Two kids and one woman were hurt in a car accident in Phoenix recently after a black sedan plowed into a white vehicle that was stopped at a red light. The black sedan was carrying two women and two children, and the latter two occupants had to be hospitalized for their injuries (though thankfully they were described as non-life threatening). The woman driving the black sedan was unconscious after the crash.
Amazingly, the driver of the white vehicle — who said his vehicle spun around three times before the wreck was over — did not suffer any injuries.
The police are investigating the crash, and they believe that distracted driving is involved in some way. They did not provide specifics, but you know where this conversation is headed: cellphones. If the woman driving the black sedan was reading or sending a text, then she would be performing a negligent driving act — even though it is not against the law to do so in Arizona. Her attention would still be off the road, and it could be deemed reckless driving, if proven.
While cellphones are an easy target when we say “distracted driving,” there are other forms of distraction that can take a driver’s eyes off the road. Drifting off into thought; having a conversation with someone in your car; or fiddling with the radio or a GPS device are all forms of distracted driving, as they take your attention off the road. It is imperative that drivers have their focus on the road at all times.
Azfamily.com, “Distracted driving suspected in I-10 crash,” Jan. 29, 2014