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According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA), distracted driving is a big problem.  The NHSA reports that 20 percent of accidents causing injury were related to distracted driving.  Cell phone use is the biggest culprit, but there are many other ways to lose focus behind the wheel.

Just last week, a 21-year old Cherish Carlin was feeling hungry and decided to check her GPS device for a restaurant close to her location while driving on Route 5 in Dummerston, VT.  It proved to be a bad decision, as she ended up striking 71-year old Bradford Greene who was riding his bicycle, critically injuring him.

She was surprisingly spared jail time, receiving instead a suspended sentence and probation after pleading guilty to gross negligent vehicle operation and reckless endangerment.  She apologized to the court for what she had done, and the judge promised to seal her criminal record as long as she doesn’t appear in another court room.  Mr. Greene has since recovered from his injuries.

If distracted driving is as much of a problem as the NHTSA says it is, why did Carlin receive such a lenient sentence?   Hungry or not, it’s not possible to enter information into a GPS unit and watch the road at the same time. Until the day comes when cars no longer need human operators, drivers must avoid using a GPS device while driving.

Article Written by Khristen Foss