A Missouri teenager has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and texting-while-driving for killing another motorist. The teenager will face trial as an adult.

In Missouri, all drivers under 21 are prohibited from texting while driving. The offense carries a $200 fine. Second-degree involuntary manslaughter is punishable by up to four years in prison.

The teenage killed a 72-year-old woman and injured the woman’s 10-year old granddaughter last September.

A passenger in Gannon’s car told police that the teen lost control while texting and looking at her cell phone.

“Texting-while-driving is at least as dangerous as drinking and driving. We make a crime of that for anybody, no matter the age. It also ought to be a crime for anybody, regardless of how old you are, to text while driving,” said Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd.

A recent study has shown that despite the known safety risks, teen drivers are now texting more than ever.

Read more: http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-teenager-from-kansas-city-is-charged-with-texting-before-fatal-crash-20120420,0,885659.story

If you or someone you love has been injured by a texting driver, please contact the experienced car accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A recent article on KSPR.com suggests that despite all of the warnings and acknowledgments that texting while driving is dangerous, teens are still doing it. The article reads as follows:

Several years after a massive national campaign to stop teen texting and driving a new survey says it isn’t working. conducted for state farm, it shows 14 to 17-year-olds are still texting behind the wheel, while admitting its dangerous, even deadly.

In the summer of 2009 it became illegal for anyone 21 and under to text and drive in Missouri. Since the law went into effect the Missouri Highway Patrol has issued more than 130 tickets for the violation state-wide, but teens themselves will tell you that hasn’t fixed the problem.

2:45 p.m. is high school rush hour. Students pour out of Parkview; the goal– get in the car, get on the phone.

Arianna Beckham and Taylor Hulsey sheepishly admit they don’t just talk, they text.

“Every time I get a text,” Beckyham says she replies.

The girls also admit it’s dangerous; they’ve both been on the receiving end of a texting driver’s folly.

“I was a passenger and the person behind us hit us. She was texting,” Hulsey tells us.

“In the school parking lot the third day I started driving at school I got bumped from a guy texting behind me,” Beckham tells us.

Sometimes it’s worse. Car wrecks are the leading cause of teen deaths in Missouri, and inattention is the leading cause of car wrecks. That’s why for years the state highway patrol has been cracking down on teen texting.

“The highway patrol has not only increased enforcement efforts but we’ve gotten into schools,” explains Sergeant Jason Pace.

A new nationwide survey suggests that might not be enough. The results this year are virtually the same as when it was first conducted in 2010.

57% of the teens surveyed say they have texted while driving. 76% say they believe regular texters and drivers will eventually be killed in a car crash, and 93% say regular texters and drivers will eventually have some kind of a car crash, so clearly there is a disconnect.

Still– Pace is convinced the message is translating.

“Some statistics show you’re 23 times more likely to be involved in a traffic crash while using a cell phone or texting and driving so people are understanding that, they are pulling over,” Pace says.

Shelby Martin is pulling over.

“I was raised better,” the Parkview Student tells us.

So are Evan Atwood and his friend and fellow sophomore Darren Busbey.

“I just wait til I get to where I’m going and check it out,” the boys tell us.

As for Beckham and Hulsey– it may take more direct intervention.

“I got pulled over for speeding, so I don’t speed anymore. So if I got pulled over for texting I probably wouldn’t text anymore,” Beckham concludes.

The Missouri Highway Patrol has added a new feature to its online crash reports in 2012. You can now break down the cause of a crash to something as specific as texting, so it will be easier to track those numbers.

37 states and Washington DC ban texting while driving for drivers of all ages. Six states including Missouri have a ban for a specific age group.

Read more: http://articles.kspr.com/2012-04-10/teen-texting_31321327

The attorneys at Strong-Garner-Bauer have seen first hand the life-changing impact texting and driving can have. Texting while driving not only poses a substantial risk to your own life, but also the safety of everyone on the road. The attorneys at Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. urge all drivers to be mindful of this and do not text and drive.

If you have been involved in a car accident where someone hit you while texting and driving, please contact the experienced car accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel — then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia.  School bus drivers can’t use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can’t force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez “egregious.” The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued “in a pattern of behavior  that was unsafe on a regular basis.”

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing “duck boat.” More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat’s captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct  of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: “I just wish I could take it all back.”

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/total-cellphone-ban-while-driving.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A federal safety board called Tuesday for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving.

