A California woman claims that the driver on her Amtrak bus was texting while driving for most of the trip from San Luis Obispo to San Jose in September. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, took photos to prove her story. Amtrak received the photo and say they will launch an investigation. “Safe operation of trains and buses is Amtrak’s first priority,” read a released statement. “Texting while operating a vehicle is illegal. It violates Amtrak policy. A violation of this law is taken very seriously by Amtrak and the companies that Amtrak contracts with to provide Amtrak Thruway bus service.” Amtrak and the Santa Maria city bus service both have a zero tolerance policy for their drivers texting while driving. San Luis Obispo’s transit manager John Webster says it is a policy that is thoroughly covered in driver training and that the drivers are not allowed to be…
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A car accident in Glendale, California cost 80-year-old pedestrian Misak Ranjbar his life last year in Southern California. Ranjbar was tragically killed by a distracted driver. 21-year-old Ani Voskanian was texting while driving before striking Ranjbar. Experts ran tests on her cell phone that indicated she was sending and receiving text messages at the time, and she also admitted as much to police. Voskanian failed to stop at a stop sign and ran into the pedestrian. Voskanian was handed down a rather interesting sentence. On top of being required to tour area schools educating youths on the dangers of texting while driving, the judge has banned her from ever having a phone in her car ever again. The victim’s family members agreed with the sentence and even showed support during the process. “In this particular case, there is a tragic loss of a father of a family,” said Ashraf Mankarios…
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According to a survey conducted by AAA and the Auto Club of Southern California, texting while driving incidents have tripled since the practice was banned statewide two years ago. According to the Auto Club, they went around through Southern California neighborhoods and downtown in 2009 and found about 1.4% of distracted drivers either texting or operating a smart phone. Conducting the same study this year, the number has nearly tripled despite ongoing public education about the dangers of texting while driving. Steve Finnegan, the Auto Club’s government affairs manager, released a statement this week concerning the issue. “Current penalties for texting while driving in the Golden State haven’t deterred the behavior,” Finnegan said in the statement. Thirty-four states, including California and Washington D.C. have banned texting while driving and the use of smart phones. The fine in California for a first time offender is $20 and $50 for the second…
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10620 Treena Street