Why NOT to talk on phone & drive.. Mom, child, train...

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6713080/

An Efland woman killed last week in a train-car collision ran through the crossing gate while talking on a cell phone, the state Highway Patrol said in a report released Wednesday.Erin Brett Lindsay-Calkins, 26, and her 5-year-old son, Nicholas Lindsay, were killed in the Dec. 22 wreck, which happened at the railroad track at Southern Drive and Mount Willing Road in Efland. Her 4-month-old daughter was injured but survived.

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Drove UNDER THE CROSSBAR and into the path of the train.


I would very very much like to see technology developed and installed in al cars that would block cell phone calls except to emergency services... and have it retrofit to all cars.

This was, obviously, a tragedy and worse yet entirely avoidable. In New Jersey it is illegal to drive unless you are on hands free. It is very common to see police officers driving marked patrol cars with a cell phone up to their ears.

Any device that you have mention can be circumvented. The instructions would be on the Internet within a week. UNforetunately, the only real solution lies in changing the minds of the persons doing it. At some point, we have to stop being out brother's keeper.

I in no way disagree with your idea that people do not need to be on the phone while driving.

Putting in formal controls on peoples' behaviour does not work. Most go for the convinient option even if it mean breaking a rule - just look at speed limits. It is not until people actually buy into safety rules that the changes are made.

IMO, the more rules we put around people, the less they think and the more circumvention there is.

This is a horrid story but that lady had a choice and if it was not a phone, it could have been food, drink, make up or kid distraction.

In addition, if you design and install such a device, you risk failure of the device and then you feed the legal system.

Sad story. I think she would have driven under the crossbar even if she hadn't been using the cellphone. It's convenient these days to place fault on use of cellphones.