The recommendation is the most far-reaching yet by the National Transportation Safety Board, which in the past 10 years has increasingly sought to limit the use of portable electronic devices — recommending bans for novice drivers, school bus drivers and commercial truckers. Tuesday’s recommendation, if adopted by states, would outlaw non-emergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road.

It would apply to hands-free as well as hand-held devices, but devices installed in the vehicle by the manufacturer would be allowed, the NTSB said.

The recommendation would not affect passengers’ rights to use such devices.

NTSB members say the action is necessary to combat a growing threat posed by distracted drivers. While distracted driving has been a problem “since the Model T,” in the words of NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman, authorities say it has become ubiquitous with the explosion in the number of portable smart phones. At any given daylight moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones, according to a study released last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Some 3,092 roadway fatalities last year involved distracted drivers, although the actual number may be far higher, NHTSA said.

“This (distracted driving) is becoming the new DUI. It’s becoming epidemic,” said NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

Accident investigators routinely seek protective orders to preserve smart phones for use as evidence in accident investigations, Hersman said.

But because distracted drivers sometimes do not own up to their actions, or because they die during the crash, determining whether distraction was a factor in an accident can be difficult.

That was the case in a 2010 chain-reaction accident near Gray Summit, Missouri. During the 11 minutes prior to that incident, the driver of a pickup truck received five text messages, and sent six, and he was seen leaning over just before the accident, leading investigators to believe the driver was likely distracted when his truck plowed at 55 mph into the rear of a tractor trailer, which had slowed or stopped because of a highway work zone. Two school buses then plowed into the wreckage. Two people — including the pickup truck driver and a bus occupant — were killed; 38 other people were injured.

The driver of the pickup truck was 19 years old, and was in violation of a Missouri law prohibiting drivers under the age of 21 from texting while driving. But the safety board focused little on the age of the driver, casting “distracted driving” as epidemic among people of all ages.

The NTSB said cell phone laws alone would not solve the problem, but must be accompanied by aggressive educational campaigns and strict enforcement. The Missouri State Highway Patrol had issued only 120 citations for texting in a two-year-period, the NTSB said.

Currently, a patchwork of laws governs cell-phone usage by drivers. Some 35 states ban text messaging while driving, 30 states ban cell-phone use by novice drivers, and 10 ban all use of hand-held cell phones, according to the NTSB.

The safety board also recommended the electronics industry develop phones that would discourage their use by drivers, but could identify a car occupant’s location so that passengers could use the devices.

A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of commercial drivers found that a safety-critical event is 163 times more likely if a driver is texting, e-mailing or accessing the Internet.

The NTSB’s action is a recommendation only, but the board has been instrumental in leading for changes in other areas of transportation safety.

Chairwoman Hersman said the ban may inconvenience motorists, but would save lives.

“Needless lives are lost on our highways, and for what? Convenience? Death isn’t convenient,” Hersman said. “So we can stay more connected? A fatal accident severs that connection.”

The NTSB’s investigation of the August 5, 2010, Missouri crash also exposed numerous other safety shortcomings.

Although Missouri requires school bus inspections twice a year — one by the highway patrol and a second by a certified inspection station — an inspection 10 days before the accident did not reveal faulty brakes on one of the buses, the NTSB said. The faulty brakes were not a factor in the accident, the NTSB said, because the driver said she did not hit the brakes before the crash.

But the NTSB criticized the service station that inspected the brakes, the contract owner of the school buses, and the highway patrol. The highway patrol gave the bus company a “Total Fleet Maintenance Award” before the accident because 100% of its buses had passed inspection. In an unannounced inspection following the tragedy, the pass rate dropped to 60%, the NTSB said.

The NTSB said both the inspection station and the highway patrol performed inadequate inspections.

Read More: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/us/ntsb-cell-phone-ban/index.html 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A federal safety board called Tuesday for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving.

The recommendation is the most far-reaching yet by the National Transportation Safety Board, which in the past 10 years has increasingly sought to limit the use of portable electronic devices — recommending bans for novice drivers, school bus drivers and commercial truckers. Tuesday’s recommendation, if adopted by states, would outlaw non-emergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road.

It would apply to hands-free as well as hand-held devices, but devices installed in the vehicle by the manufacturer would be allowed, the NTSB said.

The recommendation would not affect passengers’ rights to use such devices.

