Sharon Montgomery writes:
No news at the statehouse: HB 99 is still below the line on the House calendar, in the list of bills recommended by their committees but not scheduled for a vote. SB 35 & SB154 have not been scheduled for hearings.
Today is the beginning of the National Safety Council's Safety Month. The theme for the week of June 26 is "On the Road, Off the Phone." This would be a good time for us to write letters to the editor of our papers and address our city councils alerting the public to this safety week and the reason for it, and maybe urging our local governments to conduct or step up education and enforcement actions, like the recently-concluded "Click it or Ticket" campaign.
Even the cities without specific texting laws are likely to have some sort of generic "inattention" law that could be made more effective with more education and enforcement. You can get some good talking points for the need for this focus at www.nsc.org/Pages/JuneisNationalSafetyMonth.aspx and of course can also use the reasons you personally are involved in this advocacy.
Council members and law enforcement personnel on this list: I hope we can count on you to try to make something happen in your city. Thanks.
I said in my last message I would share some other news when I got one other piece of information about it. I have that information now. Two court cases on DWT were pending at the time in which the prosecutor was trying to go beyond vehicular manslaughter to vehicular homicide. In one of them, news reports said the defense lawyer was apparently trying to discount the texting issue by saying the offender hadn't been texting at the actual moment of the crash. I sent that prosecutor the summaries of two studies showing that the distraction lasts after the "phone call" has ended. The mother of the victim in the other case asked me to send that research to their prosecutor, which I did.
That other case has now concluded and sadly--as I understand it--the prosecutor did not feel the judge would be influenced by that research so did not use it. To my knowledge, the first case I referred to above has not yet gone to trial.
I am deeply disturbed that we have missed a chance to make this point within the legal system. Judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and drivers desperately need to know of this residual distraction. If we are limited to appropriate charges & penalties for only those crashes where the offender was actually in the act of texting (e-mailing, phoning, etc.) at the moment of impact, far too many offenders will not be held sufficiently accountable for the harm they cause, *and* the deterring benefit of stiff penalties will be lost.
To end on a good note: I attended a day-long seminar for records managers recently. The topic was records management implications of electronic communications. One of the two speakers, who is a nationally-recognized expert and leader in this subject, said this subject cannot be separated from the use of mobile communication devices. One of her "best practices" topics is effective employer policies for acceptable employee use of e-communication tools. She devoted a fair amount of time to the dangers of using MCDs while driving and the need not only for employer policies against it but laws against it! She is in much demand as a speaker nation-wide and also is often hired as an expert witness in lawsuits involving employer liability. So, the word is getting spread in this way, also. And, we have another area of expertise to add to our list when we tell legislators of all the supporters of laws against this behavior. Needless to say, I spoke to her at the break, briefly gave her my background, and thanked her profusely.
Sharon Montgomery.
HELP UPGRADE THE ANTENNA OF BEXLEY PUBLIC RADIO. BE GENEROUS. SEND A DONATION.
Bexley Public Radio Foundation is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation or WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.
Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com
Design is copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation. Text is copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Sharon Montgomery.
1 comment:
It seems that at least 50% of the cars on the road in my area Canton, Oh are on their cell phone. We have a 4 way stop a few blocks from our home and about once a month I will witness a driver blowing through the stop on a cell phone at 40 miles per hour or so. I totally support the effort to make texting and cell phone use while driving illegal. My concern is that the local police departments will not enforce the law when it is passed. An example is the wipers-on lights-on law. It was passed about 1-1/2 years ago but is mostly ignored by the driving public. My wife and I were hit from behind by a young driver who looked down at his ringing cell phone at the exact time we braked for traffic. Fortunately it was not a serious accident only car damage. I am open to help in any way I can so bloggers let me know what I can do in my area. It should also be noted that even if you do not intend to use your cell phone while driving it should be turned off. The ringer will attract your attention and it may be at a critical moment your attention is needed to drive your vehicle.
Post a Comment