Texting and driving may have killed doctor
Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Ryan drove his car off a cliff near Malibu, Calif., a week ago today. Reports of his death include speculation he was sending a tweet about his dog at the time of the accident.
See a CBS News report here:
http://bit.ly/ryancbs
Ryan’s Twitter page is still active, @DrFrankRyan, so you can see his last messages and photos for yourself. His last message reads:
"http://twitpic.com/2fflev – Border collie jill surveying the view from atop the sand dune."
For the record, the dog survived the crash.
I still see people poking at their mobile phones’ tiny keypads and trying to drive. I wish there were a way to get everyone who continues this very risky behavior to read the stories about Ryan, and then toss their mobile phones into the back seat or — better yet — to turn them off when they are driving.
A poll by Predicto.com asks the question:
Will texting while driving be banned in all 50 states by the end of 2010?
The results early this afternoon showed:
11,620 Votes cast
No – 34%
Yes – 66%
You can vote in the Predicto poll here:
http://bit.ly/textpoll
(You must register as a member of the site to vote.)
Sadly, I can’t agree that every state will take steps to ban texting while driving in the next four months. I doubt it will happen in the next four years.
If you think it’s vital to tweet, text or even talk while you’re driving, go back and review the messages you sent and received while you were driving. I’m guessing they could have waited until you were safely stopped.
Don’t follow Ryan’s lead. Don’t text and drive. Ever.