NTSB members say the action is necessary to combat a growing threat posed by distracted drivers. While distracted driving has been a problem “since the Model T,” in the words of NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman, authorities say it has become ubiquitous with the explosion in the number of portable smart phones. At any given daylight moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones, according to a study released last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Some 3,092 roadway fatalities last year involved distracted drivers, although the actual number may be far higher, NHTSA said.

“This (distracted driving) is becoming the new DUI. It’s becoming epidemic,” said NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

Accident investigators routinely seek protective orders to preserve smart phones for use as evidence in accident investigations, Hersman said.

But because distracted drivers sometimes do not own up to their actions, or because they die during the crash, determining whether distraction was a factor in an accident can be difficult.

That was the case in a 2010 chain-reaction accident near Gray Summit, Missouri. During the 11 minutes prior to that incident, the driver of a pickup truck received five text messages, and sent six, and he was seen leaning over just before the accident, leading investigators to believe the driver was likely distracted when his truck plowed at 55 mph into the rear of a tractor trailer, which had slowed or stopped because of a highway work zone. Two school buses then plowed into the wreckage. Two people — including the pickup truck driver and a bus occupant — were killed; 38 other people were injured.

The driver of the pickup truck was 19 years old, and was in violation of a Missouri law prohibiting drivers under the age of 21 from texting while driving. But the safety board focused little on the age of the driver, casting “distracted driving” as epidemic among people of all ages.

The NTSB said cell phone laws alone would not solve the problem, but must be accompanied by aggressive educational campaigns and strict enforcement. The Missouri State Highway Patrol had issued only 120 citations for texting in a two-year-period, the NTSB said.

Currently, a patchwork of laws governs cell-phone usage by drivers. Some 35 states ban text messaging while driving, 30 states ban cell-phone use by novice drivers, and 10 ban all use of hand-held cell phones, according to the NTSB.

The safety board also recommended the electronics industry develop phones that would discourage their use by drivers, but could identify a car occupant’s location so that passengers could use the devices.

A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of commercial drivers found that a safety-critical event is 163 times more likely if a driver is texting, e-mailing or accessing the Internet.

The NTSB’s action is a recommendation only, but the board has been instrumental in leading for changes in other areas of transportation safety.

Chairwoman Hersman said the ban may inconvenience motorists, but would save lives.

“Needless lives are lost on our highways, and for what? Convenience? Death isn’t convenient,” Hersman said. “So we can stay more connected? A fatal accident severs that connection.”

The NTSB’s investigation of the August 5, 2010, Missouri crash also exposed numerous other safety shortcomings.

Although Missouri requires school bus inspections twice a year — one by the highway patrol and a second by a certified inspection station — an inspection 10 days before the accident did not reveal faulty brakes on one of the buses, the NTSB said. The faulty brakes were not a factor in the accident, the NTSB said, because the driver said she did not hit the brakes before the crash.

But the NTSB criticized the service station that inspected the brakes, the contract owner of the school buses, and the highway patrol. The highway patrol gave the bus company a “Total Fleet Maintenance Award” before the accident because 100% of its buses had passed inspection. In an unannounced inspection following the tragedy, the pass rate dropped to 60%, the NTSB said.

The NTSB said both the inspection station and the highway patrol performed inadequate inspections.

Read More: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/us/ntsb-cell-phone-ban/index.html 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A federal safety board called Tuesday for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving.

The recommendation is the most far-reaching yet by the National Transportation Safety Board, which in the past 10 years has increasingly sought to limit the use of portable electronic devices — recommending bans for novice drivers, school bus drivers and commercial truckers. Tuesday’s recommendation, if adopted by states, would outlaw non-emergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road.

It would apply to hands-free as well as hand-held devices, but devices installed in the vehicle by the manufacturer would be allowed, the NTSB said.

The recommendation would not affect passengers’ rights to use such devices.

NTSB members say the action is necessary to combat a growing threat posed by distracted drivers. While distracted driving has been a problem “since the Model T,” in the words of NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman, authorities say it has become ubiquitous with the explosion in the number of portable smart phones. At any given daylight moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones, according to a study released last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Some 3,092 roadway fatalities last year involved distracted drivers, although the actual number may be far higher, NHTSA said.

“This (distracted driving) is becoming the new DUI. It’s becoming epidemic,” said NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

Accident investigators routinely seek protective orders to preserve smart phones for use as evidence in accident investigations, Hersman said.

