Results tagged “texting”

We see it everyday on Los Angeles roads. Drivers eating, reading, illegally talking on a cell phone, checking Google Maps on their iPhone, painting nails, etc. So much for paying attention, not to mention the lack of turn signals used in by L.A. drivers (annoying!).

Today will forever be remembered as The Day The Fun Died for those Californian motorists who revel in texting-while-driving. As we flip the calendar to 2009, that act becomes illegal whether you have an iPhone, a Blackberry, or a hefty Zack Morris phones from 1992.

Text Messaging (SB 28) This new law makes it an infraction to write, send, or read text-based communication on an electronic wireless communication device, such as a cell phone, while driving.

21-year-old Jeffrey Woods was indicted this week by the Orange County Grand Jury over the death of a 14-year-old teen he hit with his truck in August 2007. Woods was apparently texting about a drug deal at the time of the crash in Huntington Beach. He also was allegedly on Vicodin and Xanax. The teen, Danny Oates--also known as "Oatie"--was riding his bicycle to pick up his middle school schedule. Woods' arraignment for felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated and felony driving under the influence causing bodily injury is on December 5th. Texting while driving will be illegal beginning January 1st, 2009.

The LAPD is gearing up for January 1st, 2009 when texting while driving will be added to this year's earlier cell phone ban. "Nationwide studies have linked cell phone use, including texting, to driver distraction resulting in traffic collisions,” Chief William Bratton said in a statement. “Drivers can lose substantial cognitive awareness with the situation on the road when they divert their attention away, for any reason, including cell phone texting. In fact, there were two recent fatal traffic collisions which occurred in the City of Los Angeles where it was determined that cell phone texting was a significant causal factor in both collisions." The law imposes identical fines to those associated with failing to use a hands-free device when using a cell phone while driving: $20 for a first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses (but don't forget to add in court fees, etc, making the fines actually much higher).

National Transportation Safety Board investigators released information this afternoon regarding Metrolink Engineer Robert Sanchez' cell phone records. He sent 29 text messages while on duty the day of the crash with the last one sent at 4:22:01 p.m. The However, the NTSB says precise timing of cell phone activity and how it correlates with the crash is still under investigation. According to preliminary estimates, the crash occurred at 4:22:23 pm.

Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill today banning texting while driving in California. It will go into effect on January 1st, 2009.

The LAPD will announce a new way to make anonymous tips about crime via text message and e-mails tomorrow afternoon in a press conference. From their release:

At 4:22 p.m., one minute before the crash, the Metrolink train engineer sent a text to a teenage friend, a fellow rail enthusiast, about where the train would meet another passenger train, according to CBS2 News. While the engineer who died in the collision has not been identified by officials, the teens said he is Robert Sanchez and despite Metrolink's claims that he was at fault, his friends said "he would 'never' have been reckless or unprofessional or run a red light." Earlier today Metrolink said the engineer was at fault but gave no basis for their conclusion. Two videos have been posted on YouTube in honor of Sanchez.

Nope. A recent case that went to the US Court of Appeals 9th Circuit found that employers searching employee's text messages on their personal phone is illegal (.pdf). The case stems out of Ontario in San Bernardino County where the local police department gained access to four of its officers' personal phone account texting records by asking their phone company. The officers in turn sued and have won so far. The city and the phone company plan to appeal.

New Rules:

On July 1st, after a two year warning, driving while talking on your cell phone, unless it is with a hands free device, will be illegal. There's some confusion, however, on how it all plays out and it depends on whether you are a teen or adult.