A 17-year-old likely will face misdemeanor charges after allegedly losing control of his car while text messaging and hitting a bicyclist.

The bicyclist, Jim R. Price of Highlands Ranch, died Friday, two days after the accident.

The spokesman for Douglas County Sheriff’s Office stated that the driver could face a charge of careless driving resulting in death. Under Colorado law, the teen could face up to a year in prison.
Source: USAToday.com

Safe Driving Lesson Learned

Distracted driving: According to a 2002 NHTSA/Gallup Poll, drivers often allow their attention to be diverted from their driving by one or more of the following:

• Cellular phones: About 30% of all drivers use a cell phone while driving to make outgoing or incoming calls on at least some of their driving trips. An estimated 292,000 drivers were involved in a crash attributed to cell phone use between 1997 and 2002.
• Drowsiness: 37% of the driving population says they have nodded off for at least a moment or fallen asleep while driving at some time in their life. An estimated 7.5 million drivers have fallen asleep while driving during a given month.
• Dealing with children: Nearly one in four (24%) drivers deal with children in the back seat of the car while driving.
• Eating or drinking: Half of all drivers (49%) report eating or drinking at least occasionally while driving, with 14% doing so on three-quarters or more of their driving trips.

When you drive, don’t allow poor judgment or distractions to interfere with your driving. Put safety first!

This post is an excerpt from a recent edition of the Safe Driving Teen Monthly Bulletin. Each month the National Safety Commission publishes the bulletin for teens and parents designed to improve teen driver behavior, attitude, skills, and experience. Subscription Details