Police To Start Tracking Mobile Phone Related Crashes
from the get-some-evidence dept
There have been a lot of arguments over the past few years concerning just how big a distraction "driving while talking" really is. Now, we may finally get some more useful statistics than the anecdotal evidence everyone loves. Police in all 50 states are getting new codes to designate accidents where a mobile phone was a contributing factor. Of course, I imagine this will lead to a series of debates as well. How do they determine whether or not it was really the mobile phone that contributed to the accident, for instance?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
determining whether phone was a factor
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: determining whether phone was a factor
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: determining whether phone was a factor
Not necessarily, the other person involved in the collision may have witnessed the driver talking on a cell phone before the accident, as well as other witnesses to the crash. That is if witnesses remain at the scene (which always seems to be a problem.) I've been present during the investigation of a crash and have heard officers ask witnesses if either or both of the drivers were talking on the phone, driving eratically, etc.
If a witness or the other driver sees the driver talking on a cell phone, and there is a cell phone in the car, it might be easier to get a warrant for the phone records than otherwise.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]