Re: Cellphones and driving [Telecom]

On 7/26/2009 1:56 PM, Steven Lichter wrote:
[...]
California enforces it and the fines add up, but more people are
violating it now then when it first passed, some claim they did not know
it was the law, others from out of state say the same; even though there
are ads on TV, Radio and billboards.
[...]

Locally (Silicon Valley) there's a column in the San Jose Mercury News
(SJMN) named "Road Show" (though we often joke it's "Road Kill" :-).
I'm in frequent email contact with the columnist, Gary Richards, and
feed him a lot of behind-the-scenes info (including what we discuss
here), such as the NY Times articles, especially the one about the
suppressed cellphone driving info.

The SJMN requires one to signup (free) to view their pages (and I must
reenter my password once a month or so when cookies expire). A story
in today's column is almost unbelievable.

If you have/want access to the online SJMN, the article is here:

<http://www.mercurynews.com/mrroadshow/ci_12908862>

Following is a formatted copy'n'paste of the specific story:

Q: The other morning, I was driving to work on Interstate 880, and
my little car was nearly sideswiped by a giant SUV that drifted
into my lane as if I weren't there. Furious at nearly being
squashed, I drove up next to the SUV, but before I could sternly
shake my fist at it, I spotted a young woman behind the wheel
holding a phone in one hand and punching in a text message with
the other. I rode alongside her for about 10 seconds, and I never
saw her look up at the road once. She was completely engrossed in
what was going on in her lap.

Bruce Newman
Los Gatos

A: Bruce is a Mercury News reporter whose desk is near mine. He's
a very calm fellow, so when I heard him talking about this
incident, I asked him to tell me more.

Q: Gary, I make it a practice to stay away from these texting
fools when I can, so I fell back several car lengths, still
fuming about what she had nearly done to me and the menace she
presented to others. Over the next couple of miles, she nearly
sideswiped a pickup and repeatedly drifted onto the left
shoulder. I fell behind an eighteen-wheeler and lost sight of her
for a while.

Bruce Newman

A: Unfortunately, it was not good riddance.

Q: Then as I approached the San Jose airport I saw her again,
sitting in the middle lane of the freeway, going about 20 mph
while cars and trucks whizzed by on either side. Traffic had
slowed, and when it picked up again, she was so consumed with
texting that she had no idea what was going on around her. As I
passed by, I saw her furiously pecking away at that infernal
thing.

Here's my question. I see those signs that say "Report drunk
drivers, call 911," and I really wanted to call and report
her. She clearly presented as great a hazard as any drunken
driver. But I figured if the CHP caught up to her and discovered
she wasn't drunk, they'd come after me for filing a false police
report. So I did nothing. Except fume. What should I have done?

Bruce Newman

A: This deserved a 911 call. When I asked the Highway Patrol if a
911 call was appropriate, here is how Cristina-the-CHP-Lady
responded:

"Absolutely. Sounds like a reckless driver to me. Call 911 and
provide the license plate, location, description of the driver
and the details of her recklessness. A log will be kept against
her plate and if she gets caught all the details will be on the
log, which will be attached to the citation."

To the woman driving the champagne-colored BMW X5, the CHP now
has your license plate number.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Cellphones and driving [Telecom]
    ... my little car was nearly sideswiped by a giant SUV that drifted ... Bruce Newman ... I see those signs that say "Report drunk ... Sounds like a reckless driver to me. ...
    (comp.dcom.telecom)
  • Re: Cellphones and driving [Telecom]
    ... my little car was nearly sideswiped by a giant SUV that drifted ... Bruce Newman ... I see those signs that say "Report drunk ... Sounds like a reckless driver to me. ...
    (comp.dcom.telecom)
  • Re: NOTICE OF NEW BACKGROUND CHECK PROCEDURES AND DAC INFORMATION.
    ... is up to each driver to monitor potential issues, ... Obtaining a copy of your report: ... Consumer Services, ... any personal consumer report every 12 months upon written request, ...
    (misc.transport.trucking)
  • Re: NOTICE OF NEW BACKGROUND CHECK PROCEDURES AND DAC INFORMATION.
    ... is up to each driver to monitor potential issues, ... Obtaining a copy of your report: ... Consumer Services, ... any personal consumer report every 12 months upon written request, ...
    (misc.transport.trucking)
  • Re: Feelin left out of it
    ... The driver reported .25 which was ... I note that the printer code reports the bottom margin as being 0.2 inches ... whereas you report that the text is actually clipped at the bottom of the ...
    (microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion)
Quantcast