Here are the numbers that Dr. Kerr put up during Mass Comm Law Monday:
1998: 98
1999: 107
2000: 93
2001: 134
2002: 235
2003: 337
2004: 567
2005: 775
2006: 802
The source is: Oklahoma Highway Safety Office.
The numbers are the TOTAL number of Oklahoma crashes where a cell phone was a factor.
Good luck!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Survey on Driving/Cell Phone Use By a Cell Company
A press release came out this morning from Teletouch Communication' Hawk Electronics Division. The company, one of the biggest cellular providers for AT&T in the Arkansas/Texas area focused on two issues in a an e-mail survey that garnered 458 responses: general cell etiquette and cell use while driving.
According to the Hawk survey:
According to the Hawk survey:
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Graphic
What if our graphic was a chart that showed different sources' data on how may wrecks per year are caused by cell phone usage? It would be interesting to compare how the numbers differ from source to source depending on the point they're trying to prove. Maybe.
Info on my wreck
The really mangled car is the one driven by the girl who was talking on her cell phone. The Camaro was the front car; the
marks on the Camaro are from my Jeep Grand Cherokee's front grill. Mine was the middle car.
Wreck info...
The wreck occurred in March 2007. I was driving south on 12th street during rush hour traffic, which was stop-and-go. I came to
a complete stop. The driver of the rear car (a Toyota, I think) drove into the back of my Jeep, pushing my car into the Camaro
stopped in front of me. My seatbelt caught me, and my arm hit the shifter, moving it into neutral. My car was diagonal
between my lane and the oncoming traffic lane.
I got out of my car and ran to the car behind me, as did the two girls in the Camaro. When asked if she was alright, the
girl causing the accident was still on her cell phone. She asked if we had called the police, and, when told yes, continued to talk
on her phone. She could not open the driver's side door because it was deformed in the wreck.
I believe she was chaged with negilgence while driving...it's on the police report, which can be pulled up.
My car was totaled, with damage to the front and rear. I believe the Camaro was totaled as well.
New state info on cell phone crashes
Just got off the phone with Kara Phillips, spokesman for Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.
She said the numbers for crashes involving cell phones are skewed because drivers don't admit to the officer that they were on the cell phone at the time.
"The numbers we have are by admission only," she said.
Phillips said cell phones are usually not the main cause of an accident anyway. A driver can look down at a cell phone, she said, look up and try to swerve to miss colliding with a car or object in the road. The driver will often overcorrect and have an accident.
"It just causes a chain of events," Phillips said.
She said the numbers for crashes involving cell phones are skewed because drivers don't admit to the officer that they were on the cell phone at the time.
"The numbers we have are by admission only," she said.
Phillips said cell phones are usually not the main cause of an accident anyway. A driver can look down at a cell phone, she said, look up and try to swerve to miss colliding with a car or object in the road. The driver will often overcorrect and have an accident.
"It just causes a chain of events," Phillips said.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Pictures?
I didn't know if we were planning on using pictures or anything of that nature for the story, but I have pictures from the 3-car wreck I was involved in last semester.
Do we need these???
Do we need these???
The Opposing View
Check out an editorial in today's Boston Herald.
"But until firm data confirms that talking on a hand-held phone is the biggest distraction for an experienced adult driver - one that causes accidents in greater numbers than any other - we’ll see this effort for the empty gesture that it is, and encourage its defeat."
"But until firm data confirms that talking on a hand-held phone is the biggest distraction for an experienced adult driver - one that causes accidents in greater numbers than any other - we’ll see this effort for the empty gesture that it is, and encourage its defeat."
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A suggestion
This may be too late for the cell phone story, but what if we found out the number of cell phone calls and text messages occuring every minute, hour, day, etc. to show the prevalence of cell phone use? I don't know who you would need to go to find out this information, but I am sure it is out there.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Wednesday Room Change & Guest Speaker
In-Depth Reporting Class:
Our 9:30 a.m. class tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 19) will be held in the Hall of Fame room in Gaylord Hall.
Our guest speaker is Ziva Branstetter, Projects & Investigative Editor for the Tulsa World.
I emailed you some bio info on Ziva and copies of some of her investigative work.
Please look over this material and come to class prepared to ask some questions.
Of the eight guest speakers I brought to campus last fall, five of whom were Pulitzer winners, Ziva was the most highly regarded by students. She can offer great ideas on how to conceive, plan and execute a big project story or feature.
She also is a good person to get to know if you have any potential interest in interning or working in Tulsa.
Thanks in advance for giving her a warm welcome.
Warren
Since taking charge of the Tulsa World projects team, Ziva Branstetter has won a series of investigative journalism awards for exposing problems with nursing home care, the juvenile justice system and political corruption in Oklahoma. She also has achieved recognition for championing open records issues, and coached her peers in the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization. Branstetter writes and edits projects for a three-person investigative team at the World, where she previously held positions as a reporter and assistant city editor. She also worked at the Philadelphia Daily News and the Tulsa Tribune.
Our 9:30 a.m. class tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 19) will be held in the Hall of Fame room in Gaylord Hall.
Our guest speaker is Ziva Branstetter, Projects & Investigative Editor for the Tulsa World.
I emailed you some bio info on Ziva and copies of some of her investigative work.
Please look over this material and come to class prepared to ask some questions.
Of the eight guest speakers I brought to campus last fall, five of whom were Pulitzer winners, Ziva was the most highly regarded by students. She can offer great ideas on how to conceive, plan and execute a big project story or feature.
She also is a good person to get to know if you have any potential interest in interning or working in Tulsa.
Thanks in advance for giving her a warm welcome.
Warren
Since taking charge of the Tulsa World projects team, Ziva Branstetter has won a series of investigative journalism awards for exposing problems with nursing home care, the juvenile justice system and political corruption in Oklahoma. She also has achieved recognition for championing open records issues, and coached her peers in the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization. Branstetter writes and edits projects for a three-person investigative team at the World, where she previously held positions as a reporter and assistant city editor. She also worked at the Philadelphia Daily News and the Tulsa Tribune.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Interview with Gina Harris
Gina Harris knows the power of talking
She has been talking to anyone who will listen about cell phone safety.
Harris said that she realizes that people would still use their phones while driving just like everyone speeds although it is against the law. She just wants people stop and analyze their actions.
“Hopefully this law will make people think about what they are doing, most people are good natured and do not intend to break the law,” She said.
Besides working with lawmakers she is also addressing the problem by talking with young people about this issue.
“The younger you start with children the easier it is for them to understand that this is a serious matter,” Harris said.
She has also been getting help from her extended family.
My cousin’s daughter has started a petition at Putnam High School to not use cell phones while driving.”
Harris says that Oklahoma is ready for this type of law.
“It is amazing how many people I talk to and I have only received one negative response, people want a change.”
She has been talking to anyone who will listen about cell phone safety.
Harris said that she realizes that people would still use their phones while driving just like everyone speeds although it is against the law. She just wants people stop and analyze their actions.
“Hopefully this law will make people think about what they are doing, most people are good natured and do not intend to break the law,” She said.
Besides working with lawmakers she is also addressing the problem by talking with young people about this issue.
“The younger you start with children the easier it is for them to understand that this is a serious matter,” Harris said.
She has also been getting help from her extended family.
My cousin’s daughter has started a petition at Putnam High School to not use cell phones while driving.”
Harris says that Oklahoma is ready for this type of law.
“It is amazing how many people I talk to and I have only received one negative response, people want a change.”
Insurance People
I don't know who's interviewing the insurance world, but I found a link to a State Farm web site dedicated to cell phone usage while driving.
Link: State Farm
Link: State Farm
A QUESTION!
Hey guys,
I was in a 3-car wreck last semester caused by a girl on her cell phone. I have the names of the other girls who were involved. Would someone want to interview them? I'm kind of at a conflict of interest since I was involved.
-Hailey
I was in a 3-car wreck last semester caused by a girl on her cell phone. I have the names of the other girls who were involved. Would someone want to interview them? I'm kind of at a conflict of interest since I was involved.
-Hailey
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Worse than drunk driving?
Here's a year-old article about some University of Utah psychologists who concluded that using a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk. The psychologists' names are David Strayer and Frank Drews.
Driving Instructor
Hey guys,
Has anyone interviewed a driving instructor or someone who teaches at a driving school? I know we talked abou it in class, but I wasn't sure if someone is doing it or not. Let me know. If we haven't I will go ahead and do that.
