SMS death driver gets her licence back

SMS death driver gets her licence back
http://tinyurl.com/d5pyn

By Stephen Moynihan. December 29, 2005


Anthony Marsh: was in bike lane. Photo: Shannon Morris

IT WILL be four years tomorrow since dentist Silvia Ciach sent a text
message to a friend and killed cyclist Anthony Marsh.

She was driving along the Geelong-Portarlington Road when she hit Mr
Marsh, 36, of Ocean Grove, as he rode in the bike lane. Yesterday, Ms
Ciach appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to apply for her
licence to be restored.

On November 10, 2003, Ms Ciach pleaded guilty to one count of culpable
driving and was sentenced to three years' jail, suspended for two
years. County Court Judge Susan Cohen also ordered Ms Ciach's licence
be cancelled for two years.

Ms Ciach told magistrate Richard Wright the accident taught her many
things, including how stupid it was to use her mobile while driving. Mr
Wright said that he too was a cyclist and hoped that such an incident
would never happen again, as he granted her application.

Yesterday, Anthony's father, Ted Marsh, told The Age he wished Ms Ciach
"good luck" and said, "we've all got to get on with life. I really think
she should be left alone."

Mr Marsh said he and his wife, Susan, had argued for Ms Ciach not to be
jailed, adding she had served her sentence.

The couple have been campaigning for tougher penalties for drivers
caught using mobile phones and Mr Marsh has made submissions to the
State Parliament road safety committee.

Mr Marsh said the Government had stalled on its proposal to review
penalties for mobile phone use while driving. He said 25,000 motorists
had been booked this year and penalties were grossly inadequate. Police
revealed 14,884 mobile phone offences were recorded in the six months to
June 30, compared with 21,748 in 2004. The penalty of three demerit
points was introduced in Victoria in 2002, and the fine increased to
$141 last year. VicRoads is expected to review penalties and advise the
Government next year.

"Phone use while driving has disturbingly now become a part of our
culture and one hopes that it would be treated as the serious and
stupid action that it is," Mr Marsh said.


--
cfsmtb

"cfsmtb" == cfsmtb writes:

cfsmtb SMS death driver gets her licence back
cfsmtb http://tinyurl.com/d5pyn

cfsmtb By Stephen Moynihan. December 29, 2005

snip

cfsmtb "Phone use while driving has disturbingly now become a part
cfsmtb of our culture and one hopes that it would be treated as the
cfsmtb serious and stupid action that it is," Mr Marsh said.


This last bit is so true. One of the things my colleagues have been
crying out for is a hands free kit for their private cars. I've given
up pointing out to them the dangers associated with mobile 'phone use
while driving. It's legal, the company to a certain extent encourages
it and all this from an emergency services organisation.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

--
Frank

Drop DACKS to reply
"Euan" wrote in message
...
"cfsmtb" == cfsmtb
writes:

cfsmtb SMS death driver gets her licence back
cfsmtb http://tinyurl.com/d5pyn

cfsmtb By Stephen Moynihan. December 29, 2005

snip

cfsmtb "Phone use while driving has disturbingly now become a part
cfsmtb of our culture and one hopes that it would be treated as the
cfsmtb serious and stupid action that it is," Mr Marsh said.


This last bit is so true. One of the things my colleagues have been
crying out for is a hands free kit for their private cars. I've given
up pointing out to them the dangers associated with mobile 'phone use
while driving. It's legal, the company to a certain extent encourages
it and all this from an emergency services organisation.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)



I think a hands free kit is the lesser of two evils. I (and, no doubt, most
people - ask around) know many people who will compose and send a text while
driving, holding the phone low so as not to be caught using the phone while
driving. That means their eyes are off the road for a lot of the time. I
read an article sometime ago that claimed around 45% (from memory) of the
time a texter's eyes are on the phone, not on the road.

People compose and send a text instead of talking because they can hide the
phone. At least a hands-free kit enables people's eyes to stay on the road.
Having had a hands-free, I'd rate it as no more distracting than having a
conversation with a passenger while driving. Not ideal, but a helluva lot
better than someone looking at their lap to send a text!

Cheers,

Frank

Plodder Wrote:

At least a hands-free kit enables people's eyes to stay on the road.
Having had a hands-free, I'd rate it as no more distracting than having
a
conversation with a passenger while driving. Not ideal, but a helluva
lot
better than someone looking at their lap to send a text!

