Distracted Driving Problems Extend To Police, Too

  I probably have twenty blog posts relating to the problem of distracted driving, but almost all of them focus on private vehicles. 

But the problem of distracted driving may be most problematic in cars belonging to police officers or other emergency personnel.  These vehicles receive a constant stream of information from on-board computers and other electronic devices.

Unfortunately, a perfect example of this risk is a May 29 wreck between Austin Police Department officer Damon Dunn and motorcyclist Louis Olivier.  Dunn was driving on Magazine Street as he was approaching Lamplight Village.  Dunn was reading his computer data terminal and thought he was idling.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t idleing, he was still moving, and he drove out into the intersection and hit Olivier. 

So the question is, what data is too much data for emergency vehicles?  Watch the story about the wreck from KVUE, and then let me know what you think about this issue.  Is it a problem?  Do you have potential solutions?