Has anyone interviewed a driving instructor or someone who teaches at a driving school? I know we talked abou it in class, but I wasn't sure if someone is doing it or not. Let me know. If we haven't I will go ahead and do that.
Interesting tidbit
RCR Wireless News released this interesting tidbit May 28, 2007:
"California state senator Carole Migden was involved in a car accident after she reached for her cellular phone while driving in her state-issued vehicle. Migden rear-ended the car in front of her, which had slowed down in traffic, said a California Highway Patrol spokesman. The driver of that car suffered minor injuries. Ironically, Migden supported California's recently passed law that fines drivers who talk on a mobile phone while driving. The law has not yet gone into effect, so Migden will not have to pay the fine."
"California state senator Carole Migden was involved in a car accident after she reached for her cellular phone while driving in her state-issued vehicle. Migden rear-ended the car in front of her, which had slowed down in traffic, said a California Highway Patrol spokesman. The driver of that car suffered minor injuries. Ironically, Migden supported California's recently passed law that fines drivers who talk on a mobile phone while driving. The law has not yet gone into effect, so Migden will not have to pay the fine."
Interview with former Johnston County Sheriff
John Smith, former Johnston County sheriff who is now a pastor for Rock Harbor Church, said he has seen a growing paradigm of cell phone use as a continuous form of communication that people do not want to relinquish, even when on the road.
“There’s just an explosion of cell phone use,” Smith said. “Everybody you see now has a cell phone- well, not everybody, but three out of every 10 drivers I see are talking on cell phones.”Smith attributes this incessant use of cell phones, even while driving, to increasingly active families busy with after-school extracurricular activities, like sports and band. To maintain the family-schedule as a cohesive unit, family members need the reliable and easily accessible communication that the cell phone encompasses.
“There’s just an explosion of cell phone use,” Smith said. “Everybody you see now has a cell phone- well, not everybody, but three out of every 10 drivers I see are talking on cell phones.”Smith attributes this incessant use of cell phones, even while driving, to increasingly active families busy with after-school extracurricular activities, like sports and band. To maintain the family-schedule as a cohesive unit, family members need the reliable and easily accessible communication that the cell phone encompasses.
Which international countries have baned cell phones while driving
International Action
It has been reported that as many as 40 countries may restrict or prohibit the use of cellular phones while driving. Countries reported to have laws related to cell phone use include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Botswana, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt,Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya,Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. Most countries prohibit the use of hand-held phones while driving. Drivers in the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom may use cell phones but can be fined if they are involved in crashes while using the phone. Drivers in the Germany and the United Kingdom also can lose insurance coverage if they are involved in a crash while talking on the phone.
Click here for the PDF
It has been reported that as many as 40 countries may restrict or prohibit the use of cellular phones while driving. Countries reported to have laws related to cell phone use include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Botswana, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt,Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya,Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. Most countries prohibit the use of hand-held phones while driving. Drivers in the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom may use cell phones but can be fined if they are involved in crashes while using the phone. Drivers in the Germany and the United Kingdom also can lose insurance coverage if they are involved in a crash while talking on the phone.
Click here for the PDF
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
CELLCRASH Assignments
CELLCRASH Reporting Assignments
09/12/07
New assignments
Sociology professor – Madeleine Peake
Key legislative votes – Will Prescott
OU students – Jilane Rodgers
Oklahoma political consultants – Spencer Livingston-Gainey
U.S. Cellular Oklahoma people – Tiara Etheridge
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions – Mary Gray
Still need to assign
More Oklahoma crash incidents & victims
Other phone companies in Oklahoma
Opponents in Legislature
Committee chairmen in Legislature
More sociologists, historians & political scientists to discuss Oklahoma’s reluctance to restrict
Any other experts at OU or elsewhere
09/12/07
New assignments
Sociology professor – Madeleine Peake
Key legislative votes – Will Prescott
OU students – Jilane Rodgers
Oklahoma political consultants – Spencer Livingston-Gainey
U.S. Cellular Oklahoma people – Tiara Etheridge
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions – Mary Gray
Still need to assign
More Oklahoma crash incidents & victims
Other phone companies in Oklahoma
Opponents in Legislature
Committee chairmen in Legislature
More sociologists, historians & political scientists to discuss Oklahoma’s reluctance to restrict
Any other experts at OU or elsewhere
Detriot Free Press
By BILL LAITNER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Southfield City Council took a step Monday night toward restricting – but not banning – cell-phone use while driving in the city.
By a 6-1 vote, city councilmembers at a study meeting approved sending a proposed ordinance for consideration at a future council meeting, proabably at the Sept. 24 meeting, City Clerk Nancy Banks said Tuesday morning.
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Southfield City Council took a step Monday night toward restricting – but not banning – cell-phone use while driving in the city.
By a 6-1 vote, city councilmembers at a study meeting approved sending a proposed ordinance for consideration at a future council meeting, proabably at the Sept. 24 meeting, City Clerk Nancy Banks said Tuesday morning.
SADD Statistics
The Lincoln County News reported some interesting figures from a teen advocacy group on the perils of texting while driving:
Anyone else heard of SADD? We probably need to follow up on this.
UPDATE -- Click here for a SADD press release about this topic.
...[R]esearch by SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)... indicated that a good majority of teens are well aware that texting and driving aren't compatible. The national survey of more than 900 teens with driver's licenses from 26 high schools rated instant or text messaging while driving as the biggest distraction (37 percent) while driving. In fact, it was 17 percent higher than "the driver's emotional state" (20 percent) and 18 percent higher than "having several friends in the car." The latter, by the way, is now prohibited among Oklahoma's youngest drivers thanks to Rep. Danny Morgan's graduated driver's license program.
Sadder still is the fact that all of these kids polled by SADD said they picked up their bad habits from their parents. Some 62 percent of the polled teens told researchers their parents talk on a cell phone while driving.
(NOTE: bolding was not in the original story)
Anyone else heard of SADD? We probably need to follow up on this.
UPDATE -- Click here for a SADD press release about this topic.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Bills, laws target teen drivers' cellphones
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Narin Leininger knows about the risks of talking on a cellphone or sending text messages while driving. The 16-year-old high school junior says he'd only use his phone behind the wheel in an emergency — a flat tire, traffic jam or crash.
But if he ever decided to whip out his phone to chat or text with a friend while steering, he wondered, could anyone stop him?
"There's no way a cop could see if you're texting under the steering wheel," said Leininger, a student at San Francisco's Lowell High School.
Still, California and 15 other states are considering bills banning teens from using electronic equipment while driving, according to the American Automobile Association. Another 13 states and the District of Columbia have passed bans......
But if he ever decided to whip out his phone to chat or text with a friend while steering, he wondered, could anyone stop him?
"There's no way a cop could see if you're texting under the steering wheel," said Leininger, a student at San Francisco's Lowell High School.
Still, California and 15 other states are considering bills banning teens from using electronic equipment while driving, according to the American Automobile Association. Another 13 states and the District of Columbia have passed bans......
Monday, September 10, 2007
Cell Phone Legislation in Today's News
Council Poised To Overturn Cell Phone Veto
Legislation banning students from carrying cell phones to school in NYC likely to be overturned (The New York Sun): The bill's sponsor, Council Member Lewis Fidler of Brooklyn, said the bill strengthens the position of opponents to the cell phone ban. It states that "no person shall interfere" with the right of a student to use a cell phone "en route to and from school."
While Calif. already has impending legislation banning cell phone use while driving, some law markers want to take another step (San Francisco, AP): The legislation, introduced by California Sen. Joe Simitian, would take effect next July. It would ban 16- and 17-year-olds from using any electronic device while driving — cell phones, text messaging devices, laptop computers, pagers, walkie-talkies and handheld computers, even those with "hands-free" features. (Last year, Schwarzenegger signed a bill that prohibits all drivers from holding a cell phone while driving. The measure, which takes effect in July 2008, allows hands-free devices.)
... According to a 2001 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 16-year-old drivers have a crash rate three times higher than that of 17-year-olds, five times greater than 18-year-olds and almost 10 times greater than drivers ages 30-59.
CTIA
CTIA's (The Wireless Association) Joseph Farren, who is the spokesman for this issue and he basically said they don't support legislation the restrict cell phone usage partially or fully, but they don't oppose wireless hands-free headset usage.
