SANTA ANA –February 29, 2012 – A 23-year-old woman from Newport Coast pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing a bicyclist while driving intoxicated and texting on her cell phone.
As a result of her guilty plea, Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Robison sentenced Danae Marie Miller to four years in state prison. Not exactly Newport Coast chic!
The bicyclist, Amine Britel, 41, of Newport Beach, who owned a travel business and was a tri-athlete, died at the scene of the Feb. 21, 2011, crash.
Up to the date of this fatal accident, court records show Miller had received at least 17 citations since 2005. Several of them included; driving without a license, registration or insurance, but those tickets were dismissed after she showed proof. However, 11 of the citations included; speeding, talking on a cell phone, failure to stop, driving against traffic on a one-way street, following too close and making an unsafe turn. Obviously, this woman has an unstable history when she gets behind the wheel.
This is a perfect example of anything can happen to anyone, regardless of where they come from, when they least expect it. The scary thing is that this young woman has had a history that indicates she has a problem, so where were her parents all this time? And, has she been treated for this problem?
I expect that having four years behind bars will hopefully help Miller realize that drinking, texting and driving don’t mix. And, I also hope that this very sad story is shared with high school kids and young adults, so they can see not only how dangerous it is, but what the consequences are for these actions.
Drinking and driving has been a problem for many, many years, but now texting and cell phone use without a hands-free devise, has made vehicular accidents more prevalent. What will it take to make the general public more aware of the dangers involved when driving a car, along with the responsibility to do it safely?
What is your opinion of texting and cell phone use while driving?
Read more:
http://www.ocregister.com/news/britel-342367-miller-driving.html