Distracted Driver Hits Train

Posted August 10th, 2009

The AP reported(7-25-09) that “Police in Anchorage say a motorist struck the side of a train while fishing for his cell phone. The Anchorage Daily News reports that the man told police he had dropped his phone and was trying to find it when he lost control of his vehicle.”  The vehicle jumped a median, crossed oncoming traffic, and struck the side of a passenger train.”  No injuries were reported, and the vehicle was totaled.

The natural reaction is to search for it.  Why? It is nearby, and one wants the object returned to its rightful place.  And it will only take a second to find the phone.  What if someone calls and the phone is not at hand.  That would be tragic. The lessons are plain:  stop using the phone while driving; an object dropped while driving needs to remain there or you need to stop and retrieve it; and be aware that the majority of other drivers are doing acts that are distracting them.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Human Factors, In the News.