There are two PSA's on their site and some policy content under advocacy and policy
CTIA website
There are two PSA's on their site and some policy content under advocacy and policy
CTIA website
AAA and Consumer's Union
I contacted Bob Williams at Consumer's Union and he told me Consumer's Union did not do studies on such subjects as what I was asking about. He did tell me the stand they have on driving with cell phones, which was don't use them while driving. I also have several sites with studies done. I don't know if anyone has already looked at these and is writing about them. They are:
www.ctia.org
www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/distaction.pdf
www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr4006.pdf
http://www.aaafoundation.org/e-news/issue5/cellphone.cfm
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/PDF/nrd-13/BentsF_doc.pdf
www.ctia.org
www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/distaction.pdf
www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr4006.pdf
http://www.aaafoundation.org/e-news/issue5/cellphone.cfm
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/PDF/nrd-13/BentsF_doc.pdf
Dawniel's Niece
After my interview with Dawniel Stewart, I located court records on the man that hit and killed her niece. The man's name is Justin Lowell Piersall.
His court records are here.
He has recently been charged with Negligent Homicide (Involuntary Manslaughter) in the death of Jessalynn Renee Sanders, Dawniel's niece.
This could be something we can follow while writing the story and see how the case turns out.
His court records are here.
He has recently been charged with Negligent Homicide (Involuntary Manslaughter) in the death of Jessalynn Renee Sanders, Dawniel's niece.
This could be something we can follow while writing the story and see how the case turns out.
Cell phone ban information
Okay, here's all the cell phone ban information I collected and put into one place.
- While drivers continue to drive and chat on the home front, cell phone usage while driving has become a national law issue.
- Some form of cell phone ban exists in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Oklahoma is not included.
- Statewide bans have been enacted in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington D.C. Fourteen states allow local government to ban cell phone usage in city jurisdictions.
So, what about Oklahoma?- A bill to enact a statewide ban of cell phones in automobiles failed in May 1999.
- Legislation was passed that year prohibiting local authorities from enacting their own bans. Oklahoma is one of nine states forbidding local bans, including Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, ***NEW JERSEY?? (says so on some sites but not others)*** Nevada, Oregon and Utah.
- While Oklahoma does not ban cell phone usage in automobiles, state police are required by law to include information about cell phone in accident reports.
Cell phone bans are not only enacted in the United States. They have become more common worldwide.
- As of May, 2007, 47 countries have completely banned cell phone usage while driving.
- In India and, in some incidents, Bahrain, cell phone usage in an automobile is a criminal offense and can be punished by imprisonment. In Poland, fines can be as high as $1000.
- Partial bans exist in Canada, Mexico and Pakistan, and legislation is being debated in Botswana—the attorney general is drafting legislation—and New Zealand.
- In India and, in some incidents, Bahrain, cell phone usage in an automobile is a criminal offense and can be punished by imprisonment. In Poland, fines can be as high as $1000.
Technorati Roundup
My searches have not yielded any blogs that focus primarily on our topic. My most effective search terms were "Cell phone" AND "driving ban."
The quotations marks as well as the AND were essential to filer out tons of unrelevant results.
Technorati did find individual positings on the topic. Most posts referred to newspapers articles and I have included the links below.
Two articles (1, 2) detail California's cell-phone driving ban that targets teenagers only. The articles mention 15 other states and the District of Columbia already have similiar bans.
Article on how Chicago police are not really enforcing a cell-phone driving ban. (The tickets are only $50 anyway.) The linked story also refers to an independent study that says the NYC ban only changed behavior for a few months.
Pennsylvania legislator seeks to ban texting when driving.
5 teens died in a car wreck when the car's driver crashed into a truck while text messaging someone.
The quotations marks as well as the AND were essential to filer out tons of unrelevant results.
Technorati did find individual positings on the topic. Most posts referred to newspapers articles and I have included the links below.
Two articles (1, 2) detail California's cell-phone driving ban that targets teenagers only. The articles mention 15 other states and the District of Columbia already have similiar bans.
Article on how Chicago police are not really enforcing a cell-phone driving ban. (The tickets are only $50 anyway.) The linked story also refers to an independent study that says the NYC ban only changed behavior for a few months.
Pennsylvania legislator seeks to ban texting when driving.
5 teens died in a car wreck when the car's driver crashed into a truck while text messaging someone.
contact info for national sources
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: 1-888-327-4236
National Transportation Safety Board: (202) 314-6000
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: 1-800-832-5660
National Transportation Safety Board: (202) 314-6000
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: 1-800-832-5660
Wesselhoft
Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, R-Moore, plans to introduce legislature that would discourage cell phone use while driving.Wesselhoft said the number of accidents caused by inattentive drivers chatting on cell phones has skyrocketed, citing numbers reported by the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office.
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office listed an increase in cell phone-related vehicular accidents from 98 in 1998 to 802 in 2006, Wesselhoft said.
Wesselhoft's bill would call for a mandatory 20-day jail sentence and $1,000 in fines when an automobile accident contributed to cell phone use has causes bodily harm to the victim, Wesselhoft said.
When questioned about the severity of the bill, Wesselhoft said, "No, I do not think it's too harsh. We have to think about the victims out there. They're getting killed."
Two other provisions in the bill include a prohibition against school drivers using cell phones while transporting children, unless it's a verifiable emergency, and a prohibition against teenagers with a learning permit using cell phones while driving.
"They're just learning to drive a car," Wesselhoft said. "They don't need to be texting."Wesselhoft said although Oklahoma law forbids distractive driving, it is not enforced.
Wesselhoft said he hopes his bill will bring this issue to the forefront, but his track record has not been so forthcoming.
In 2005, Wesselhoft filed a bill that would have made "hands-free" cell phones in vehicles a requirement; however, the measure didn't make it out of committee hearings, Wesselhoft said.
Wesselhoft said that Oklahoma legislature tends to be reactive rather than proactive.
"Unfortunately, my colleagues react to tragedy," Wesselhoft said. "I'd rather be in the prevention side."
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office listed an increase in cell phone-related vehicular accidents from 98 in 1998 to 802 in 2006, Wesselhoft said.
Wesselhoft's bill would call for a mandatory 20-day jail sentence and $1,000 in fines when an automobile accident contributed to cell phone use has causes bodily harm to the victim, Wesselhoft said.
When questioned about the severity of the bill, Wesselhoft said, "No, I do not think it's too harsh. We have to think about the victims out there. They're getting killed."
Two other provisions in the bill include a prohibition against school drivers using cell phones while transporting children, unless it's a verifiable emergency, and a prohibition against teenagers with a learning permit using cell phones while driving.
"They're just learning to drive a car," Wesselhoft said. "They don't need to be texting."Wesselhoft said although Oklahoma law forbids distractive driving, it is not enforced.
Wesselhoft said he hopes his bill will bring this issue to the forefront, but his track record has not been so forthcoming.
In 2005, Wesselhoft filed a bill that would have made "hands-free" cell phones in vehicles a requirement; however, the measure didn't make it out of committee hearings, Wesselhoft said.
Wesselhoft said that Oklahoma legislature tends to be reactive rather than proactive.
"Unfortunately, my colleagues react to tragedy," Wesselhoft said. "I'd rather be in the prevention side."
Sunday, September 09, 2007
State stats
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office 2006 Factbook states that the numbers of car crashes in which a cell phone was being used has increased 81 percent from 1997-2006.
And according to the OHSO, there have been 3,333 car crashes in the since 1997 in which a cell phone was in use. However, Kathy Adams, OHSO data specialist said those numbers also include other forms of crashes, such as alcohol or drug involvement, so that doesn’t mean the crash was necessarily caused by cell phone use or distraction.
The most common type of crash in 2006, according to the report, was inattention. There were 291 crashes in 2006 where a cell phone was being used, more than 100 higher than the previous year, 185. It’s also a 90 percent increase from 1997, when only 29 crashes involving cell phone use were credited to inattention.
-Baxter Holmes
And according to the OHSO, there have been 3,333 car crashes in the since 1997 in which a cell phone was in use. However, Kathy Adams, OHSO data specialist said those numbers also include other forms of crashes, such as alcohol or drug involvement, so that doesn’t mean the crash was necessarily caused by cell phone use or distraction.
The most common type of crash in 2006, according to the report, was inattention. There were 291 crashes in 2006 where a cell phone was being used, more than 100 higher than the previous year, 185. It’s also a 90 percent increase from 1997, when only 29 crashes involving cell phone use were credited to inattention.
-Baxter Holmes
State stats
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office 2006 Factbook states that the numbers of car crashes in which a cell phone was being used has increased 81 percent from 1997-2006.