But because distracted drivers sometimes do not own up to their actions, or because they die during the crash, determining whether distraction was a factor in an accident can be difficult.

That was the case in a 2010 chain-reaction accident near Gray Summit, Missouri. During the 11 minutes prior to that incident, the driver of a pickup truck received five text messages, and sent six, and he was seen leaning over just before the accident, leading investigators to believe the driver was likely distracted when his truck plowed at 55 mph into the rear of a tractor trailer, which had slowed or stopped because of a highway work zone. Two school buses then plowed into the wreckage. Two people — including the pickup truck driver and a bus occupant — were killed; 38 other people were injured.

The driver of the pickup truck was 19 years old, and was in violation of a Missouri law prohibiting drivers under the age of 21 from texting while driving. But the safety board focused little on the age of the driver, casting “distracted driving” as epidemic among people of all ages.

The NTSB said cell phone laws alone would not solve the problem, but must be accompanied by aggressive educational campaigns and strict enforcement. The Missouri State Highway Patrol had issued only 120 citations for texting in a two-year-period, the NTSB said.

Currently, a patchwork of laws governs cell-phone usage by drivers. Some 35 states ban text messaging while driving, 30 states ban cell-phone use by novice drivers, and 10 ban all use of hand-held cell phones, according to the NTSB.

The safety board also recommended the electronics industry develop phones that would discourage their use by drivers, but could identify a car occupant’s location so that passengers could use the devices.

A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of commercial drivers found that a safety-critical event is 163 times more likely if a driver is texting, e-mailing or accessing the Internet.

The NTSB’s action is a recommendation only, but the board has been instrumental in leading for changes in other areas of transportation safety.

Chairwoman Hersman said the ban may inconvenience motorists, but would save lives.

“Needless lives are lost on our highways, and for what? Convenience? Death isn’t convenient,” Hersman said. “So we can stay more connected? A fatal accident severs that connection.”

The NTSB’s investigation of the August 5, 2010, Missouri crash also exposed numerous other safety shortcomings.

Although Missouri requires school bus inspections twice a year — one by the highway patrol and a second by a certified inspection station — an inspection 10 days before the accident did not reveal faulty brakes on one of the buses, the NTSB said. The faulty brakes were not a factor in the accident, the NTSB said, because the driver said she did not hit the brakes before the crash.

But the NTSB criticized the service station that inspected the brakes, the contract owner of the school buses, and the highway patrol. The highway patrol gave the bus company a “Total Fleet Maintenance Award” before the accident because 100% of its buses had passed inspection. In an unannounced inspection following the tragedy, the pass rate dropped to 60%, the NTSB said.

The NTSB said both the inspection station and the highway patrol performed inadequate inspections.

Read More: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/us/ntsb-cell-phone-ban/index.html 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A federal safety board called Tuesday for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving.

The recommendation is the most far-reaching yet by the National Transportation Safety Board, which in the past 10 years has increasingly sought to limit the use of portable electronic devices — recommending bans for novice drivers, school bus drivers and commercial truckers. Tuesday’s recommendation, if adopted by states, would outlaw non-emergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road.

It would apply to hands-free as well as hand-held devices, but devices installed in the vehicle by the manufacturer would be allowed, the NTSB said.

The recommendation would not affect passengers’ rights to use such devices.

NTSB members say the action is necessary to combat a growing threat posed by distracted drivers. While distracted driving has been a problem “since the Model T,” in the words of NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman, authorities say it has become ubiquitous with the explosion in the number of portable smart phones. At any given daylight moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones, according to a study released last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Some 3,092 roadway fatalities last year involved distracted drivers, although the actual number may be far higher, NHTSA said.

“This (distracted driving) is becoming the new DUI. It’s becoming epidemic,” said NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

Accident investigators routinely seek protective orders to preserve smart phones for use as evidence in accident investigations, Hersman said.

But because distracted drivers sometimes do not own up to their actions, or because they die during the crash, determining whether distraction was a factor in an accident can be difficult.

That was the case in a 2010 chain-reaction accident near Gray Summit, Missouri. During the 11 minutes prior to that incident, the driver of a pickup truck received five text messages, and sent six, and he was seen leaning over just before the accident, leading investigators to believe the driver was likely distracted when his truck plowed at 55 mph into the rear of a tractor trailer, which had slowed or stopped because of a highway work zone. Two school buses then plowed into the wreckage. Two people — including the pickup truck driver and a bus occupant — were killed; 38 other people were injured.

