: News

VA Distracted Driver Initiative

Play associated audio

With the start of Maryland's new texting while driving ban, there's a new push in Virginia to reduce the number of so-called 'distracted drivers' on the Beltway.

Virginia's new Distracted Driver campaign targets the habits of 56 percent of all drivers on the Capital Beltway who say they regularly use their cell phones or text while driving.

Triple A Mid-Atlantic's Lon Anderson says it's a dangerous activity, especially around highway construction. "The idea here is to just remind drivers that you shouldn't be doing anything else but driving when you're on the Capital Beltway, and two, when you're in a construction zone, holy smokes...just hang up!"

Meanwhile, a two-day seminar on the subject sponsored by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood begins Wednesday, and a new law that bans texting while driving in Maryland goes into effect Thursday.

Eighteen states including Virginia have laws that ban cell phone use and, or texting while driving.

Elliott Francis reports...

NPR

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.
NPR

In Raw Milk Case, Activists See Food Freedom On Trial

Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.
NPR

Lois Lerner's Brief And Awful Day On Capitol Hill

The IRS bureaucrat showed up long enough at a House hearing into the scandal engulfing her agency to declare her innocence and her constitutional right to say no more.
NPR

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.