Philadelphia Duck Boat Accident Caused by Cell Phone Usage

Cell phones have now proven to be deadly not only on land by vehicle drivers, but on the water as well. The Philadelphia Inquirer this week reported that last year's crash of a duck boat and a barge on the Delaware River was due to the tugboat's first mate using a cell phone and computer. The July 7 accident resulted in the death of two Hungarian tourists, Dora Schwendtner, 16, and Szabolcs Prem, 20.

According to the recently released NTSB report, Matt Devlin was distracted by the condition of his seriously ill young son at the time, making phone calls and checking on internet medical sites. As first mate of the tug Caribbean Sea, Devlin's job was to keep an eye out for river traffic as the tug pushed a barge down the river. The NTSB report also faulted a deckhand on the duck boat, although to a lesser degree, who was texting on his cell phone just before the crash. According to the Inquirer's report, both men were breaking company rules prohibiting using electronic devices while on the job.

When will people realize that they cannot effectively operate a vehicle, on or off land, while talking or, even worse, texting, on a cell phone? Even hands-free devices are dangerous. People have even been seen using their laptops while driving! Those who brush off laws banning cell phone use and texting while driving as government interference in their lives are idiotic fools. People who think they need to be in constant contact with or available to the world every minute of the day need to do a serious examination of their priorities and/or ego. While it was sad that this first mate's son was so ill, perhaps he should have taken the day off.

The new Safe Drivers Act of 2011 was introduced on June 25, 2011, by NY Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, and will create a national standard prohibiting the use while driving of handheld mobile devices. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 16 percent of all auto fatalities were caused by distracted driving in 2009. Only eight states prohibit drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington. Individual cities, however, like Philadelphia, have implemented their own laws banning cell phone use while driving. Perhaps they should amend it to include vehicles that travel on water.