20 Year Old Keisha Wall Convicted Of Death After Texting While Driving

Texting while driving isn't just a problem in the US. Keisha Wall, a 20 year old from the UK, was sentenced by a judge to two and a half years after she struck and killed an elderly woman in her Suzuki Jimmy 4x4. 
Wall was checking a text message while driving when she lost control of her car striking the 63 year-old Christine Lyon pinning her against a wall.  Wall’s passenger, her mother, who ironically is a driving instructor, was present during the collision.

Wall had passed her driving test eight months before the collision, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
The Reading Crown Court found that she had been texting consistently before the accident and had received a text message within one minute of the accident.
The judge ruled that Wall had received the text message and attempted to read it, causing her to lose control of the vehicle, and said that there is no excuse for anyone using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
Wall had ‘deprived a loving family of their mother and grandmother and a husband of his wife of more than 40 years’, said Judge Stephen John, as he sent her to a young offenders’ institute.

California Residents Beware: CHP Issuing 10k Citations For Cell Phone Use

If you’re wondering if a Bluetooth for the car headset or speakerphone will keep you out of trouble in California, please read to find out.

The California Highway Patrol is in the middle of a crackdown on those who choose to use a hand held mobile device while driving. As part of its Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the California Office of Traffic Safety said that law enforcement officials will have "zero tolerance" days across the state.

California is one of eight states to ban the all too familiar practice of talking on a hand-held device while driving. It is one of 30 to have laws against texting while driving.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit research group funded by the insurance industry, says drivers who use do not utilize a Bluetooth for the car speakerphone or Bluetooth headset are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to cause injury.

The Office of Traffic Safety advised CHP (California Highway Patrol) issues more than 10,000 citations per month for the hand-held device violation.  A violation for utilizing a hand held mobile device will costs $159 for the first violation and $279 for a subsequent violation.

A traffic stop for a hand held mobile device violation turned out to be quite humorous for a CHP officer. A driver who was talking on his mobile phone attempted to disguise the violation by dropping the device and pretended he was scratching his face. The phone bounced off his left arm and out the window.  The phone was subsequently crushed by the moderate volume of following traffic.

Android Planex Bluetooth Phone

Have you recently bought purchased a 3G Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) Tablet? The next gadget to pick up is a  Planex Bluetooth Phone, the BT-Phone01, to easily place calls without having to stick your huge 10.1” tablet to your face or to use one of these wired Mic/headphones combo?

Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP) compatible these compact phones (32.5x72x11.3mm for 26g) can be used almost everywhere to receive or place calls. Compatible with not only Android Tablet but with every compatible Bluetooth devices, these BT-Phone01 can also be used with your PC or Mac and any VoIP softwares or even with your PS3!

Police Enforce Zero Tolerance Texting Trend

Santa Barbara police officers cracked down on drivers who texted or spoke on their cell phones behind the wheel by enforcing a “zero tolerance” policy last weekend. The two-day campaign resulted in 116 citations. Punitive repercussions for the offense result in a minimum $159 ticket with subsequent fines setting drivers back at least $279. Drivers who operate handheld cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves and others, said officials. Inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. “We take the issue of distracted driving very seriously,” said Sergeant Mike McGrew in a written statement. “Cell phone use and texting while driving is such a serious concern that we are putting officers on the road to enforce zero tolerance. Is that text message or cell phone call really worth $159?” While it has been California state law since 2010, officers encourage drivers to invest in a hands-free or Bluetooth for the car headset while on the road to protect their safety as well as that of other drivers. (Source: Santa Barbara Independent)

Drunk Texter Strikes Deputies Vehicle

A 40-year-old man was drunk and texting when he slammed his vehicle into the rear of a Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office squad on I-43, the sheriff's office said Friday.

The man faces charges of first-offense operating while intoxicated, texting while driving and inattentive driving in connection with the crash, reported shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday on southbound I-43 at Holt Ave., according to a sheriff's office news release.

The deputy was taken to a hospital as a precaution because of the extensive damage to the squad car, but was not seriously injured, according to the release.

The deputy was providing protection to a construction crew placing barrels for lane closures and all of the squad's emergency lights were activated, including an amber arrow stick used to direct traffic to move over, the sheriff's office said.

The suspected drunk driver, who was not injured, had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15, according to the release.

A level of 0.08 is considered legal proof of intoxication for anyone operating a motor vehicle in Wisconsin.

Another Busted Bus Driver, Threatens Rider

Muni Driver Busted Texting and Driving, Threatens to Never Pick Up That Rider Again A Muni driver on the 24-Divisadero line was caught red-handed texting behind the wheel while the bus was in motion. Shawn Higgins, a jewelry store owner in the Castro who rides the 24 to work daily, spotted the distracted driver tapping away at an iPhone in her lap as if she didn't have a busload of real live human beings riding in the back. Higgins told CBS5 that he moved to the seat across from the driver to get a shot of the action, but she quickly stopped - that's when he cleverly filmed her reflection in one of the door mirrors. After Higgins confronted the driver to point out it is illegal to text while driving, the operator pulled the bus over at 15th and Castro, started recording him with her own telephone and then threatened: "I'll never pick you up again asshole." She then claimed she was ill, cleared all passengers from the bus and called central control for a new bus. When notified of the incident (it occurred back in February) Muni Spokesman Paul Rose told KCBS "Obviously, an operator does not have that authority on who they can or cannot pick up. And if that did happen, that’s not acceptable." The driver, who has 9-years with Muni, was placed on a 3-day unpaid suspension and has since returned to work. credit: David McDonald

Samsung's New Slim Bluetooth HM500 Headset

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This device could be the next stylish Bluetooth for the car; if you want to hold a hand held device while you’re driving (not too smart). This device should be called the new Samsung HAND-set because you still have to hold it while talking.  Yes it is lightweight and slim but what is the purpose? 

A person invest in a Bluetooth headset usually to make the other hand available for task, to comply with laws or just because they don’t want to hold their phone against their ear for an extended period of time.  This Bluetooth gizmo may catch on once released (still a prototype), but at this moment in time I can’t see the functionality of the device.