If you needed one more cautionary tale to explain to your kids how dangerous texting while driving is, a Malibu plastic surgeon just provided you with it. Dr. Frank Ryan, Heidi Montag's plastic surgeon, apparently 'tweeted' himself to death.
Ryan was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles when he careened off the road in his Jeep. Evidence suggests that the 50-year old surgeon was posting a comment to Twitter at the time, according to a report from People.com.
Studies have shown that adults are more prone to texting while driving than teens. Texting is only one of the ways technology can distract us while driving, however. Some studies have shown that driving with a phone pressed to your ear can be as bad as driving drunk. Tasks like dialing the phone can be nearly as distracting as texting, reducing reaction times by as much as 30%.
And it's only going to get worse. I got a little preview of how much worse it can get when my mother placed a video call on Skype from her laptop—in a moving car. She was in the passenger seat, thankfully. But with the new video capabilities of the iPhone 4 and some Android phones, it's just a matter of time before we start warning of the distractions of video conferencing while driving.