And according to the OHSO, there have been 3,333 car crashes in the since 1997 in which a cell phone was in use. However, Kathy Adams, OHSO data specialist said those numbers also include other forms of crashes, such as alcohol or drug involvement, so that doesn’t mean the crash was necessarily caused by cell phone use or distraction.
The most common type of crash in 2006, according to the report, was inattention. There were 291 crashes in 2006 where a cell phone was being used, more than 100 higher than the previous year, 185. It’s also a 90 percent increase from 1997, when only 29 crashes involving cell phone use were credited to inattention.
-Baxter Holmes
And according to the OHSO, there have been 3,333 car crashes in the since 1997 in which a cell phone was in use. However, Kathy Adams, OHSO data specialist said those numbers also include other forms of crashes, such as alcohol or drug involvement, so that doesn’t mean the crash was necessarily caused by cell phone use or distraction.
The most common type of crash in 2006, according to the report, was inattention. There were 291 crashes in 2006 where a cell phone was being used, more than 100 higher than the previous year, 185. It’s also a 90 percent increase from 1997, when only 29 crashes involving cell phone use were credited to inattention.
-Baxter Holmes
Benefits of using cell phones while driving?!
Study Finds That Restricting Cell Phones While Driving May Be Premature, That Benefits May Be More Compelling Than The Risks
For immediate release: July 24, 2000
Boston, MA--As public concern about driver distraction increases, a risk-benefit study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis finds that:
• Cellular phone use while driving does pose a risk to the driver, to other motorists, and to pedestrians. It is unclear whether "hands-free" phones are safer than handheld phones.
• The risks appear to be small compared to other daily risks but are uncertain because existing research is limited and of uneven quality.
• Little previous work has been done to identify and assess the benefits of the use of cellular phones in motor vehicles.
The Risks
• The authors calculate that a driver's average risk of being killed while using a cell phone is 6.4 in a million per year. That is 80 percent less than the average risk of fatality to a driver with a blood alcohol level of .10%.
• The risk of a passenger, another motorist, or a pedestrian being killed by a driver using a cell phone is 1.5 in a million per year. That is 92 percent less than the annual risk of being killed by a driver with non-zero blood alcohol content.
The Benefits
Focus groups of cell phone users and emergency services personnel identified benefits to drivers, families, social networks, businesses, and public health and safety, including:
• Expanded productive time.
• Peace of mind.
• Reducing the number and duration of trips.
• Decreased emergency response times/improved life saving outcomes.
• More effective apprehension of motor vehicle law violators such as drunk drivers.
The study notes that the cost of banning cell phone use while driving is about $700,000 for each quality-adjusted life year saved. That is 30 times more expensive than achieving the same public health benefit with driver airbags, and ten times more expensive than achieving that benefit by keeping the speed limit on interstate highways at 55 instead of 65 MPH.
The authors urge that before government regulates cell phone use by drivers, better quantitative information on risks and benefits should be collected. They recommend immediate educational efforts to curtail multiple sources of driver distraction.
The study was funded by AT&T Wireless. It underwent a thorough peer review by 12 scientists, including the leading researchers in the field.
A summary of the report is available in the current issue of Risk in Perspective: Cell Phones and Driving: Weighing Risks and Benefits (PDF).
For immediate release: July 24, 2000
Boston, MA--As public concern about driver distraction increases, a risk-benefit study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis finds that:
• Cellular phone use while driving does pose a risk to the driver, to other motorists, and to pedestrians. It is unclear whether "hands-free" phones are safer than handheld phones.
• The risks appear to be small compared to other daily risks but are uncertain because existing research is limited and of uneven quality.
• Little previous work has been done to identify and assess the benefits of the use of cellular phones in motor vehicles.
The Risks
• The authors calculate that a driver's average risk of being killed while using a cell phone is 6.4 in a million per year. That is 80 percent less than the average risk of fatality to a driver with a blood alcohol level of .10%.
• The risk of a passenger, another motorist, or a pedestrian being killed by a driver using a cell phone is 1.5 in a million per year. That is 92 percent less than the annual risk of being killed by a driver with non-zero blood alcohol content.
The Benefits
Focus groups of cell phone users and emergency services personnel identified benefits to drivers, families, social networks, businesses, and public health and safety, including:
• Expanded productive time.
• Peace of mind.
• Reducing the number and duration of trips.
• Decreased emergency response times/improved life saving outcomes.
• More effective apprehension of motor vehicle law violators such as drunk drivers.
The study notes that the cost of banning cell phone use while driving is about $700,000 for each quality-adjusted life year saved. That is 30 times more expensive than achieving the same public health benefit with driver airbags, and ten times more expensive than achieving that benefit by keeping the speed limit on interstate highways at 55 instead of 65 MPH.
The authors urge that before government regulates cell phone use by drivers, better quantitative information on risks and benefits should be collected. They recommend immediate educational efforts to curtail multiple sources of driver distraction.
The study was funded by AT&T Wireless. It underwent a thorough peer review by 12 scientists, including the leading researchers in the field.
A summary of the report is available in the current issue of Risk in Perspective: Cell Phones and Driving: Weighing Risks and Benefits (PDF).
First Draft of CELLCRASH Story
There's a CELLCRASH link on the Class Wiki home page.
It will take you to what will become the first draft of the story.
At this point, I've only got one file from Whitney Coleman.
So....
FILE EARLY AND FILE OFTEN!
WV
It will take you to what will become the first draft of the story.
At this point, I've only got one file from Whitney Coleman.
So....
FILE EARLY AND FILE OFTEN!
WV
How legislatures feel about the issue
Matt Sundeen
Program Principal, Transportation
National Conference of State Legislatures
7700 East First Place
Denver, CO 80230
Phone: (303) 364-7700, ext. 1539
Fax: (303) 364-7800
matt.sundeen@ncsl.org
interviewed August 29, 2007 by Whitney Coleman
How legislatures feel about the issue
Matt Sundeen works with the transportation program at the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that provides information to legislatures about issues that are important to various states. He said driving while using cell phones has grown as an issue with legislatures over the past five years.
“10 to 15 years ago very few people had cell phones, so we didn’t have much legislation on this topic,” Sundeen said. “We’ve seen a real growth in the technology available to people and corresponding legislation.”
In the 2006 State Legislative Update on Cell Phones and Highway Safety, Sundeen cites a 2007 survey from Nationwide Insurance that estimated that 73 percent of drivers use cell phones. Sundeen said that legislatures, like anyone else, appreciate the value of using a cell phone while driving and recognize its increasing risks. He said they are also waiting on a consensus on the issue amongst law officials and experts, because, unlike drunk driving, cell phones can serve a purpose.
“They are reluctant to take away what’s valuable to people when they don’t have data to support it yet. I think everyone agrees that cell phones are distracting, but do they agree that they’re distracting enough to warrant legislation?” Sundeen said.
Sundeen said an incident or an obvious increased risk may be necessary to warrant harsh legislation against cell phones while driving. But for now, legislatures, like anyone else, witness how drivers perform while on their cell phones and may soon react to their observations.
He said nine states have passed new laws regarding driver distractions, seven of which were specific to cell phones, since he compiled this report last year. The closest Oklahoma has come to legislation was a bill presented by Senator Constance Johnson that would have prohibited cell phones while driving.
Clearly it’s an issue that’s here to stay,” Sundeen said. “It’s difficult to predict how many states will pass laws prohibiting the use of cell phones, but certainly we will see a lot of legislation considered over the next couple of years.”
ALSO INTERESTING... A LIST OF LAWS FROM EACH STATE ON CELL PHONES
Program Principal, Transportation
National Conference of State Legislatures
7700 East First Place
Denver, CO 80230
Phone: (303) 364-7700, ext. 1539
Fax: (303) 364-7800
matt.sundeen@ncsl.org
interviewed August 29, 2007 by Whitney Coleman
How legislatures feel about the issue
Matt Sundeen works with the transportation program at the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that provides information to legislatures about issues that are important to various states. He said driving while using cell phones has grown as an issue with legislatures over the past five years.
“10 to 15 years ago very few people had cell phones, so we didn’t have much legislation on this topic,” Sundeen said. “We’ve seen a real growth in the technology available to people and corresponding legislation.”
In the 2006 State Legislative Update on Cell Phones and Highway Safety, Sundeen cites a 2007 survey from Nationwide Insurance that estimated that 73 percent of drivers use cell phones. Sundeen said that legislatures, like anyone else, appreciate the value of using a cell phone while driving and recognize its increasing risks. He said they are also waiting on a consensus on the issue amongst law officials and experts, because, unlike drunk driving, cell phones can serve a purpose.
