Headline Of The Day

Details.

FLORIDA: Retired Cop Fatally Shoots Man For Texting In Movie Theater

Witnesses say the movie had not yet started.

Blackberry Outage = Fewer Car Crashes

Observers carefully note that last week's Blackberry outage "coincided" with a reduction in traffic accidents.

The National reports that traffic accidents in Dubai dropped 20 percent compared to historical averages during the blackout. In Abu Dhabi, accidents dropped by 40 percent, and there were zero fatalities. If you're thinking that this isn't a significant enough sample to show that smart phones and distracted driving are inexorably linked, consider this: There is an accident in Dubai every three minutes. Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim pointed out to The National that the accidents resulting from distracted driving "range between minor and moderate ones, but at times they are deadly." Officer Al Harethi took it a step farther, adding "the roads became much safer when BlackBerry stopped working."

So far I've only been rear-ended by a Food Emporium shopping cart. She did drop her iPhone, which was a slight compensation.

Pay Attention

A public service message from NYC artist Jay Shells' "Metropolitan Etiquette Authority." More signs at the link.

UK Runs PSA On Texting While Driving

The UK is running a pretty gruesome PSA against texting while driving. Could something like this run on American television?

Sen. Chuck Schumer Introduces National Bill To Ban Texting While Driving

As only 14 states presently ban texting while driving, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today introduced a bill which would ban the practice nationwide.

The bill would force states to write laws to prohibit messaging in vehicles or risk losing 25 percent of their annual federal highway money. Federal lawmakers have used similar strategies to force states to curb speeding and pass seat-belt laws. The new legislation would also set deadlines for regulators at the U.S. Transportation Department to devise minimum penalties for states to implement. States would have two years to enact their own laws. Other sponsors of the bill include Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez (N.J.), Mary Landrieu (La.) and Kay Hagan (N.C.). The introduction of the bill comes a day after the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released a study on commercial truck drivers that found texting drivers to be 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or a near miss.

NYC might consider banning texting while walking.