A crash that resulted in 11 deaths apparantly was caused by an Alabama truck driver who crossed the median and plowed into a van occupied by 10 people. According to the report, the trucker lost control because he was exceeding the speed limit (80 mph) and distracted by the cell phone. See article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36988660/ns/us_news. The trucker apparently did not manage to even hit his brakes until after he had croosed the median for 96 feet.
Really – what is it going to take for people to get off the phone when they are driving? Driving demands concentration, especially when the vehicle being driven is a truck. Mistakes can result in serious injuries and deaths, and as was the case here, in multiple deaths. Is any conversation (or text message) worth killing a bunch of innocent people?
I do not know all the answers, but clearly making it illegal to drive and text or drive and operate a phone seems like a good place to start. Some studies have shown that distracted drivers are as dangerous as some mildly intoxicated drivers. No one defends a person’s "right" to drink and drive – why is driving and texting/phoning different?
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