“They are reluctant to take away what’s valuable to people when they don’t have data to support it yet. I think everyone agrees that cell phones are distracting, but do they agree that they’re distracting enough to warrant legislation?” Sundeen said.
Sundeen said an incident or an obvious increased risk may be necessary to warrant harsh legislation against cell phones while driving. But for now, legislatures, like anyone else, witness how drivers perform while on their cell phones and may soon react to their observations.
He said nine states have passed new laws regarding driver distractions, seven of which were specific to cell phones, since he compiled this report last year. The closest Oklahoma has come to legislation was a bill presented by Senator Constance Johnson that would have prohibited cell phones while driving.
Clearly it’s an issue that’s here to stay,” Sundeen said. “It’s difficult to predict how many states will pass laws prohibiting the use of cell phones, but certainly we will see a lot of legislation considered over the next couple of years.”
ALSO INTERESTING... A LIST OF LAWS FROM EACH STATE ON CELL PHONES
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Bus Information from the Oklahoma House of Representatives Media Division
Just an update with the bus angle.
August 14, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Paul Wesselhöft
Capitol: (405) 557-7343
Moore: (405) 517-7148
Bill to Ban Cell Phone Use by Bus Drivers
OKLAHOMA CITY –State Rep. Paul Wesselhoft today said his “anti-cell phone use and driving” bill will include a provision to protect Oklahoma children by prohibiting school bus drivers from using a cell while driving.
“People need to stop using cell phones and keep both hands on the wheel when driving, especially those who are carrying such precious cargo, our children,” said Wesselhöft, R-Moore.
The Moore Republican plans to file legislation to create the Brittanie Montgomery Act—named after 19-year-old Honey Bee cheerleader Brittanie Montgomery who died in a car wreck while text messaging. The legislation will increase the punishment for cell-phone-using drivers who cause accidents and will prohibit all teenage drivers holding a learner’s permit from using cell phone or any wireless device when driving.
“I wish no one would talk or text on cell phones and drive—they need to pay attention to the road. However, Wesselhoft’s bill is the next best thing and I fully endorse it,” said Gina Harris, mother of Brittanie Montgomery. “It is an honor that the bill is named in memory of my daughter. I only hope it can prevent a tragedy like Brittanie’s from occurring.”
Today, Wesselhöft said the bill will also completely prohibit public school bus drivers from using a cell phone use while driving except in the case of a verified emergency.
Under Wesselhöft’s bill if an automobile accident can be attributed to cell-phone use, the penalty will be a mandatory $1,000 fine and 20 days in jail along with any other penalties for other crimes associated with the accident. Bus drivers caught using their phone while driving will face a mandatory $1,000 fine. Holders of learners permit using a cell phone will driving will face a mandatory $500 fine.
-more-
Wesselhöft noted that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that public school bus drivers be forbidden to use cell phone except in the case of an emergency. NTSB research has shown that the cognitive effects of conducting a conversation on a wireless telephone while driving can decrease situational awareness and reaction time.
NTSB also concluded that current state law is inadequate to protect young novice drivers from distractions that can lead to accidents.
“We are paying these individuals to drive and to drive safe,” said Wesselhöft. “There is no need for them to make any phone calls until after the children have been delivered to school safely.”
A research study by the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) showed drivers looked at the road less while dialing manually (just 40 percent of the time) than when using hands-free dialing (50 percent).
“School bus drivers’ primary focus needs to be on the road, not on a social phone call or text,” said Wesselhöft.
The Call of Duty
Publication:The Oklahoman;
Date:Jul 20, 2007; Section:Front page; Page Number:4
Most school bus drivers are free to gab on phone • Only 13 states ban the practice; Oklahoma isn’t among them.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures By Scripps Howard News Service
Despite the widely recognized dangers, school bus drivers in most of the country are free to chat on their cell phones — or even punch in text messages — while transporting America’s children to class and back.
In fact, only 13 states forbid the practice, except in emergencies. And even in some of the areas where it is banned, enforcement is so spotty that citizen watchdogs and news media investigators have had no problem documenting scofflaws.
“The only kind of communication device a bus driver should be using ... is an installed portable radio. And even then, we would recommend they use it while they are stopped,” said Pete Japikseis, a co-director of the American School Bus Council and a staffer at the Ohio Department of Education.
That is also the conclusion of the National Transportation Safety Board that last December called for a coast-to-coast ban. “Professional drivers who have dozens of passengers’ lives entrusted to them should devote their full attention to their task,” NTSB Mark Rosenker said.
Though the federal safety board called on it to do so, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has not issued regulations barring cell phone use by those who drive school buses.
Some states or school districts take an intermediate route in trying to curtail the practice by imposing administrative rules that critics say amount to hand slaps and are subject to little oversight.
And even in states with laws, cell phone use can remain pervasive, observers have found.
What about scofflaws where chatting is banned?
Here are some documented cases in states where cell phone talking is banned for bus drivers, but where drivers were seen ignoring the law:
• In Los Angeles, where it has been illegal since 2004 for school bus operators to drive while talking on a phone, a TV crew in May spotted a driver making a right turn one-handed while on the phone and holding a cup.
• The same month, a citizen in Ogden, Utah, snapped pictures of a school-district driver steering with her elbows as she talked on the phone.
• In Texas, where state law bans the practice, TV news cameras caught a driver in Dallas rolling over curbs as she held a cell-phone conversation that lasted at least 18 minutes.
What’s the scope of the problem?
To date, none of the 25 million children who ride 475,000 school buses each school day have died as a result of a handful of wrecks tied to the drivers’ use of cell phones.
But experts predict that some will if there is not a concerted crackdown.
Crashes include:
• One that caused devastating injury to a young schoolgirl from Philadelphia. She and dozens of other children were traveling home from a field trip to the Baltimore aquarium when a tractor-trailer drifted into the school bus’ lane and the vehicles collided. The bus driver seemed oblivious, witnesses would later say.
• In 2004, a suburban Washington, D.C. bus driver was so busy chatting on his handsfree phone that he failed to notice a looming “low clearance” bridge that he slammed into.
• In 2005, a Maryland school bus driver lost control while driving with one hand as she answered her cell. The bus slid down an embankment.
States with bans
• Arizona
• Kentucky
• Arkansas
• Massachusetts
• California
• New Jersey
• Connecticut
• Rhode Island
• Delaware
• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Texas
• Illinois
In North Carolina, a school bus cell-ban bill is now on the governor’s desk.
Oklahoma ties
Oklahoma does not have a state law that prohibits cell phone usage while driving for any drivers, including school bus drivers. The only law Oklahoma has is a prohibition on local municipalities restricting cell phone usage, meaning only a statewide policy can be put into place.
An attempt to ban talking on a cell phone while driving failed to get a hearing last session.
Date:Jul 20, 2007; Section:Front page; Page Number:4
Most school bus drivers are free to gab on phone • Only 13 states ban the practice; Oklahoma isn’t among them.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures By Scripps Howard News Service
Despite the widely recognized dangers, school bus drivers in most of the country are free to chat on their cell phones — or even punch in text messages — while transporting America’s children to class and back.
In fact, only 13 states forbid the practice, except in emergencies. And even in some of the areas where it is banned, enforcement is so spotty that citizen watchdogs and news media investigators have had no problem documenting scofflaws.
“The only kind of communication device a bus driver should be using ... is an installed portable radio. And even then, we would recommend they use it while they are stopped,” said Pete Japikseis, a co-director of the American School Bus Council and a staffer at the Ohio Department of Education.
That is also the conclusion of the National Transportation Safety Board that last December called for a coast-to-coast ban. “Professional drivers who have dozens of passengers’ lives entrusted to them should devote their full attention to their task,” NTSB Mark Rosenker said.
Though the federal safety board called on it to do so, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has not issued regulations barring cell phone use by those who drive school buses.
Some states or school districts take an intermediate route in trying to curtail the practice by imposing administrative rules that critics say amount to hand slaps and are subject to little oversight.
And even in states with laws, cell phone use can remain pervasive, observers have found.
What about scofflaws where chatting is banned?
Here are some documented cases in states where cell phone talking is banned for bus drivers, but where drivers were seen ignoring the law:
• In Los Angeles, where it has been illegal since 2004 for school bus operators to drive while talking on a phone, a TV crew in May spotted a driver making a right turn one-handed while on the phone and holding a cup.
