Texting-while-driving crash dramatized at Roy High

Things got scary for Roy High School students on Friday and it had nothing to do with Halloween. As students filled the stands of the school’s football stadium many were taken aback by the scene on the football field – two cars crashed together with eight of their fellow students in various states of duress – one was lying across the hood of the car and all had blood oozing from different parts of their bodies.

The scene was set up by the school and the Roy fire department and police departments as a mock disaster to show students the affect of texting and driving. Students participating spent the morning with the drama teacher getting them looking like they had just been in a car accident.

As the assembly began, a crying student came across the loudspeaker in a simulated 911 call. Soon after the call, emergency responders rolled into the football field — police cars, ambulances and paramedics —and responded just like they would in a real accident scene. As the first responders assessed the situation and started getting some kids out of the cars, students in the bleachers talked and pointed as more responders came on the scene.

Students responded with shock and aahs as a white sheet came out to cover the student draped across the car hood. “Not Marcus!” one student exclaimed from the stands. As another responder carried a white sheet to the other car, another student exclaimed, “I can’t take all this death.” Soon an AirMed helicopter was on scene and a student was flown away.

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Don't Text and Drive assembly at Roy High

An assembly warning students not to text and drive was held on the Royals football field at Roy High School in Roy on Friday, October 31, 2014. The Roy City police department and fire department along with 911 dispatch, AirMed, Kirk's towing and students and faculty from Roy High collaborated to put the event together.  According to research Roy High Principal Gina Butters found cellphone related accidents kill more than Roy High's entire student body on a daily basis by almost double.
Students were surprised with how real the scene was.

“I thought they were just going to talk to us about texting and driving. It’s crazy how this is really happening,” said 17-year-old senior Carly Burbeck. “It’s scary. It really hits you to know that this is legit.”

The reality of what can happen when texting and driving are mixed hit home for Burbeck and her friends.

“When I first came out I was shocked. This is a really serious thing,” 16-year-old Alex Weaver said. “I always see stuff like this on commercials but when you see it up close like this it makes it all real.”

Fire Chief Jason Poulsen said the school officials, fire department and law enforcement wanted to do this to kick off a “no texting and driving” campaign because it is now state law.

“We are trying to educate the community and students,” Poulsen said.

They wanted the students who are new drivers to see the realities of what can happen when texting or distracted driving takes place, he said.

Senior Marcus Mitchell was playing the deceased student for the event and said he didn’t hesitate when he was asked to participate. As he laid across the hood of the car, fake blood smeared on his face and the car, he said he hoped it all felt real to the students.

“I want them to know that it is not OK to text and drive, and to be safe,” Mitchell said.

Things got more quiet in the stands when Mitchell’s mom, Mindy Pilewicz, arrived and was told her son was killed.

“Not his mom,” one student said.

Poulsen talked to the students and asked them how many drive and then how many text and drive. Many hands were still up. He told them they needed to stop.

Principal Gina Butters then spoke to students and told them how often she sees the students text and drive.

“It is dismaying,” she said.

Pilewicz addressed the students as well. She became emotional as she advised the students to be safe.

“We want you to make safe choices and come home to your families,” she said.

She told the students when they send a text it takes five seconds.

“That’s like driving across this football field blindfolded,” she said.

For at least some students, what they saw had an impact.

“I know I won’t text and drive and I always tell my friends to put their phones away,” Weaver said.

That’s what Poulsen is hoping for.

“We don’t want anyone in our country or state to be hurt, but we really want to you in our community to be safe.”

Pilibhit to ban minors driving motorcycles

The district police, as part of their "traffic month" initiative, are set to launch a campaign to stop minors, especially students of intermediate colleges, from riding two-wheelers. After inaugurating the "traffic month" on Friday, SP, Pilibhit, Sonia Singh said principals would be directed to strictly prohibit their minor students from riding motorized two-wheelers fitted with a gear system to college. It would be an offence as minors are not eligible to get a driving licence from any transport authority for riding such vehicles. 

