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Distracted Driving

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Sheriff: Make a Pledge to Not Text and Drive

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office asks people to make a New Year's resolution in 2013 that could save a life or prevent a crash.

Editor's Note: The following was taken from a Hennepin County Sheriff's Office e-newsletter. A new survey indicates that while 97 percent of teens know texting while driving is dangerous, 43 percent of them admit to sending a text while driving – and 75 percent say the practice is common among their friends.The survey found that teenagers feel pressure to quickly respond to text messages – and adults are also setting a poor example by texting while driving themselves.   Make a New Year's resolution in 2013 that could save your life or prevent a crash. Take a pledge NOT to text and drive and ask your family members to do the same. Remember, it is illegal to text and drive in Minnesota.   Create a new habit:  Put your phone in the glove box …

Mike E

6:55 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013

I think the sheriff should lead by example, and do what Ft Wayne did, by not allowing use of in car computers if the car is travelling more than 15 MPH. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/08/policing-police-those-distracting-car-computers/3127/   more ›

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Is Squad Car Technology Distracting Police Officers?

Student researchers at St. Mary's University say yes. Minnetonka Police Chief Mark Raquet isn't so sure.

Teenagers are infamous for it. Most responsible adults wouldn't want to admit to it. But now, should we add the state's police officers to the list of distracted drivers? A group of students from St. Mary's University (SMU) think so. Student researchers at SMU have concluded that the amount of technology inside a police squad car may be contributing to a growing number of police-involved auto crashes. Conducted at the request of the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT), the Graduate School of Public Safety Administration study focuses on 378 police-involved crashes between 2006-10.  According to the SMU study, the total cost of the 378 closed crashes was $1,188,666, with distracted driving accounting for 14 percent of claims …

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