The driver of the pickup truck was 19 years old, and was in violation of a Missouri law prohibiting drivers under the age of 21 from texting while driving. But the safety board focused little on the age of the driver, casting “distracted driving” as epidemic among people of all ages.

The NTSB said cell phone laws alone would not solve the problem, but must be accompanied by aggressive educational campaigns and strict enforcement. The Missouri State Highway Patrol had issued only 120 citations for texting in a two-year-period, the NTSB said.

Currently, a patchwork of laws governs cell-phone usage by drivers. Some 35 states ban text messaging while driving, 30 states ban cell-phone use by novice drivers, and 10 ban all use of hand-held cell phones, according to the NTSB.

The safety board also recommended the electronics industry develop phones that would discourage their use by drivers, but could identify a car occupant’s location so that passengers could use the devices.

A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of commercial drivers found that a safety-critical event is 163 times more likely if a driver is texting, e-mailing or accessing the Internet.

The NTSB’s action is a recommendation only, but the board has been instrumental in leading for changes in other areas of transportation safety.

Chairwoman Hersman said the ban may inconvenience motorists, but would save lives.

“Needless lives are lost on our highways, and for what? Convenience? Death isn’t convenient,” Hersman said. “So we can stay more connected? A fatal accident severs that connection.”

The NTSB’s investigation of the August 5, 2010, Missouri crash also exposed numerous other safety shortcomings.

Although Missouri requires school bus inspections twice a year — one by the highway patrol and a second by a certified inspection station — an inspection 10 days before the accident did not reveal faulty brakes on one of the buses, the NTSB said. The faulty brakes were not a factor in the accident, the NTSB said, because the driver said she did not hit the brakes before the crash.

But the NTSB criticized the service station that inspected the brakes, the contract owner of the school buses, and the highway patrol. The highway patrol gave the bus company a “Total Fleet Maintenance Award” before the accident because 100% of its buses had passed inspection. In an unannounced inspection following the tragedy, the pass rate dropped to 60%, the NTSB said.

The NTSB said both the inspection station and the highway patrol performed inadequate inspections.

Read More: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/us/ntsb-cell-phone-ban/index.html 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A 19-year-old driver was texting just before his pickup truck, two school buses and a tractor truck collided in a deadly pileup on an interstate highway in Missouri last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.

Two people — the pickup driver and a 15-year-old student on one of the buses — were killed and 38 others were injured in the Aug. 5, 2010 accident on the interstate highway near Gray Summit, Mo. Nearly 50 students, mostly members of a high school band from St. James, Mo., were on the buses heading to the Six Flags St. Louis amusement park.

The chain of rear end collisions began when the pickup truck rammed the back of the tractor truck, the board said. The pickup was then rear-ended by a school bus, which was in turn struck by the second bus.

The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to hear the results of an investigation into the accident and to make safety recommendations. The meeting will focus on the “distractive effects of portable electronic devices when used by drivers,” the board said in a statement.

 The board has previously recommended bans on texting and cell phone use by commercial drivers, but has stopped short of calling for a ban on the use of the devices by adults behind the wheel of passenger cars.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said that as the use of personal electronic devices proliferates, investigators are increasingly coming across accidents in all modes of transportation — aviation, marine, rail and on the road — in which operators were texting, talking on cellphones or working on laptops.

“This is trending very hot and it’s a growing concern for the NTSB,” she told The Associated Press.

The problem of texting while driving is getting worse despite a rush by states to ban the practice, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last week. In November, Pennsylvania became the 35th state to forbid texting while driving.

About two out of 10 drivers overall — and half of American drivers between 21 and 24 — say they’ve thumbed messages or emailed from the driver’s seat, according to a survey of over 6,000 drivers by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And what’s more, many drivers don’t think it’s dangerous when they do it — only when others do, the survey found.

At any given moment last year on America’s streets and highways, nearly one in every 100 car drivers was texting, emailing, surfing the Web or otherwise using a hand-held electronic device, the safety administration said. And those activities spiked 50 percent in over the previous year.

The agency takes an annual snapshot of drivers’ behavior behind the wheel by staking out intersections to count people using cellphones and other devices, as well as other distracting behavior.

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ntsb-teen-driver-was-texting-in-deadly-missouri-traffic-pileup-involving-2-school-buses/2011/12/12/gIQALAnCqO_story.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A 19-year-old driver was texting just before his pickup truck, two school buses and a tractor truck collided in a deadly pileup on an interstate highway in Missouri last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.

