Did Portsmouth School Bus Driver Use Cell Phone at the Wheel?

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. In Hampton Roads, viral video footage of a Portsmouth school bus driver purportedly using a cell phone at the wheel has gone viral.

The story was featured on the TV station WAVY.com. Two videos posted to Facebook appeared to show a bus driver with Portsmouth schools using a cell phone while driving. The videos were shared more than 2,000 times, WAVY reported.

The report said the videos were uploaded by Chris Beaton. His eight-year-old son who attends Churchland Middle School took them. Beaton said his son received a written warning for changing seats on the bus. He said he moved closer to the front to take photos of the driver using his phone at the wheel.

WAVY quoted a school spokeswoman who said she was not able to determine the source or other details of the video. A bus driver was named in a social media post. Portsmouth schools could not confirm the driver named was the one in the photos but confirmed the alleged driver in the caption no longer works for city schools.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month is Underway

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. If you follow this link on the National Safety Council website, you can download free infographics and other information about distracted driving in America.

Every year, more than 3,000 people die due to distracted drivers, we point out on our website. More than 380,000 people are injured due to the actions of distracted drivers.

While the number of crashes caused by intoxicated drivers is falling year-on-year, crashes caused by texting drivers or those distracted in other ways is increasing.

The reaction time for intoxicated drivers and those texting on cell phones is similar, making texting just as dangerous as drunk driving. Studies have found the likelihood a driver glancing at a cell phone or texting will be involved in a car wreck is comparable with that of a driver with a .08% blood alcohol level.

Texting and driving is illegal in Virginia. Commercial drivers are banned from all cell phone use under federal law. In recent weeks, a spate of accidents involving school buses have taken place in Hampton Roads.

If you or a loved one has been hurt by a distracted driver, or you have lost a loved one, please call our Virginia personal injury lawyers today at (757) 455-0077.