• The same month, a citizen in Ogden, Utah, snapped pictures of a school-district driver steering with her elbows as she talked on the phone.
• In Texas, where state law bans the practice, TV news cameras caught a driver in Dallas rolling over curbs as she held a cell-phone conversation that lasted at least 18 minutes.
What’s the scope of the problem?
To date, none of the 25 million children who ride 475,000 school buses each school day have died as a result of a handful of wrecks tied to the drivers’ use of cell phones.
But experts predict that some will if there is not a concerted crackdown.
Crashes include:
• One that caused devastating injury to a young schoolgirl from Philadelphia. She and dozens of other children were traveling home from a field trip to the Baltimore aquarium when a tractor-trailer drifted into the school bus’ lane and the vehicles collided. The bus driver seemed oblivious, witnesses would later say.
• In 2004, a suburban Washington, D.C. bus driver was so busy chatting on his handsfree phone that he failed to notice a looming “low clearance” bridge that he slammed into.
• In 2005, a Maryland school bus driver lost control while driving with one hand as she answered her cell. The bus slid down an embankment.
States with bans
• Arizona
• Kentucky
• Arkansas
• Massachusetts
• California
• New Jersey
• Connecticut
• Rhode Island
• Delaware
• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Texas
• Illinois
In North Carolina, a school bus cell-ban bill is now on the governor’s desk.
Oklahoma ties
Oklahoma does not have a state law that prohibits cell phone usage while driving for any drivers, including school bus drivers. The only law Oklahoma has is a prohibition on local municipalities restricting cell phone usage, meaning only a statewide policy can be put into place.
An attempt to ban talking on a cell phone while driving failed to get a hearing last session.
Oologah board wants drivers to hang up
Publication:The Oklahoman; Date:Jan 11, 2003; Section:Oklahoma; Page Number:5
Cell phone restriction considered
Oologah board wants drivers to hang up
By The Associated Press
OOLOGAH — The motorcycle-riding mayor said he’d had enough of close calls with distracted drivers on cell phones. A trustee added her complaint about visitors thinking a downtown statue showed Will Rogers with a cell phone to his ear.
The other members of the Oologah Town Board echoed the frustrations. Now, they’re looking to do what the state has not: ban drivers from using handheld cell phones.
“They got hold of it and wouldn’t let go,” said Mayor Jerry Holland, whose complaints touched a nerve at Monday’s board meeting. “And they just about passed the ordinance while our attorney was in the other room.”
Oologah’s attorney was still looking Friday into whether the town of 840 on U.S. 169 can make cell phone use by drivers a moving traffic violation, Holland said.
Oklahoma has not followed the lead of New York state, which banned driver cell phone use in June 2001.
According to a poll conducted for The Oklahoman in 2001, 62 percent of those polled supported a state law to ban the use of cell phones while driving. However, 77 percent of those same respondents said they don’t pull over to use a cell phone, but rather continue to drive.
The mayor’s frustration has been growing since an accident two years ago in which his auto was rear-ended by a driver who was talking on a cell phone. He said he’s also experienced several near misses with cell-phone talking motorists while riding his motorcycle.
“When something gets under my craw it has to come out,” he said.
Still, he was surprised by the reaction of the other trustees when he voiced his complaints.
Trustee Jan Miller described her shock when a tourist asked why the downtown statue of Will Rogers portrays him with a cell phone. The cowboy humorist, who was born here, does strike somewhat of a cell phone pose with his hand to one side of his head under a tilted hat.
“Is that what Will Rogers said — ‘I never met a cell phone I didn’t like?’ ” she asked at the meeting.
The board plans to vote on the final ordinance Feb. 3.
Holland described the ban as a preventive measure.
If it passes, he said the town would post signs along U.S. 169 warning drivers they could be prosecuted for jabbering away while driving.
He said there would be exemptions in emergencies.
If it were up to Holland, though, such a ban wouldn’t stop at cars.
“My own personal feeling is I think they should ban cell phones in restaurants,” he said.
Cell phone restriction considered
Oologah board wants drivers to hang up
By The Associated Press
OOLOGAH — The motorcycle-riding mayor said he’d had enough of close calls with distracted drivers on cell phones. A trustee added her complaint about visitors thinking a downtown statue showed Will Rogers with a cell phone to his ear.
The other members of the Oologah Town Board echoed the frustrations. Now, they’re looking to do what the state has not: ban drivers from using handheld cell phones.
“They got hold of it and wouldn’t let go,” said Mayor Jerry Holland, whose complaints touched a nerve at Monday’s board meeting. “And they just about passed the ordinance while our attorney was in the other room.”
Oologah’s attorney was still looking Friday into whether the town of 840 on U.S. 169 can make cell phone use by drivers a moving traffic violation, Holland said.
Oklahoma has not followed the lead of New York state, which banned driver cell phone use in June 2001.
According to a poll conducted for The Oklahoman in 2001, 62 percent of those polled supported a state law to ban the use of cell phones while driving. However, 77 percent of those same respondents said they don’t pull over to use a cell phone, but rather continue to drive.
The mayor’s frustration has been growing since an accident two years ago in which his auto was rear-ended by a driver who was talking on a cell phone. He said he’s also experienced several near misses with cell-phone talking motorists while riding his motorcycle.
“When something gets under my craw it has to come out,” he said.
Still, he was surprised by the reaction of the other trustees when he voiced his complaints.
Trustee Jan Miller described her shock when a tourist asked why the downtown statue of Will Rogers portrays him with a cell phone. The cowboy humorist, who was born here, does strike somewhat of a cell phone pose with his hand to one side of his head under a tilted hat.
“Is that what Will Rogers said — ‘I never met a cell phone I didn’t like?’ ” she asked at the meeting.
The board plans to vote on the final ordinance Feb. 3.
Holland described the ban as a preventive measure.
If it passes, he said the town would post signs along U.S. 169 warning drivers they could be prosecuted for jabbering away while driving.
He said there would be exemptions in emergencies.
If it were up to Holland, though, such a ban wouldn’t stop at cars.
“My own personal feeling is I think they should ban cell phones in restaurants,” he said.
Oklahoma Air Force and cell phones
Publication:The Oklahoman; Date:Feb 28, 2006; Section:Local & State; Page Number:10
Air Force implements restriction against drivers holding cell phone
By Jay F. Marks, Staff Writer
Drivers with one hand on the wheel and the other pressing a cellular telephone to their ear now face fines or the loss of driving privileges at most Oklahoma military bases.
The Air Force on Monday implemented its restriction on talking on a cell phone while driving, although ongoing union negotiations at Tinker Air Force Base have put the measure on hold there.
The ban — which prohibits drivers from talking on a cell phone while driving unless they are using a hands-free device — went into effect as scheduled Monday at Vance Air Force Base in Enid.
Officials have issued warnings to people who talked on the phone while driving to educate them about the new proposal, Lt. Nicole Poff said. A notice about the new restriction also was printed in the base newspaper.
Those who violate the cell phone ban can face a ticket or other sanctions.
Military members and their families can lose their driving privileges if too many points for such violations accumulate, Poff said.
Altus Air Force Base opted to put the ban into action a week early.
Spokesman Michael Fletcher said there have not been any reported violations.
He said officials got the word out early about the ban, so there have not been any problems.
Commanders at Fort Sill and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant have enacted similar restrictions, officials said.
Air Force implements restriction against drivers holding cell phone
By Jay F. Marks, Staff Writer
Drivers with one hand on the wheel and the other pressing a cellular telephone to their ear now face fines or the loss of driving privileges at most Oklahoma military bases.
The Air Force on Monday implemented its restriction on talking on a cell phone while driving, although ongoing union negotiations at Tinker Air Force Base have put the measure on hold there.
The ban — which prohibits drivers from talking on a cell phone while driving unless they are using a hands-free device — went into effect as scheduled Monday at Vance Air Force Base in Enid.
Officials have issued warnings to people who talked on the phone while driving to educate them about the new proposal, Lt. Nicole Poff said. A notice about the new restriction also was printed in the base newspaper.
Those who violate the cell phone ban can face a ticket or other sanctions.
Military members and their families can lose their driving privileges if too many points for such violations accumulate, Poff said.
Altus Air Force Base opted to put the ban into action a week early.
Spokesman Michael Fletcher said there have not been any reported violations.
He said officials got the word out early about the ban, so there have not been any problems.