Responding to querries by TOI, superintendent of police Sonia Singh accepted that there were thousands of college students who despite being minors were allowed by their guardians to freely drive motorcycles to their respective educational institutions. 

She said after Moharram and Ganga Snaan, which are scheduled to be held on November 4 and November 6, respectively, when the civil as well as the traffic police would inevitably be bound to carry out additional responsibilities of maintaining law and order besides ensuring smooth traffic, all principals of intermediate colleges would be issued a time-bound ultimatum to ensure that their minor students were not allowed to ride motorcycles to college. 

The SP said after the lapse of the stipulated time period, college students who are under 18 years of age and are found operating two-wheelers on roads would be held liable for infringement of traffic rules. She said the vehicles of such students would be impounded and penalties imposed on them as per law. She said the two-wheeler with auto gear systems would remain exempted from this restriction as the transport department had already lifted the compulsion of holding a valid driving licence for riding such vehicles. 

Sonia Singh said that she would seek a legal opinion from the state prosecution officer whether principals and guardians of such minor students could also be made legally liable if the minors are found riding motorcycles on public roads. She said the ban on minors driving motorcycles is not aimed at penalizing minors but protecting them from road accidents. 

The in-charge officer of traffic police Bhuvnesh Kumar Gautam said the traffic police department would also conduct campaigns to impress upon guardians as well as heads of intermediate colleges that preventing minors from riding bikes is an indispensable part of their moral duty. This aim would be fulfilled by organizing special motivational camps at intermediate colleges, he said. 

Prior to this, the "Traffic month" was formally inaugurated jointly by CO, city, Pilibhit, Kaushalendra Pratap Singh, and city magistrate Ram Niwas Sharma. Traffic police officer Gautam said legal action would be taken on first priority against those staff members of the civil police and the traffic police who were found riding bikes without a helmet or violating traffic rules.

Proposed law would stiffen penalty for texting while driving

Ohio's texting and driving laws could be changing.

A proposal in the Ohio House would make texting and driving a primary offense for all drivers.

Currently, it is only a primary offense for drivers under 18 and a secondary offense for adults.

The bill also would make it illegal to use any electronic device in school and construction zones.

The changes are part of House Bill 637 sponsored by Rep. Rex Damschroder (R-Fremont). He sponsored Ohio's original texting bill in 2012.

“In that bill, I wrote texting as a primary offense and it passed the House that way. Senate watered it down and took the teeth out of the enforcement,” said Damschroder. “Studies show that states that have a primary offense see a 3% reduction in fatalities on the roadways."

Damschroder introduced the bill last month, but there are currently no plans for a vote. He is not running for re-election so he said time is running out to get the bill passed.

Some worry the legislation lacks legs.

The group “Ohio Watchdog” says the state's current texting law isn't effective.

Since taking effect in March 2013, the State Highway Patrol has only written 440 tickets.

A big part of that, they say is because it's difficult for troopers to prove drivers were actually texting, and not doing something else like dialing a number.


There are after market devices that allow for heads-up-display while driving, as seen in the video below:

New distracted driving crackdown takes effect statewide Saturday

New York drivers have another reason to put down the phone and pay attention behind the wheel.
Starting November 1, young drivers convicted of texting or talking while driving will get their license or permit suspended for 120 days. If they break the law again within six months, that suspension time jumps to a year.

“It doesn't hurt to pull over and talk on your phone, and I always find a safe spot within a minute,” says Jim Arthurton, a New York driver who supports the change.

“Driving habits are developed early, and we are sending a message that texting while driving is unsafe, unacceptable and downright dangerous,” Governor Cuomo said in a released statement. “There have been far too many avoidable tragedies due to texting while driving and with these new penalties, we are seeking to change the behavior of young drivers now, and make New York’s roadways safer for all.”

Captain David Krause with the New York State Police says troopers are constantly on the lookout for distracted drivers. While it's already illegal to text and talk while driving, he believes the steeper consequences will have a positive impact.

"Anytime penalties are enhanced for certain offenses, there is a deterrent effect with the public,” says Captain Krause.

