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Texting Driver Causes Trolley Accident

When California banned holding a cell-phone while driving, it  unintentionally left a loophole: texting was not specifically banned.  You’d think it’s common sense, but apparently it’s not, and it took another heated debate and another law to ban texting while driving. 

Today we’re seeing proof from Boston while it’s really bad: a 24-year old trolley driver was texting his girlfriend when he rear-ended another trolley in front of him, that got stopped by a red light in a tunnel. He may have looked down for just a few seconds it takes to type a word, but by the time he looked up he could not slam the brakes hard enough.

The speed of the incoming trolley is not known, but it sent the other trolley 100 feet forward in the tunnel.  49 passengers were injured, none in a life-threatening condition.

Full story at the Boston Globe.