Jogger Killed While Driver Texted

[Hum]

HARTFORD, Conn. ? A teenage driver is under arrest after authorities said the distraction of a handheld cellphone caused her to fatally hit a jogger, whose father blames his death on her "stupidity."

A 16-year-old girl from New Canaan, Conn., who police say was driving the SUV, turned herself in May 12, 2012, after learning there was a warrant out for her arrest on charges of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle.

The death of 44-year-old Kenneth Dorsey in Norwalk and the subsequent criminal charges against the 16-year-old driver come as other states are considering measures to force teenagers and adults to disconnect from cellphones and other electronic devices before getting behind the wheel.

Dorsey, an avid runner, was on a morning jog and training for a marathon on March 24 when he was fatally struck by the SUV the girl was driving, according to his father, Leo Dorsey.

The New Canaan girl, whom police are not naming because of her age, was charged Saturday with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, using a handheld telephone under age 18 while driving and failure to drive in the proper lane. Police declined to say what she was doing on the phone, only that they found evidence she was using the keypad before Kenneth Dorsey was hit on a busy street.

"There's no reason to use a phone while you're driving a car," Leo Dorsey told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "There is nothing out there that important. I totally, totally have to believe that these phones can be made to shut off if they're moving. I'm pushing for phones that don't work when they're moving."

The accident is prompting new calls for people to put down their phones and other electronic devices while driving, from police officials to victims' relatives to readers posting online responses to the Norwalk accident story.

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[shakey]

Sad, but I like the fathers idea. Have cellphones with a device that will detect when it is in motion above a certian speed. Once that speed is hit, the phone turns off or is disabled from waking up, until the phone is back at "rest".

[majortom1981]

Here in NY its illegal to even have the cellphone in your hands while driving.

[James123]

"There's no reason to use a phone while you're driving a car," Leo Dorsey told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "There is nothing out there that important. I totally, totally have to believe that these phones can be made to shut off if they're moving. I'm pushing for phones that don't work when they're moving."

...and what if I'm a passenger in a car, or on a bus and want to text somebody? Sad news but that's a stupid idea. There are plenty of reasons to need/want to use a phone while moving, it doesn't mean I'm going to use it while driving. There just needs to be much harsher penalties if caught using a phone while driving.

[shakey]

...and what if I'm a passenger in a car, or on a bus and want to text somebody?

Suffer like everyone else on the road :p

[Hum]

...and what if I'm a passenger in a car, or on a bus and want to text somebody ?

^ Then you SOOL. :laugh:

[rageagainstmachine]

yup, in the uk if you get caught with a handheld device whilst your car is running, at rest or otherwise, you will get 3 points and a 60 quid fine.

[HSoft]

...and what if I'm a passenger in a car, or on a bus and want to text somebody? Sad news but that's a stupid idea. There are plenty of reasons to need/want to use a phone while moving, it doesn't mean I'm going to use it while driving. There just needs to be much harsher penalties if caught using a phone while driving.

Yep I agree, stupid idea. Plus most cars nowadays come with bluetooth hands free built in. Its sad what happened but this is an over reaction.

Ontop of that there are current laws on the books which do just fine to cover this sort of thing. wreckless endangerment, wreckless driving etc. Why invent a whole set of new laws that just cover what the existing laws already do?

[moloko]

I hope she never gets a license for the rest of her life. texting and driving is just retarded. It is her fault. We dont need devices that not allow us to do it. We need discipline in our lifes to not be re-****-tarded.

[Nashy]

Sad, but I like the fathers idea. Have cellphones with a device that will detect when it is in motion above a certian speed. Once that speed is hit, the phone turns off or is disabled from waking up, until the phone is back at "rest".

Righto.

Trains

Buses

Taxis

Passenger in car

Wouldn't work would it?

[articuno1au]

I was about to chime in with that..

Stupid little **** the girl is :\ There is nothing I hate more than seeing some idiot swerving all over the road, and upon getting sight of the driver, see they are on the phone.