Officers often use spotters and unmarked police cars to spot violators. 

New York drivers say the beefed up penalties protect everyone.

“If you're on the road much, you see people don't pay much attention to what they're doing anyway,” says another driver, Ed Hawley. “It’s probably a good idea to crack down on it.”

Law enforcement officials say it's not just young people breaking the law. In addition to the stricter penalties for minors, the new law also increases the fines for anyone using their phone behind the wheel by $50 for each offense. 

“I don't think it's just teenagers per say,” says Capt. Krause. “It's people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s also that are engaging in this type of behavior."

Safety officials hope the new law dramatically cuts down on the deadly practice and gets more drivers focused on the road ahead.

Pennsylvania Senate passes overhaul of drunken driving law

he Pennsylvania Senate has passed legislation that will require some first-time offenders convicted of driving under the influence to use interlock devices on their cars.
An ignition interlock device requires the driver to blow into a breathalyzer before it allows the engine to start. The new measure would require anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.10%, just above the legal definition of intoxication at a BAC of 0.08%, to have one of the devices installed.
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Jan Withers, president of national nonprofit association Mothers Against Drunk Driving, released a statement just after the decision praising its passage. “Reducing the number of drunk driving fatalities in Pennsylvania begins with strengthening the state's drunken driving laws,” she said.
The measure was approved 50-0 by the Senate, and is expected to pass in the House as well.
Much-Needed Update
This legislation is the first update to the state’s drunken driving laws in a decade.
The Philadelphia Inquirer alleged over the summer that the Pennsylvania legal system had previously been lenient with repeat offenders, and that the state didn’t immediately suspend the licenses of drivers who failed sobriety tests.
The paper further claimed that drunk drivers in Pennsylvania are more likely to be allowed to stay behind the wheel despite repeat offences than negligent drivers in other states.
Drunken Driving in the United States
The statistics on drunken driving in the United States are -- or at least ought to be -- sobering.
Department of Transportation Data show that almost 30 Americans die every day in car crashes including a drunk driver, which averages to one death every 51 minutes.
Even if no one is hurt or killed, the victim of a drunk driver may end up with thousands of dollars in car and engine damage, the most expensive type of auto repair. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol-related crashes cost over $59 billion every year.
Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that policy changes are effective in reducing rates of impaired driving, particularly those that impose harsher penalties on first-time offenders. The CDC has stated that repeat offenses are reduced by two-thirds by interlock devices.
Lancaster County District Attorney Craig W. Stedman said the Senate’s vote is a clear sign of progress. “If this is signed into law, it will save lives,” he told media. “It is as simple as that.”

Are the new texting while driving laws too strict or not strict enough?

With new stricter state laws aimed at cracking down on texting while driving went into effect on Saturday, motorists will have to pay steeper fines and younger drivers could have their licenses suspended if caught using a hand-held phone while behind the wheel of a car.

Under the law, new and young drivers convicted of texting-while-driving will have their license suspended for 120 days on the first offense, and revoked for a year if convicted of a second or subsequent offense within six months of reissuance of the license.

Are the new texting while driving laws too strict or not strict enough?
The new state laws are too strict.
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They are fine the way they are.
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More experienced motorists with also face heftier fines for repeat offenses. Drivers found to be using a hand-held phone twice within an 18-month period are currently fined $200. As of Saturday, the penalty will increase to $250, according to the Associated Press.

"Driving habits are developed early, and we are sending a message that texting while driving is unsafe, unacceptable and downright dangerous," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

"There have been far too many avoidable tragedies due to texting while driving and with these new penalties, we are seeking to change the behavior of young drivers now, and make New York's roadways safer for all."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. The age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.

Tickets for texting have greatly increased in recent years after the state made it a primary offense rather than a secondary offense, WGRZ.com reports.

On Staten Island alone, a weeklong ticket blitz in May nabbed 143 Staten Island drivers on their phones.

Take our poll and tell us that you think about the new harsher state penalties for texting while driving.

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