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Woman killed by unsecured laptop in her car

by Lloyd Buchinski
26 replies
  • OFF TOPIC
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Just one of those extra little details that it seems to pay to watch out for. The story is here: CTV.ca | Warning issued after driver killed by laptop in crash

I was talking to someone just a week ago about attention to detail and one of the little comments was that an overlooked detail can kill you. I haven't even been in a car for a long long time but probably wouldn't have paid attention to this one either if there was a laptop in the back seat.

I saw a story in a paper about a guy in Texas driving a pickup, hit a bump, and accidentally swallowed the toothpick he had in his mouth. It punctured an artery and by the time he realized he had to go to a hospital it was too late and he died too.

Of course there are so many possibilities out there that I'll probably come up with something totally new and unique to overlook. Any other stories about small items with nasty consequences? If there isn't a site out with that focus already that would probably get traffic and who knows, maybe even make people more aware.
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Wilkinson
    I wouldn't wish harm on anyone but I wouldn't be too upset
    to hear that someone ended up with a cell phone stuck deep
    in their empty head. I wonder how many accidents are caused
    by people so busy talking on the phone to actually live their lives.

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author Thomas
      Originally Posted by Thomas Wilkinson View Post

      I wonder how many accidents are caused by people so busy talking on the phone to actually live their lives.
      Is it legal to use a mobile-phone while driving over there?

      It's isn't on this side of the pond: there are penalty points (applied to your driving licence), fines, Court appearances, and even potential prison sentences.

      Not sure how effective it is though: In the past few years 65,000 people in Ireland have been caught. Taking that as a proportion of the overall population, it's the equivalent of nearly 5,000,000 Americans!

      Tommy.
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
        Originally Posted by Thomas View Post

        Is it legal to use a mobile-phone while driving over there?

        It's isn't on this side of the pond: there are penalty points (applied to your driving licence), fines, Court appearances, and even potential prison sentences.

        Not sure how effective it is though: In the past few years 65,000 people in Ireland have been caught. Taking that as a proportion of the overall population, it's the equivalent of nearly 5,000,000 Americans!

        Tommy.
        there are 65,000 phones in ireland? when did this happen???













































        just kidding
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        • Profile picture of the author ShayB
          Originally Posted by Michael Motley View Post

          there are 65,000 phones in ireland? when did this happen???
          Right after that "indoor plumbing" fad caught on.
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        • Profile picture of the author Thomas
          Originally Posted by Michael Motley View Post

          there are 65,000 phones in ireland? when did this happen???
          It all started on 5-October-1865, when the first documented telephone call in Dublin was made, a full 11-years before that thieving ******* Bell got his patent.
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          • Profile picture of the author Thomas
            Originally Posted by Thomas View Post

            It all started on 5-October-1865, when the first documented telephone call in Dublin was made, a full 11-years before that thieving ******* Bell got his patent.
            God, I really impress myself sometimes... is there anything I don't know!?
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            • Profile picture of the author Mike Wright
              Loose laptops are one thing. There was a series of road safety adverts on
              UK TV .... one of which showed a mother driving who was killed in a crash
              by being hit by her child who was not wearing seatbelts in the rear. There
              were others relating to stuff just chucked on the parcel shelf and seats.

              School mums dropping their kids off at school before going off to their
              dayjobs are certifiably insane in our town ....I refuse to go out at peak times anymore ...rather like riverdancing in a minefield imho. You just can not anticipate what they will do next or where they are going to turn.
              (Well, you can ...thats the horrific fact!) Some folks just ought to be
              banned from ever driving anything ....especially baby transportation
              systems ....anywhere ....especially when on their bloody phones
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            • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
              Originally Posted by Thomas View Post

              God, I really impress myself sometimes... is there anything I don't know!?
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            • Profile picture of the author Karen Connell
              Originally Posted by Thomas View Post

              God, I really impress myself sometimes... is there anything I don't know!?
              Love it Thomas.



              How on earth did we survive without the mobile phone?

              Life went on and we were much more free then - we were not at the beck and call of everyone. Your Boss, spouse, kids, electricity company, market research can contact you even if you are up a mountain...

              I resisted but my company insisted!


              Karen
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      • Profile picture of the author HeySal
        Originally Posted by Thomas View Post

        Is it legal to use a mobile-phone while driving over there?

        It's isn't on this side of the pond: there are penalty points (applied to your driving licence), fines, Court appearances, and even potential prison sentences.

        Tommy.
        No it's not legal. But cell phones are so addictive people do it anyway - don't think they even remember what it's like not to be hooked up.