Cheers,

Frank

It would seem, sadly, another common misconception that handsfree units
'fix' the situation

http://www.bv.com.au/inform.php?a=7&b=176&c=731

"The use of currently available hands-free devices does not seem to
reduce the risk"

this was also the conclusion in a recent Oz study that i cant find
instantly...


--
flyingdutch

Plodder (removeDAKStoreply) wrote:

I think a hands free kit is the lesser of two evils. I (and, no doubt, most
people - ask around) know many people who will compose and send a text while
driving, holding the phone low so as not to be caught using the phone while
driving. That means their eyes are off the road for a lot of the time. I
read an article sometime ago that claimed around 45% (from memory) of the
time a texter's eyes are on the phone, not on the road.

People compose and send a text instead of talking because they can hide the
phone. At least a hands-free kit enables people's eyes to stay on the road.
Having had a hands-free, I'd rate it as no more distracting than having a
conversation with a passenger while driving. Not ideal, but a helluva lot
better than someone looking at their lap to send a text!

Cheers,

Frank

I was sitting on the footpath beside a broken-down Kombi in Fortitude
Valley one Friday evening, waiting patiently for the RACQ to arrive. I
had the tailgate open, the engine compartment open and the hazard lights
flashing.

A driver pulled up behind the Kombi, talking on a mobile. This was prior
to the law that banned non-handsfree phone use. She sat there for about
two minutes waiting for me to proceed while chatting and staring at my
car. Finally I had to walk over to the car and tell her that I wasn't
going anywhere.

"Oh, sorry, I hadn't noticed" she says.

Obviously the mind is not focused on driving while using a mobile,
regardless of whether it is hands free or not.

Peter

--
Peter McCallum
Mackay Qld AUSTRALIA

On 2005-12-28, Euan wrote:
This last bit is so true. One of the things my colleagues have been
crying out for is a hands free kit for their private cars. I've given
up pointing out to them the dangers associated with mobile 'phone use
while driving. It's legal, the company to a certain extent encourages
it and all this from an emergency services organisation.

Yeah ... mobile use, with or without a hands free kit, is as serious a
risk as drink driving.

On the subject of texting: I have, at times, sent text messages from the
driver's seat ... whilst stopped at the lights. Any other time? Nuh uh.

Easiest approach would be to make all new cars Faraday cages. Try
talking or texting *then*!

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@" to "usenet".

I am aware of a major company that has a strict policy regarding use of
mobile phones by their employees while driving - so strict in fact that
it bans the use of hands free kits. I have been on road trips with
employees from that company - they take the policy seriosuly and turn
their mobile phones off when driving. The company in question was
Caltex.

What about a campaign to "shame" or encourage other public companies
into adopting a similar policy. Target the biggies with huge moblie
workforces like Telstra etc


--
monsterman

"Plodder" wrote:

I think a hands free kit is the lesser of two evils.

snip

Having had a hands-free, I'd rate it as no more distracting than having a
conversation with a passenger while driving. Not ideal, but a helluva lot
better than someone looking at their lap to send a text!

Agree with the last part of your statement, but a number of studies over the
past few years have assessed the use of mobile phones with a hands free kit
as being comparable to driving with a .05 blood alcohol level. So I
personally think that any use of mobile phones by the driver of a vehicle
should be outlawed. Really disturbing when your 'professional' coach captain
starts tapping into his mobile for a chat with the office.

Cheers
Peter

monsterman wrote:
I am aware of a major company that has a strict policy regarding use
of mobile phones by their employees while driving - so strict in fact
that it bans the use of hands free kits. I have been on road trips
with employees from that company - they take the policy seriosuly and
turn their mobile phones off when driving. The company in question
was Caltex.

I saw a police officer in a marked car answer his nonH-F mobile whilst
waiting to turn right across busy traffic. His partner was sitting in the
passenger seat. I never make a call from the car even though I have a H-F
kit. I do answer calls but that doesn't require me to touch or look at the
phone. The phone asks me if I want to take this call. If I respond yes, it
connects me.

Theo

"cfsmtb" wrote in message
...

SMS death driver gets her licence back
http://tinyurl.com/d5pyn


How come they publish a picture of the victim, not the killer? We need to
know what she looks like and what car she will be using next time so we at
least have a fighting chance.


--
Alan Erskine