WASHINGTON-June could prove pivotal in the debate over driver distraction and cell phones, as a criminal trial involving the deaths of two family members begins in Texas and the National Transportation Safety Board meets to consider policy implications of investigations of a spate of deadly traffic accidents implicating drivers talking on mobile phones.
The distracted driving case against Regino Salinas is scheduled for June 9 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Salinas has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after his car struck and killed 44-year-old Jose Gonzalez and 68-year-old Sotero Garza Gonzalez Jan. 11, 2002. Rene Rodriguez, Salinas’ lawyer, claims a written confession allegedly signed by Salinas is bogus and argues there are extenuating circumstances that have not come out. The NTSB hearing date has not been set.
