Full Notification

On Sunday, December 14, 2014, at about 12:10 AM, officers were called to Nursery Drive near Forsythia Street for a report of a car that crashed into a tree. Reports indicate 18-year old Samantha Rubitsky of Milton was driving north on Nursery Drive when she looked down at her phone to send a text message, crossed into the oncoming traffic lane, went off the road and crashed into a tree.  Rubitsky was wearing a seatbelt, the airbags deployed and she reported no injuries, however the vehicle sustained severe damage and had to be towed from the scene.  Rubitsky was cited for texting while driving and driving without insurance. 

While this driver escaped injuries and it is fortunate that no other vehicles or people were involved, we believe this serves as an important, real-life reminder of the dangers of texting while driving and distracted driving.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 71% of teens and young people say they have sent text messages while driving and 78% of teens and young adults say they have read text messages while driving.  In 2012 alone, 3,328 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 421,000 people were injured in distracted driver crashes; a nine percent increase from the estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011. 

While those numbers may sound like just statistics, they’re anything but.  They could be parents, children, neighbors and friends from right here in Middleton, Wisconsin.  There are too many sad tales of deaths and injuries that could have been prevented had drivers been paying attention to the road instead of someone or something else.  For those who think they can do two things at once, think about this: according to a study by Carnegie Mellon, driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.  Can you really afford to lose that much brainpower?  Driving is an activity that requires your full attention and focus in order to keep yourself and others safe.

Yes, this is a national problem, but it also affects us right here in Middleton.  No one is immune from the dangers of distracted driving, so remember:  “One text or call could wreck it all.”  For more information on texting while driving and other forms of distracted driving, visit http://www.Distraction.govand http://www.zeroinwisconsin.gov.

Pursuant to the directive of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicity, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Sergeant Travis Kakuske
Middleton Police Department
608-824-7300
[email protected]
http://www.MiddletonPD.com