I’ve posted a number of blogs about distracted driving – talking on a cell phone, texting while driving, or the trucking industry’s use of driver-operated computers while the driver is behind the wheel of a big rig, but today’s news that the pilots of the plane that overflew an airport last were on their laptops while piloting the plane . . . well I have to say I find that appalling.

I have talked about the accidental deaths, catastrophic injuries and destroyed lives I see as a Missouri accident injury lawyer and the increased incidents of car accidents and semi truck accidents due to cell phone use and texting while driving. I think all my readers know that I feel when someone is behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, they should be paying attention to their driving not using electronic gadgets. And I feel that way because not only their own and their passengers’ lives, but other people’s lives are also at stake.

How much more so is that the case when piloting an airplane with 144 passengers and five crew members, thereby risking the lives of 149 people, not to mention innocent people on the ground in case of a crash.

Yes, I understand about auto pilot, but I also understand that there’s a reason that there are two human pilots in the cockpit. And I’m clear as day that their job is to be paying attention to their airplane and the flight instruments in front of them, not using their laptops while flying.
The AP writer who reported the story says, “The pilots acknowledged that while they were engaged in working on their laptops they weren’t paying attention to radio traffic, messages from their airline or their cockpit instruments. That’s contrary to one of the fundamentals of commercial piloting, which is to keep attention focused on monitoring messages from controllers and watching flight displays in the cockpit.”
Shame on those guys.

Springfield, MO (PRWEB) October 26, 2009 – Aaron Sachs is proud to sponsor the “October 31st Party” at James River Assembly. Aaron Sachs, whose personal injury law firm has offices in Springfield, Joplin, Columbia and Cape Girardeau, is committed to community service and safety. He encourages parents and youngsters to attend an alternative, supervised event on October 31st, Halloween at one of James River Assembly’s two Springfield locations for a fun filled evening.
At this fun, safe event at either the new Wilson Creek location, or at the original James River location, young people can safely enjoy a world of amusement and get the all-important candy “stash,” without knocking on a single stranger’s door.
Sachs states, “There is more candy than most children can handle, over 120,000 items. There’s kettle corn, a live show, inflatables for the tiny ones and plenty to do for adults, too.”
On Saturday, October 31st, the show will start at 1 p.m., and still be going as it starts to get dark around 5 p.m. The James River community is planning for approximately 7,000 children for this event.
Aaron Sachs Associates’ personal injury law offices are located in Springfield, Columbia, Cape Girardeau and Joplin. Their community-service outreach program is covered in much greater detail on their website: www.autoinjury.com under the “community service” header.

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tags: joplin personal injury, safety, springfield mo, springfield personal injury, James River Assembly, JRA, Halloween, aaron sachs, aaron sachs and associates.

Truck Accidents are some of the most horrific accidents I see in my practice as a Missouri motor vehicle attorney. The size and weight of tractor trailers often result in catastrophic injuries or death.
If texting is being banned for teenagers and federal employees — and cell phone use is required to be hands free in many states (so drivers don’t take their eyes off the road) — then you’d think it would be no-brainer to prohibit texting for a driver of a big rig tractor trailer.
But the trucking industry doesn’t use the term “texting” to refer to drivers’ use of computers while driving, so it’s allowed to continue. The drivers are taking their eyes off the road and using them to type on a keyboard, so I’m not sure how it’s at all different from texting. I’m guessing the “difference” is the loss of efficiency for the trucking companies if they’re not allowed to communicate back and forth with their drivers 24/7.
I don’t mean to sound cynical. I’m just concerned. Very concerned. As a Missouri truck accident attorney, I know the damage to life and limb that semi tractors can do. And in this case, I feel that commerce ought to take a back seat to life safety. I believe that tractor trailer drivers should be banned from using computers, cell phones and from text messaging while driving. Because I’ve seen what happens when they’re not.

When you’ve heard the kinds of car accident stories I have, any measures to increase road safety or decrease the likelihood of auto accidents in Missouri or anywhere in the country comes as good news.
So I was very happy to see that texting while driving has now been banned for Federal employees while in government cars, on government cell phones, or when conducting Federal business in their own cars. This includes military personnel and involves an estimated 4.5 federal employees nationwide.
Department of Transportation Secretary Ray H. LaHood called distracted driving a “deadly epidemic” and also said that “distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable.” As a Columbia, Joplin, Cape Girardeau and Springfield, MO auto injury attorney I couldn’t agree more.
Families of people killed in motor vehicle accidents caused by distracted driving – both texting and cell phone usage – were present for the government’s announcement. Cell phone use and texting behind the wheel of a car or any motor vehicle may be convenient for the driver, but is it really worth a human life?
The executive order took effect October 1st.
It did not ban texting for truck drivers or public transport operators such as bus or train drivers.