        I am still wondering why it is illegal to drive while drinking but I have yet to see a law against driving while severely stupid.
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        • Profile picture of the author pcalvert
          I once saw someone watching TV while driving south on I-95. I was behind him (or her) and could clearly see a small television sitting on top of the dashboard.

          Phil
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    • Profile picture of the author superstylefactor
      Originally Posted by Thomas Wilkinson View Post

      I wouldn't wish harm on anyone but I wouldn't be too upset
      to hear that someone ended up with a cell phone stuck deep
      in their empty head. I wonder how many accidents are caused
      by people so busy talking on the phone to actually live their lives.

      Tom
      amen to that, i basically lost count of the number of times i was almost killed in near-accidents by these cell-phone idiots!
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Amen Thomas.
    The majority of cell phone users are rude idiots. People seem to think they are a neccessity to their life.
    I hate it when I have to listen to someones conversation because they are having it over the cell at the table next to me when I'm eating out.
    Or while I'm going thrugh the check out line at the grocery store.
    Or the lady/kid that runs the red light because they are too busy chatting on the phone.
    We recently took some people to the circus,which is not a cheap event,and the whole time she spent texing people.I dont think she could tell you what acts she saw.
    Give me a petition to restrict cell useage to emergencies and ban it when driving a car and I will be the first to sign it.
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  • Profile picture of the author andr102
    Tom, I completely agree with you! I get really mad when I see people talking on a cell phone while driving, especially while driving fast !
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    • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
      Originally Posted by andr102 View Post

      Tom, I completely agree with you! I get really mad when I see people talking on a cell phone while driving, especially while driving fast !
      Cell phone talkers drive fast...then slow...then fast...then get halfway into another lane...then slow...then fast....grrrrrrrrrr.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kim Davis
    What I don't like seeing is people driving business service vehicles talking on their cell phones. Don't companies tell their drivers they shouldn't be doing that or is it head office calling them?
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
    I ride a motorcycle to work. I can't tell you how many times a week i find myself at 70mph arms length away to a soccer mom in a half a block long SUV that is so into her cell convo that she's not paying attention to the job of navigating the 3 ton vehicle she's in.

    And i AM a turn signal nazi. And proudly fly my turn signal nazi flag (its made up of just my middle finger)
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  • Profile picture of the author naijapower
    Well, people ought to be careful as we all know life has no duplicate.
    Time and time again i see people using hand held mobile phones while driving....can't believe lessons have not been learnt
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  • Profile picture of the author Star69
    Cellphones? I've seen them using laptops while driving! I figure it's just a matter of time before someone dies while looking for directions on mapquest...

    Cops use their laptops while driving all the time. (Hey, ain't no law says they can't I guess.)
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    • Profile picture of the author artwebster
      [quote=Star69;704534]Cellphones? I've seen them using laptops while driving! I figure it's just a matter of time before someone dies while looking for directions on mapquest...

      quote]

      A family in the UK was killed by a Portuguese driver who was apparently doing just that! The driver survived - the five family members were so destroyed by the rear end impact of the lorry that the attending doctors didn't know how many people were in the car until they put the pieces together.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
    cops are the worst around here for being on their cellphones when they drive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
    A fantasy collision. A pedestrian talking on his cellphone walks out in front of a bus and gets run over by a driver talking on his cellphone. Investigators check the cellphone records and find out that they were talking to each other. That accident wasn't my idea but I enjoyed it.
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  • Profile picture of the author solardave
    Here in Kentucky if you own a cell phone, it is mandatory that when in the city you MUST drive in the passing lane going no less than 10mph under the speed limit.In the country when going around a blind bend you MUST be in the other drivers lane. However, you don't have to be on your cell to do the latter.This actually happened to me a while back. My cellphone rings and I answer even though I don't know the number.It's from another KY cellphone. They ask for George and I tell them they have the wrong number. Then they ask me if I know George's number.You can't fix stupid.
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  • Profile picture of the author birdfood
    My pet hate is when you jump in a taxi and the driver barely pauses using the mobile long enough to get your destination.
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  • Profile picture of the author rdbranson
    OK, here is the strangest death I ever heard about. A German family driving on a highway in Nevada. The driver's site front tire hit a tire iron that went flew through the floorboard and hit the driver (father) killing him.
    RDB
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  • Profile picture of the author yosis
    Everybody doing this thinks accidents can't happen to them. Just a momentary distraction is enough to cause a major accident, let alone having highly involved conversations on a cell phone...
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