cyclist injured by text messaging driver

They passed a law here in CA to ban texting while driving.  Which seems really silly to me.  I mean, isn't it covered under the whole "don't be a distracted driver" thing?  Do we really need a separate law to tell people not to do something as dumb as texting while driving?

Oh... wait... I guess we do. 

Agreed - more laws to keep track of.  If you cause a crash, you get penalized no matter what you are doing.  I guess they want something they can cite you with and get $$$$.

Why not add a law that you can't put on makeup.  I know, a law that says you can't cook an omlette or make a pizza.  No pet grooming while operating a moving vehicle or diamond cutting.....  How about no welding while driving.....

I guess the legislators need something to do.....

Are you kidding me?  That's all she got cited for?  How about failure to pay attention to the FREAKIN road.  There must be a law about not paying attention... 

I see this WAAAYYY to much nowadays.  At a stop light I see people typing away.  Then as we pull away they are still typing.

I like to swerve into their lane a little and watch as they freak out and drop the phone.  Maybe it'll scare them enough into thinking about it in the future.  Of course I only do this when there is little other traffic around (don't want you guys thinking I'm CAUSING the accidents).

IMHO there are people who ARE capable of talking and driving.  However texting and driving should not be attempted by anyone.  It's FAR to distracting. 

What about writing and driving?  Reading and driving?  Watching a movie on DVD player and driving?  Turn around to yell at the backseat passengers and driving? 

...or you're driving down the road and the guy in the next lane is texting.  You roll down your window and start yelling at him, and cause an accident yourself because you're not paying attention.

So "yelling at texters" should be illegal. 

What about when you're on your bike and you are fishing in your jersey pocket for your Gu pack, you chew it open with your teeth, feel around behind you for your saddle mounted water bottle to wash it down with.  Is this any worse than texting or eating a fish filet and fries?

The Quebec govn just passed a law that went into effect april 1. 

No talking on a hand held cell phones.

On my drive into the city this morning a police officer was standing on the concrete lane divider at the exit of the highway  (Traffic is always backed up) looking into the cars for people using their cell phones or driving without their seatbelts.  About 300 feet up the exit there was a series of cars pulled over and a squad of police handing out tickets.

Greensboro reported 69 accidents involving bikes last year, with no fatalities, one disabling injury, 26 "evident" injuries, three without any injury and the rest with unknown levels of injury, she said. But Holland said bicycle-car accidents are a two-way street and no few stem from bike riders not obeying the rules of the road.

That's almost 6 accidents per month! In a town of 208k people. Ugh...

You know how most new cars come with the computer screens that let you search for restaurants, directions, etc? Are they going to make it illegal to use those, too? I don't think cell phones or onboard systems are the problem. Being inattentive is the problem.

Geeezzzzzzz I'm never going to ride the roads in NC...

http://www.google.com/search?q=cell+phone+driving+drunk

eta: I don't necessarily agree with this... just providing info. 

does this mean I can't keep Tom alert on long drives on the interstate anymore?

You should be DRIVING. Not looking at your ipod, not texting, not eating a hamburger. Driving. You may think you can do it with no problem (and you may not have any so far) but it DETRACTS from your attention to the road; plain and simple. Hell half of the people out there have a hard time JUST driving...

All it takes is a split second and WHAM... you just ran over that kid who ran into the street after his ball. So is that "lol c u l8r bff" message worth that?

As the bumper sticker says "hang up and drive!" As cyclists I would think you would all agree with that...

A 2005 study by the University of Utah, however, found that drivers who talked on cell phones were 18 percent slower in hitting their brakes than other drivers. And a 2006 University of Utah study found that people driving while talking on a cell phone were as impaired as if they were driving with a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level -- the legal limit in Washington state. There are many more people texting then there are people who are alcohol impaired at any one time.

The cyclist should sue her in a civil suit for some ridiculous amount of money to make a point...and then donate the bulk of it to charity.

SHE should have been arrested for driving while impaired.... i know that's a stretch but a distraction like driving while texting is no less dangerous than a drunk or stoner driving. I'm so sick of cyclists getting treated as 2nd class citizens... like... we're partly at fault for being out on the road. irk!