DISTRACTED DRIVING

Information from the County Attorney's Office

By Steven J. Franzen, Campbell County Attorney

April is national Distracted Driving Awareness month.  Distracted driving is simply defined as driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving and significantly increases the chance of a collision.

There are three main types of distracted driving and they are (1) visual, such as taking your eyes off the road; (2) manual, such as taking your hands off the wheel; and (3) cognitive, such as thinking about other things instead of focusing your mind on the task of driving.  In many instances, acts of distracted driving simultaneously involve more than one type of distracted driving. 

Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction.  These things include: sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system, and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving.  These distractions can endanger the driver and others.  According to the National Safety Council, electronic devices have been a factor in approximately 1.3 million collisions each year.

Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.  Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover a football field while driving at 55 mph.  Performing these activities simultaneously is considered “multitasking.”  According to the National Safety Council, studies have proven that humans cannot multitask, instead the brain completes multiple tasks in rapid succession.  Even the use of “hands free” technology does not decrease the level of distraction when having a conversation on a cell phone according to the National Safety Council.  

The National Highway and Safety Administration found that in 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed in crashed involving a distracted driver and another 391,000 people were injured as a result of a distracted driver.

Because of the risk of injury and even death, we all should take precautions to avoid distracted driving.  Although all distractions cannot be avoided, distracted driving can mostly be eliminated if every driver makes a concerted effort to minimize distractions while driving.

If you have any topics you would like to have covered in this column, please contact my office by e-mail at countyattorney@campbellcountyky.org, by phone at 859-491-7700 or by regular mail addressed to 319 York Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.

VICTIMS’ INFORMATION AND NOTIFICATION

Information from the County Attorney's Office

By Steven J. Franzen, Campbell County Attorney

As part of the month of April being Victims’ Rights Awareness Month in Kentucky, this article will address the system in Kentucky known as VINE which stands for Victims’ Information and Notification Everyday and other resources available to victims of crimes.   

Kentucky initiated its Victims’ Notification System as a result of the death of a twenty one (21) year old girl from Louisville who was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend on her 21st birthday.  That boyfriend had been previously incarcerated for raping and kid-napping the girl and had just been released without the girl’s knowledge and just before shooting her seven (7) times as she left work.  If the girl had known about her attacker’s release from jail, she may very well have been able to take precautions to protect herself.

Considering the problems demonstrated by the above noted case, Kentucky created the VINE System which was the nation’s first statewide automated victim notification system.  VINE is an automated notification system that alerts victims about changes in the custody status of an offender.  The system includes data from county jails, prisons, mental health facilities and juvenile detention centers. VINE will alert you by phone and/or e-mail when an offender is released, transferred from a county jail, escapes, or has an upcoming parole hearing. To access VINE call 1-800-511-1670 or visit www.vinelink.com. 

Other resources for victims and the general public include the Kentucky Online Offender Lookup (KOOL) system where you can search Kentucky’s prison system for inmate information.  The system includes data on inmates location, parole eligibility and information, expected time to serve, risk assessment rating, aliases, and conviction information.  You can search the KOOL system at: http://kool.corrections.ky.gov/.  

Another system now available to victims is the VINE Court Services, which is a service where victims can register to receive telephone and email notification when their offender’s court event status changes.  Victims can register by calling 1-800-511-1670.  Victims can also contact the prosecutor’s office to speak with a Victim Advocate to receive updates and information on the criminal case. 

Lastly, Campbell County, similar to many other Kentucky counties, also has the jail tracker system where the general public can see and search current inmates at the Campbell County Detention Center.  This system can be accessed online at: https://jailtracker.com/jtclientweb/(S(rb3ckp45wqzzbiziv141pzvj))/jailtracker/index/CAMPBELL_COUNTY_KY.  

If you have any topics you would like to have covered in this column, please contact my office by e-mail at countyattorney@campbellcountyky.gov, by phone at (859) 491-7700 or by regular mail addressed to 319 York Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071