Virginia Medical Malpractice Blog - Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C.

Woman on Cell Phone Crashes Into Police

A Virginia Beach woman faces reckless driving charges after crashing into a police cruiser.  According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, the trooper had stopped another vehicle for speeding when the woman driving while talking on her cell phone crashed into his cruiser.  Fortunately, no one suffered serious injuries. 

This article brings home an important issue for all drivers:  Most of us use our cells phones while driving, but the evidence shows that using a cell phone is a distraction.  Anytime we are distracted while driving, whether it is using a cell phone, text messaging, etc. we are at greater risk for causing a car accident.  I heard on CNN that the engineer operating the commuter train in L.A. that crashed into a freight train may have been text messaging when he missed a red light.

Some states have banned using a hand-held cell phone while driving.  Interestingly, there is no strong evidence that hand-held phones are any safer than hands free.  The problem is not that we need two hands to drive, it is the mental distraction of focusing on a conversation as opposed to the road.  If that logic holds up, wouldn't there be an equal danger talking to a passenger?  On the NPR program Car Talk, it was pointed out that when you are talking to a passenger, the passenger can at least tell the driver to "watch out" or may have the sense to stop talking when traffic gets heavy or if there is a dangerous situation on the roadway.

Besides drunk driving, driver distractions are at the top of the list for causing motor vehicle accidents.  Hopefully with more attention to these issues, we will all reduce our cell phone use and make the roads safer.

Joshua Silverman