November 5, 2010 at 2:29 pm
(Source: USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood’s Fastlane Blog)
After looking at this picture, I’m sure you will never drive while talking on the cell phone.
Image Courtesy: Eva Levine via Sec. Ray LaHood's Fastlane Blog
Sec. Ray LaHood’s blog post offers some details behind this horrific mangled mess of metal:
- A garage New Canaan, Connecticut has put this mangled vehicle on display along with a “No-Cell-Phones” sign . This one was destroyed in a crash that may have been caused–not by drunk driving, but by a distracted driver.
- The red VW Jetta, now barely recognizable, was being driven by a 19-year-old woman. When she entered Interstate 95, she struck another vehicle, causing her car to spin out and hit the median, where it was hit by a tractor trailer. The young driver was killed in the accident.
- The deceased driver’s family gave written approval for the Garage owner to put it on a highly visible corner of his property with hopes of deterring at least a few “distracted drivers.”
What a powerful message, in deed.
Image Courtesy: Eva Levine via Sec. Ray LaHood's Fastlane Blog
Click here to read more.
February 19, 2009 at 1:20 pm
By Andy Palanisamy
The FAA has issued an alert to airlines telling them to tell their pilots to turn their phones off.
The US FAA has issued an alert to airlines following an inspector’s report that a first officer’s cell phone began ringing at a critical phase of a takeoff recently, an incident the agency says was “a potentially serious hazard”.According to the FAA air safety inspector who was riding along on an unnamed airline’s flight from the jump seat, just prior to reaching V1, the speed after which pilots generally are committed to taking off rather than aborting on the runway, a rather loud “warbling” sound was “detected” by both crewmembers.
“It was later determined that the sound came from the first officer’s cellular phone, which had been left in the ON position,” the Safety Alerts For Operators (SAFO) note reads.
“As a result the ring tone caused a distraction between the crewmembers during the takeoff phase and could have led the to crew to initiate an unnecessary rejected takeoff,” the letter continues.
[FlightGlobal via Gizmodo.com]