****s ME TO TEARS >: (

[limok]

So it was a hit and run, she hit the guy didn't attend to him and zoomed off. EVIL!

[Hum]

^ Maybe she was too busy talking to notice that she had hit someone.

[Ambroos]

I never ever ever do it as I once was in a car that almost crashed because the driver was setting up his GPS, but what annoys me most are taxi drivers and bus drivers. They are always either texting, calling or just filling out a form while driving. And the worst thing is you can't even wear a seatbelt in a taxi.

[zeta_immersion]

Wty the hell would he push for phone disconnect while moving ... I am on a bicycle and you wnat my phone off? ... skateboard? ... running?! -- speed -- what speed? going downhill while riding on a cheetah ? ... stupid politicians and their logic

However, I would not mind forcing some phonelock ... maybe force bluetooth and if none detected then force text to speech or something ....

actually, no, not even, put fines out .... rewards ... whoever turns in an idiot talking while driving will get a 200$ reward (paid to him in cash by the offender on top of other fined and demerit points)

[shakey]

Wty the hell would he push for phone disconnect while moving ... I am on a bicycle and you wnat my phone off? ... skateboard? ... running?! -- speed -- what speed? going downhill while riding on a cheetah ? ... stupid politicians and their logic

However, I would not mind forcing some phonelock ... maybe force bluetooth and if none detected then force text to speech or something ....

actually, no, not even, put fines out .... rewards ... whoever turns in an idiot talking while driving will get a 200$ reward (paid to him in cash by the offender on top of other fined and demerit points)

If your biking, you are not on your phone I bet. If you are skateboarding, you are probably not riding while on the phone. Running, well, if they make the speed 15mph + on phone disconnect, good luck hitting that 15mph constantly... Get real.

Some of you people act like you HAVE to talk on the phone at ALL times. Seriously, you lives are not that busy and what you say is not that important. Get over yourselves.

Most people can barely do 1 thing right at a time. Give them 2 things, and they are most likely to screw up somewhere along the line. Again, get the hell over yourselves, nothing is too important to say, " I can't pull over and tell the person this." Unless you are in that very very very very very rare situation of someone chasing you to kill you, or in an emergency, where there is ALWAYS exceptions to the law/rule. Let's try to think things through without going all," but but but what about if I ruuuuun. " ... Why don't you stop moving your feet then so the person on the phone can hear you without having to hear gasp from you trying to breathe properly while running and talking at the same time... sheesh people are so... briandead.

And if your in a taxi or anything else, same as if you were driving. What you have/want to say, im sure can wait a little bit.

[zeta_immersion]

You can be biking and on the phone same with skateboarding .... and running ... hands free bluetooth or earphones (gasping oh well, have talked on the phone while having sex, don't see the issue)

also, I have a counter example for your "in a taxi can wait" ...

---------

so, you are a banker, clearly have enough money for a taxy or limo, yet you have to deffer to oh wait, my stocks, board meeting can wait the 30min -1h because some idiot thought I cannot talk in a limmo.

similarly, a doctor witing in a taxy for some crucial info, a captain or a police officer ... watever man, really, so many valid examples where a hands free device can be literally a live (clearly death) situation.

The fact that people cannot do one thing at a time is well known, not not all are the same. I wold talk on the phone while driving (albeit I have a bluetooth) and have no problem with it. Don't read/send text but will talk.

[AJerman]

Wty the hell would he push for phone disconnect while moving ... I am on a bicycle and you wnat my phone off? ... skateboard? ... running?! -- speed -- what speed? going downhill while riding on a cheetah ? ... stupid politicians and their logic However, I would not mind forcing some phonelock ... maybe force bluetooth and if none detected then force text to speech or something .... actually, no, not even, put fines out .... rewards ... whoever turns in an idiot talking while driving will get a 200$ reward (paid to him in cash by the offender on top of other fined and demerit points)

Haha, I agree with you but those are the worst examples ever. Biking, skateboarding, and running are probably not good times to be using your phone either, regardless of if you CAN. You CAN text and drive, it doesn't make it safe. The previous examples of a bus, train, passenger in a car, etc are probably a lot better examples. There will never be a speed lock on phones though. That's not a viable solution to the problem.

