Often we see youngsters going for study/work while listening to music, texting etc. in the bus/train without paying any attention to what happens around them. We frequently read about fatalities caused by this behavior and each time anxiety mounts: are our loved ones next on the grim reaper's list?
Now a new fad is up and running and (apart from the business of self-harm) now one has to worry about collateral damage (that famous word again). It is sad that a young lady had to die to make the point, but this being the "young invincibles" generation, we are not sure what else will get the message across. Our sympathies are (unfortunately but firmly) with the 73 year-old gentleman who is sure to have nightmares for the rest of his life.
Please do not take selfies while driving. Do not text. Do not update Facebook. Do keep your attention (every moment) on the road.
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A woman has died in a head-on collision on a US highway just seconds after she posted selfies and updated her status on Facebook, police have said.
At 8.33am on Thursday a post appeared on 32-year-old Courtney Sanford’s Facebook timeline which read: “The happy song makes me so HAPPY.” At 8.34am police were called to reports of a crash.
Officers said Ms Sanford was alone in her car when it crossed the central reservation, crashed into a recycling truck and burst into flames, forcing the other vehicle off the road.
She was on her way to work along Interstate 85 in North Carolina at the time, and police said they found no evidence that drink, drugs or speed were factors in the collision.
The link to Facebook only emerged this weekend after friends of Ms Sanford came forward to tell police that a number of her posts online appeared to come from a similar time to the incident itself.
High Point Police Department spokesperson Lt Chris Weisner told the WGHP TV station that the crash was a real-life public service advert “showing what happens when you text and drive”.
Lt Weisner said that as well as the status update seconds before the crash, evidence from Ms Sanford’s social media profiles showed she had also been taking pictures of herself while on the highway.
“In a matter of seconds, a life was over just so she could notify some friends that she was happy. It’s really not worth it,” he said. “As sad as it is, it is also a grim reminder for everyone… you just have to pay attention while you are in the car.”
Police said that the truck was being driven by 73-year-old John Wallace Thompson, who walked away unharmed.
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Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/selfie-crash-death-woman-dies-in-headon-collision-seconds-after-uploading-pictures-of-herself-and-happy-status-to-facebook-9293694.html
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regards
Now a new fad is up and running and (apart from the business of self-harm) now one has to worry about collateral damage (that famous word again). It is sad that a young lady had to die to make the point, but this being the "young invincibles" generation, we are not sure what else will get the message across. Our sympathies are (unfortunately but firmly) with the 73 year-old gentleman who is sure to have nightmares for the rest of his life.
Please do not take selfies while driving. Do not text. Do not update Facebook. Do keep your attention (every moment) on the road.
........
A woman has died in a head-on collision on a US highway just seconds after she posted selfies and updated her status on Facebook, police have said.
At 8.33am on Thursday a post appeared on 32-year-old Courtney Sanford’s Facebook timeline which read: “The happy song makes me so HAPPY.” At 8.34am police were called to reports of a crash.
Officers said Ms Sanford was alone in her car when it crossed the central reservation, crashed into a recycling truck and burst into flames, forcing the other vehicle off the road.
She was on her way to work along Interstate 85 in North Carolina at the time, and police said they found no evidence that drink, drugs or speed were factors in the collision.
The link to Facebook only emerged this weekend after friends of Ms Sanford came forward to tell police that a number of her posts online appeared to come from a similar time to the incident itself.
High Point Police Department spokesperson Lt Chris Weisner told the WGHP TV station that the crash was a real-life public service advert “showing what happens when you text and drive”.
Lt Weisner said that as well as the status update seconds before the crash, evidence from Ms Sanford’s social media profiles showed she had also been taking pictures of herself while on the highway.
“In a matter of seconds, a life was over just so she could notify some friends that she was happy. It’s really not worth it,” he said. “As sad as it is, it is also a grim reminder for everyone… you just have to pay attention while you are in the car.”
Police said that the truck was being driven by 73-year-old John Wallace Thompson, who walked away unharmed.
.......
Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/selfie-crash-death-woman-dies-in-headon-collision-seconds-after-uploading-pictures-of-herself-and-happy-status-to-facebook-9293694.html
...........
regards
Yeah, you shouldn't be texting or doing other distracting stuff while driving, and this is a powerful story to scare the scofflaws straight.
ReplyDeleteBut, let us face it, it is just one incident, and in reality, that doesn't mean anything more than coincidence.