judge Sets $500K Bond on Brent

Cowboys are 'grieving,' Jerry Jones says

(Newser) - Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent entered no plea at his arraignment in the death of teammate Jerry Brown today, and a judge set bond at $500,000, CNN reports. Brent was returned to jail following the hearing; his lawyer said the $500,000 figure was more than the team had... More »

Designated Driver, Make Room for 'Designated Texter'

Survey on teen safety coins a phrase

(Newser) - The bad news from a new State Farm survey is that a third of teen drivers admit to sending or reading texts while driving. The good news is that teens in general seem to have a greater awareness of the danger, with four of five saying they had scolded a... More »

App Lets You Judge Teen Driving

But critics say it encourages texting behind the wheel

(Newser) - Ever sit up wondering about your teenage kid's driving? A Florida dad has designed an app that may allay your fears, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Called howismykiddriving.co , its $15 membership ($10 after the first year) comes with a bumper sticker to put on your teen's car: "How... More »

Half of Teen Drivers Text Behind Wheel

Feds are renewing crackdown on distracted driving

(Newser) - More than half of high school seniors have texted while driving, according to a federal survey that collected the data for the first time ever. In the survey, 58% of 12th-graders admitted to texting or emailing while behind the wheel, while 43% of 11th-graders said they did also, reports AP... More »

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