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

Friend of mine was hit (he was stopped at a stop sign riding a motorcycle) by a texting teen age girl. she lost her license till she turns 25

[zeta_immersion]

She should lose the phone too, so that everyone would know how stupid behind the wheel she is ....

I had some close calls where some idiot merging on the freeway, texting/talking, no signal, jumped 3 lanes to mine and did not see me. Suffice to say a lot of wording and honking came from my direction towards the idiot.

[Manish]

And if your in a taxi or anything else, same as if you were driving. What you have/want to say, im sure can wait a little bit.

There's no need to get so worked up. People are calling it a stupid idea because it is. It's incredibly flawed and falls apart in several scenarios e.g. using a phone when you're a passenger or using a smartphone as a sat nav. There are far more sensible alternatives.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

There's no need to get so worked up. People are calling it a stupid idea because it is. It's incredibly flawed and falls apart in several scenarios e.g. using a phone when you're a passenger or using a smartphone as a sat nav. There are far more sensible alternatives.

Possibly there are better alternatives, this isn't the conclusion of a congressional research panel over 5 years. This is the knee jerk reaction to a devastating, but continually becoming common, event. The reality is something drastic needs to be done, and it will take a combination of legislation and technical changes, to stop cell phone use while driving; or biking for that matter.

I think the start would be coordinated law enforcement efforts and serious penalties when caught...

[Charisma Veteran]

Friend of mine was hit (he was stopped at a stop sign riding a motorcycle) by a texting teen age girl. she lost her license till she turns 25

This is my biggest fear when I ride my motorcycle these days--I wear all the bright shiny reflective stuff I can get my hands on, but I'm always appalled by idiots on their phone--the person going slowly in the left lane forcing people to pass on the right, the person weaving in and out of the lines, the person suddenly realising they're about to miss their exit and swerving recklessly across 2 or 3 lanes of traffic--that person is ALWAYS on their phone when this happens, talking or texting or something. I just know that if I get into an accident one day, that's going to be the cause...

[HSoft]

Possibly there are better alternatives, this isn't the conclusion of a congressional research panel over 5 years. This is the knee jerk reaction to a devastating, but continually becoming common, event. The reality is something drastic needs to be done, and it will take a combination of legislation and technical changes, to stop cell phone use while driving; or biking for that matter.

I think the start would be coordinated law enforcement efforts and serious penalties when caught...

What is the difference between having a phone conversation (using hands free bluetooth which is readily available and built into most modern cars) and talking to the person sitting in the passenger seat, or sitting in the rear seats?

Banning cell phones whilst driving is as you say a knee jerk reaction and completely over the top.

Texting whilst driving is a different matter but existing laws already cover that, wreckless driving etc.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

What is the difference between having a phone conversation (using hands free bluetooth which is readily available and built into most modern cars) and talking to the person sitting in the passenger seat, or sitting in the rear seats?

Banning cell phones whilst driving is as you say a knee jerk reaction and completely over the top.

Texting whilst driving is a different matter but existing laws already cover that, wreckless driving etc.

A major difference is the passenger being in the car with you as well. As such, the passenger can gauge the situation the driver is driving in to adjust their conversation. Essentially, if you see the driver is on a busy highway you would opt to not spark a conversation. Phone conversations don't allow both parties to participate in the act in this manner. The passenger also expects the driver to ignore them quite frequently, not something that is expected on the phone.

I'm also not convinced Bluetooth is an actual solution. The research needs to figure out (and I haven't checked on this so this could be already figured out) if the distraction is the device or the conversation. If it is the latter then Bluetooth isn't a solution. It is only shifting the source of the problem.