Posted: 4:10 PM Jun 11, 2012
Reporter: Elsa Bolt

Police Say Distracted Driving Caused Tractor Trailer To Overturn In Hart County

Hart County saw another case of distracted driving when the driver of a tractor trailer overturned near the Cave City exit on I-65.

The tractor trailer was carrying strawberries, which spilled out onto the roadway, causing massive delays in the area.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Greg Dukes says the trooper on duty was told the driver had dropped his cell phone.

"He was told from the driver of the vehicle that he had dropped his cell phone and as he reached down to pick it up, that's when he lost control," says KSP Trooper Greg Dukes.

The driver, who dropped that cell phone, and his passenger are expected to be okay.

But that wasn't the case in the 2010 Mennonite crash that killed eleven people.

Federal officials ruled the truck driver responsible was on his cell phone.

One Hart County man thinks using your cell phone in any way while driving should become illegal.

"It's getting worse every year, as a matter of fact, everyday here lately, but truthfully, I think we need to ban it altogether where you can't talk on the phone while driving, anytime, no matter how it is, texting or anything else," says Mike Childress, a Hart County resident.

State Representative Jim DeCesare says he doesn't think the state should create a law that bans talking on your cell phone while driving.

Instead, he thinks we should use existing laws to deal with the matter.

"I personally have problems enacting news laws based on emotion when we do have existing laws in place that can deal with this such as reckless driving. Those laws are already intact and they can be utilized for distracted driving," says State Rep. Jim DeCesare (R).

KSP say currently it's illegal to text while driving and it's illegal for drivers 18 and under to use a cell phone except during an emergency.

Troopers say it's also illegal for truckers in interstate commerce to hold a cell phone in their hands while driving.

KSP also say if you believe you have to use your cell phone while driving, the best thing to do, is to pull over on the side of the road.

WBKO Mobile Home

Gray Television, Inc - Copyright 2002-2012 - Powered by Gray Interactive Media

Full Site