Two people — the pickup driver and a 15-year-old student on one of the buses — were killed and 38 others were injured in the Aug. 5, 2010 accident on the interstate highway near Gray Summit, Mo. Nearly 50 students, mostly members of a high school band from St. James, Mo., were on the buses heading to the Six Flags St. Louis amusement park.

The chain of rear end collisions began when the pickup truck rammed the back of the tractor truck, the board said. The pickup was then rear-ended by a school bus, which was in turn struck by the second bus.

The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to hear the results of an investigation into the accident and to make safety recommendations. The meeting will focus on the “distractive effects of portable electronic devices when used by drivers,” the board said in a statement.

 The board has previously recommended bans on texting and cell phone use by commercial drivers, but has stopped short of calling for a ban on the use of the devices by adults behind the wheel of passenger cars.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said that as the use of personal electronic devices proliferates, investigators are increasingly coming across accidents in all modes of transportation — aviation, marine, rail and on the road — in which operators were texting, talking on cellphones or working on laptops.

“This is trending very hot and it’s a growing concern for the NTSB,” she told The Associated Press.

The problem of texting while driving is getting worse despite a rush by states to ban the practice, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last week. In November, Pennsylvania became the 35th state to forbid texting while driving.

About two out of 10 drivers overall — and half of American drivers between 21 and 24 — say they’ve thumbed messages or emailed from the driver’s seat, according to a survey of over 6,000 drivers by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And what’s more, many drivers don’t think it’s dangerous when they do it — only when others do, the survey found.

At any given moment last year on America’s streets and highways, nearly one in every 100 car drivers was texting, emailing, surfing the Web or otherwise using a hand-held electronic device, the safety administration said. And those activities spiked 50 percent in over the previous year.

The agency takes an annual snapshot of drivers’ behavior behind the wheel by staking out intersections to count people using cellphones and other devices, as well as other distracting behavior.

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ntsb-teen-driver-was-texting-in-deadly-missouri-traffic-pileup-involving-2-school-buses/2011/12/12/gIQALAnCqO_story.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A 19-year-old driver was texting just before his pickup truck, two school buses and a tractor truck collided in a deadly pileup on an interstate highway in Missouri last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.

Two people — the pickup driver and a 15-year-old student on one of the buses — were killed and 38 others were injured in the Aug. 5, 2010 accident on the interstate highway near Gray Summit, Mo. Nearly 50 students, mostly members of a high school band from St. James, Mo., were on the buses heading to the Six Flags St. Louis amusement park.

The chain of rear end collisions began when the pickup truck rammed the back of the tractor truck, the board said. The pickup was then rear-ended by a school bus, which was in turn struck by the second bus.

The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to hear the results of an investigation into the accident and to make safety recommendations. The meeting will focus on the “distractive effects of portable electronic devices when used by drivers,” the board said in a statement.

 The board has previously recommended bans on texting and cell phone use by commercial drivers, but has stopped short of calling for a ban on the use of the devices by adults behind the wheel of passenger cars.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said that as the use of personal electronic devices proliferates, investigators are increasingly coming across accidents in all modes of transportation — aviation, marine, rail and on the road — in which operators were texting, talking on cellphones or working on laptops.

“This is trending very hot and it’s a growing concern for the NTSB,” she told The Associated Press.

The problem of texting while driving is getting worse despite a rush by states to ban the practice, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last week. In November, Pennsylvania became the 35th state to forbid texting while driving.

About two out of 10 drivers overall — and half of American drivers between 21 and 24 — say they’ve thumbed messages or emailed from the driver’s seat, according to a survey of over 6,000 drivers by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And what’s more, many drivers don’t think it’s dangerous when they do it — only when others do, the survey found.

At any given moment last year on America’s streets and highways, nearly one in every 100 car drivers was texting, emailing, surfing the Web or otherwise using a hand-held electronic device, the safety administration said. And those activities spiked 50 percent in over the previous year.

The agency takes an annual snapshot of drivers’ behavior behind the wheel by staking out intersections to count people using cellphones and other devices, as well as other distracting behavior.

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ntsb-teen-driver-was-texting-in-deadly-missouri-traffic-pileup-involving-2-school-buses/2011/12/12/gIQALAnCqO_story.html

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident involving a texting driver or any other car accident, please contact the experienced Springfield personal injury attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.