Or, what you get when idiots take out responsible people instead of themselves . . .
Wired News: Driver Watching DVD: Not Guilty:
“[Erwin Petterson] hasn’t been able to drive in over two years,” she said. “He just wanted to be alone for a while. He’s very happy he can get on with his life again.”
[Prosecutor] Stein argued that Petterson and his passenger Jonathan Douglas were watching a DVD movie when Petterson’s pickup truck crossed the center line, hitting the Weisers’ sport utility vehicle head-on. Petterson testified he was not watching a movie and that his truck strayed into oncoming traffic when he reached for a soda.
[ . . . ]
If installed as recommended, DVD players will not work in an automobile unless the emergency brake is on or the vehicle is in park. Prosecutors said Petterson overrode those safety measures when he installed an entertainment system including a DVD player, speakers and a Sony PlayStation 2 in his pickup truck.
Yeah, he wants to see if he can beat his old high scores and I’m sure his NetFlix account needs to be attended to, what with a two-year hiatus.
I can’t believe there is no law against inappropriate or distracting devices in the driver’s view that could be applied here.