Commanders at Fort Sill and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant have enacted similar restrictions, officials said.
Cell phones’ pervasive tones are assaults on public etiquette
Publication:The Oklahoman; Date:Jun 29, 2003; Section:Living; Page Number:95
Dead ringer for unsafe distraction
Cell phones’ pervasive tones are assaults on public etiquette
By Brandy McDonnell Staff Writer
GLORIA Auth remembers a long silence on the other end of a cellular telephone as "the most terrifying three minutes of my life."
She had called a friend on his cellular telephone while he was driving. While they were talking, he was involved in an accident. She heard the crash and then nothing but silence. Then, he started to moan, and she knew he was hurt.
While her friend was not seriously injured, his car was totaled. Auth said she feels partly responsible for the accident, since her call distracted him.
For Auth, an Edmond etiquette coach, the incident proves that, although their owners can take the gadgets most anywhere, cellular telephones are not to be used everywhere. Safety and courtesy must be considerations when using a portable telephone.
"We’re not that indispensable. There was a time when people couldn’t reach us 24/7," said Auth, founder and director of Protocol Plus. "It’s a convenience. Don’t abuse it."
July is Cell Phone Courtesy Month. With the boom in the number of cell phone users, Auth said it is important for people to be aware of their environment when they use their telephones, especially if they are in a vehicle.
"It’s an obsession. It’s almost like cell phones and cars go together. We get in the car, and we want to multitask," Auth said.
She suggested drivers should generally avoid using cell phones, because inattention while driving can significantly increase the risk of crashing. Motorists should make calls before they put the vehicle in drive and use a hands-free headset if they have to use the telephone while moving. They should suspend conversations in hazardous conditions, including rain, snow, construction and heavy traffic.
Just because a person’s cell phone rings doesn’t mean he or she is obligated to take the call, in the car or otherwise.
"Never discuss anything that’s going to be stressful or emotional on the phone, because you don’t realize how much that takes your attention away from driving," she said.
When calling a person’s cell phone, callers should find out whether that person is driving, she said. If the phone owner is behind the wheel, make the conversation brief or call back later.
When making a call from a cell phone, she recommended letting the other person know, in case of interference or lost calls.
Even if a cell phone is a person’s only phone, it is not intended to bring personal and business calls into the public arena. People often talk more loudly than they intend when using portable telephones, and some don’t use good judgment about what is appropriate to discuss in public.
"People don’t need or want to know your personal business," she said, adding she and several other strangers once heard a woman reveal intimate details about a date while talking on her telephone in a gym locker room.
She suggested keeping even mundane conversations short and taking the chat to a discreet area when visiting public places such as malls and stores.
"It’s not a portable phone booth," she said. "People forget when they are on the cell phone that people can hear their conversation. ... They get involved in their conversations and forget they’re interrupting other people’s privacy and quiet."
Auth recommended using the silent or vibrate functions at weddings, funerals, churches, social gatherings and business meetings and turning the ring to a discreet volume in other public places. She suggested turning the ringer off and avoiding conversations in restaurants, since they are often noisy anyway.
"Don’t let it take precedence over the person sitting in front of you," she said, adding that if a person gets a call during a meal with a friend or associate, the person should just let the call go to voice mail.
Taking calls during a formal occasion, church services, movies or while in the bathroom, library or classroom is inappropriate, she added. If a truly vital call comes in, let it go to voice mail and then go to a more private place to return it. Leave and enter discreetly.
If a person forgets to put the phone on silent and it goes off at an inappropriate time, turn it off quickly. Owners should know how to operate their phones, she said, remembering a banquet where a woman sat on her cell phone because she didn’t know how to turn the ringer off.
Kevin Hooker, manager at AMC Quail Springs 24 Theater in Oklahoma City, said it is not uncommon to hear cell phones ringing during movies, especially teen-oriented films. In dramas and films that attract adults, the audiences seem to pay more heed to the reminder that runs on the screen before features.
"I think it (the reminder) discourages it. Obviously, I don’t think it’s a perfect solution," he said.
While most patrons immediately switch off ringing phones, employees occasionally encounter moviegoers trying to have conversations while a movie is playing. The ushers have added noisy cell phones and cell phone users to the list of violations they look for when checking the theaters. Hooker said the problem isn’t rampant, running second or third to the issue of children talking during movies.
Dale Swanson, executive pastor of Victory Christian Center in Oklahoma City, said the church occasionally has cell phones ring during its services. Usually, a member or guest has simply forgotten to put the cell on silent, and most people are quick to turn them off.
The church runs a reminder on its video screens before the services, asking members to turn off their phones and pagers. Ken Surritte, associate pastor of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, said his congregation has taken the same step to help overcome folks’ forgetfulness.
"Most people are courteous enough to shut them off, but we do have them ring now and again," said Ed House, president of the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association.
House, the co-owner of Stumpff Funeral Home in Bartlesville, said he doesn’t post reminders since most users are mindful of the etiquette. Usually, a ringing phone is simply due to forgetfulness, but he thinks a small number of people disregard any request to silence their phones.
Kevin Dennis, past president of the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association, recommended funeral attendees leave their phones in the car out of respect for the occasion. Few things should be more important than attending a loved one’s services, and leaving the phone ensures the owner won’t neglect to turn it off.
The general manager of Vondel Smith and Sons Mortuaries said he has been to services where people, even family members, have taken calls, left the chapel to have their conversations and then come back in, disrupting the service not once but twice. Unless they are on call or expecting a truly important call, they should let their silent phones go to voice mail.
If they are anticipating an important call, they should sit near the back, set the phone to vibrate and wait until they are outside the chapel to begin talking, Dennis said.
"It’s just common sense," he said.
Auth said cell phone owners can set the example at meetings, lunches or formal occasions by letting others see them take out their phones and set them on silent.
"It sets the expectations," she said. "It will be a reminder to them."
Dead ringer for unsafe distraction
Cell phones’ pervasive tones are assaults on public etiquette
By Brandy McDonnell Staff Writer
GLORIA Auth remembers a long silence on the other end of a cellular telephone as "the most terrifying three minutes of my life."
She had called a friend on his cellular telephone while he was driving. While they were talking, he was involved in an accident. She heard the crash and then nothing but silence. Then, he started to moan, and she knew he was hurt.
While her friend was not seriously injured, his car was totaled. Auth said she feels partly responsible for the accident, since her call distracted him.
For Auth, an Edmond etiquette coach, the incident proves that, although their owners can take the gadgets most anywhere, cellular telephones are not to be used everywhere. Safety and courtesy must be considerations when using a portable telephone.
"We’re not that indispensable. There was a time when people couldn’t reach us 24/7," said Auth, founder and director of Protocol Plus. "It’s a convenience. Don’t abuse it."
July is Cell Phone Courtesy Month. With the boom in the number of cell phone users, Auth said it is important for people to be aware of their environment when they use their telephones, especially if they are in a vehicle.
"It’s an obsession. It’s almost like cell phones and cars go together. We get in the car, and we want to multitask," Auth said.
She suggested drivers should generally avoid using cell phones, because inattention while driving can significantly increase the risk of crashing. Motorists should make calls before they put the vehicle in drive and use a hands-free headset if they have to use the telephone while moving. They should suspend conversations in hazardous conditions, including rain, snow, construction and heavy traffic.
Just because a person’s cell phone rings doesn’t mean he or she is obligated to take the call, in the car or otherwise.
"Never discuss anything that’s going to be stressful or emotional on the phone, because you don’t realize how much that takes your attention away from driving," she said.
When calling a person’s cell phone, callers should find out whether that person is driving, she said. If the phone owner is behind the wheel, make the conversation brief or call back later.
When making a call from a cell phone, she recommended letting the other person know, in case of interference or lost calls.
Even if a cell phone is a person’s only phone, it is not intended to bring personal and business calls into the public arena. People often talk more loudly than they intend when using portable telephones, and some don’t use good judgment about what is appropriate to discuss in public.
"People don’t need or want to know your personal business," she said, adding she and several other strangers once heard a woman reveal intimate details about a date while talking on her telephone in a gym locker room.
She suggested keeping even mundane conversations short and taking the chat to a discreet area when visiting public places such as malls and stores.
"It’s not a portable phone booth," she said. "People forget when they are on the cell phone that people can hear their conversation. ... They get involved in their conversations and forget they’re interrupting other people’s privacy and quiet."
Auth recommended using the silent or vibrate functions at weddings, funerals, churches, social gatherings and business meetings and turning the ring to a discreet volume in other public places. She suggested turning the ringer off and avoiding conversations in restaurants, since they are often noisy anyway.
"Don’t let it take precedence over the person sitting in front of you," she said, adding that if a person gets a call during a meal with a friend or associate, the person should just let the call go to voice mail.
Taking calls during a formal occasion, church services, movies or while in the bathroom, library or classroom is inappropriate, she added. If a truly vital call comes in, let it go to voice mail and then go to a more private place to return it. Leave and enter discreetly.
If a person forgets to put the phone on silent and it goes off at an inappropriate time, turn it off quickly. Owners should know how to operate their phones, she said, remembering a banquet where a woman sat on her cell phone because she didn’t know how to turn the ringer off.
Kevin Hooker, manager at AMC Quail Springs 24 Theater in Oklahoma City, said it is not uncommon to hear cell phones ringing during movies, especially teen-oriented films. In dramas and films that attract adults, the audiences seem to pay more heed to the reminder that runs on the screen before features.
"I think it (the reminder) discourages it. Obviously, I don’t think it’s a perfect solution," he said.
While most patrons immediately switch off ringing phones, employees occasionally encounter moviegoers trying to have conversations while a movie is playing. The ushers have added noisy cell phones and cell phone users to the list of violations they look for when checking the theaters. Hooker said the problem isn’t rampant, running second or third to the issue of children talking during movies.
Dale Swanson, executive pastor of Victory Christian Center in Oklahoma City, said the church occasionally has cell phones ring during its services. Usually, a member or guest has simply forgotten to put the cell on silent, and most people are quick to turn them off.
The church runs a reminder on its video screens before the services, asking members to turn off their phones and pagers. Ken Surritte, associate pastor of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, said his congregation has taken the same step to help overcome folks’ forgetfulness.
"Most people are courteous enough to shut them off, but we do have them ring now and again," said Ed House, president of the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association.
House, the co-owner of Stumpff Funeral Home in Bartlesville, said he doesn’t post reminders since most users are mindful of the etiquette. Usually, a ringing phone is simply due to forgetfulness, but he thinks a small number of people disregard any request to silence their phones.
Kevin Dennis, past president of the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association, recommended funeral attendees leave their phones in the car out of respect for the occasion. Few things should be more important than attending a loved one’s services, and leaving the phone ensures the owner won’t neglect to turn it off.
The general manager of Vondel Smith and Sons Mortuaries said he has been to services where people, even family members, have taken calls, left the chapel to have their conversations and then come back in, disrupting the service not once but twice. Unless they are on call or expecting a truly important call, they should let their silent phones go to voice mail.
If they are anticipating an important call, they should sit near the back, set the phone to vibrate and wait until they are outside the chapel to begin talking, Dennis said.
"It’s just common sense," he said.
Auth said cell phone owners can set the example at meetings, lunches or formal occasions by letting others see them take out their phones and set them on silent.
"It sets the expectations," she said. "It will be a reminder to them."
ProfNet
People at ProfNet seem to be not ready to give us any information. They want to know where we'll publish our story. There is a response from them.
"It's our policy to only send queries for students when the article has already been accepted for publication. Since this past of a class project, and has not yet been accepted for publication, we won't be able to run it. Once it's set for publication, lete us know and we'll run it then. Thanks".
"It's our policy to only send queries for students when the article has already been accepted for publication. Since this past of a class project, and has not yet been accepted for publication, we won't be able to run it. Once it's set for publication, lete us know and we'll run it then. Thanks".
federal agencies with statistics
Hey! So far I have found that the National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration, the National Transportation Saftey Board, and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are all federal agencies we can look to for statistics and other related information at the national level.
Cell Phone Safety
I was looking at the CTIA Web site and they do discuss cell phone safety while driving. They have two PSA's hidden away in their site. They announcements refer back to a Web site that does not even exit yet. So here is a site I came across while looking for the other site. It is the cell phone safety.org website and it has a few interesting paragraphs. Oh, and here are the two PSA's links.
Public Service Announcements
Cell phone safety site
Public Service Announcements
Cell phone safety site
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Editorial on Wesselhoft and cell phones: one perspective
Cell phone bill goes too far
— Oklahoma State Rep. Paul Wesselhoft is at it again, this time taking aim at Oklahoma’s thousands of “celluar drivers,” with a new law that would punish talkers with hefty fines and mandatory jail time.
Wesselhoft last week proposed a measure that would institute felony charges for first offense dog bites of a serious nature, drawing ire from dog owners across the state. This week’s bill is also likely to draw its share, all of it directed at the Moore Republican.
Wessellhoft’s newest bill would impose $1,000 fines and mandatory 20-day jail sentences for anyone who causes an accident because of cell phone use while driving.
Wesselhoft referenced a New York incident where five recent high school graduates were killed in an accident that occurred because the driver of the teens’ vehicle was distracted by her cell phone.
There’s no argument that cell phone use on Oklahoma roadways has become a tremendous problem. Oklahoma Highway Safety Office records show there were 802 cell phone-related accidents on state roads in 2006, up from 98 incidents just four years ago.
But is a $1,000 fine and mandatory jail time the answer? What about the hundreds of Oklahoma motorists every day whose attention is distracted from driving for any of a dozen other reasons?
Can lawmakers ban children from automobiles to keep parents from being distracted? Can we eliminate compact discs from Oklahoma vehicles in an effort to keep drivers from browsing through the CD case while driving?
Are we going to outlaw fast food restaurants so drivers aren’t too busy chomping a cheeseburger to pay attention on the freeway?
Where will it stop?
Monday, September 03, 2007
Cell phone usage while driving discussed in drivers' ed
Again, older story. U.S. Cellular and Broken Arrow Public Schools joined forces in 2002 to warn students through drivers' ed courses against using their cell phones while driving.
See here for story.
See here for story.
D.C. to invoke hands-free cell phone law
D.C. to invoke hands-free cell phone law
By AP Wire Service
6/30/2004
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Driving through the nation's capital is about to mean putting down your cell phone.
Under a law taking effect Thursday, drivers will be allowed to hold telephones only to make emergency calls, begin calls or turn their phones on or off. Otherwise, they must use a handsfree device if they want to talk on the phone while at the wheel.
"A lot of accidents are caused by people driving while distracted," said Chief Charles H. Ramsey of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. Throughout July, officers will issue warnings to drivers found violating the district's new Distracted Driving Safety Act. In August, they will begin issuing citations that carry fines of up to $100.
A similar law passed in New York in 2001 has resulted in more than 269,000 citations. New Jersey, like the District of Columbia, begins enforcing its own new law July 1.
To be in compliance with the law, motorists must use an ear piece and microphone or some other form of hands-free technology with their cell phones. The simplest devices cost about $15; more elaborate systems can cost hundreds.
School bus drivers and people with learner's
Gilcrease Museum
permits may not use cell phones at all while their vehicles are moving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says driver distraction contributes to up to 30 percent of all traffic accidents.
By AP Wire Service
6/30/2004
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Driving through the nation's capital is about to mean putting down your cell phone.
Under a law taking effect Thursday, drivers will be allowed to hold telephones only to make emergency calls, begin calls or turn their phones on or off. Otherwise, they must use a handsfree device if they want to talk on the phone while at the wheel.
"A lot of accidents are caused by people driving while distracted," said Chief Charles H. Ramsey of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. Throughout July, officers will issue warnings to drivers found violating the district's new Distracted Driving Safety Act. In August, they will begin issuing citations that carry fines of up to $100.
A similar law passed in New York in 2001 has resulted in more than 269,000 citations. New Jersey, like the District of Columbia, begins enforcing its own new law July 1.
To be in compliance with the law, motorists must use an ear piece and microphone or some other form of hands-free technology with their cell phones. The simplest devices cost about $15; more elaborate systems can cost hundreds.
School bus drivers and people with learner's
Gilcrease Museum
permits may not use cell phones at all while their vehicles are moving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says driver distraction contributes to up to 30 percent of all traffic accidents.
Cell phones, young drivers spur new laws
Great story on topic. Has graphs of teenage driving accidents, draws link between accidents and cell phones and investigates state laws banning cell phones from drivers.
Also great because it shows reverse argument that cell phones are not the cause of accidents.
See full article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=050626_Ne_A9_Cellp37840
Also great because it shows reverse argument that cell phones are not the cause of accidents.
See full article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=050626_Ne_A9_Cellp37840
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