As you’ve heard, Bruce Jenner was in a tragic and fatal multi-car accident last weekend. Reports vary as to whether Jenner may have caused the accident. Initial reports speculated that Jenner may have been texting at the time of the accident, right before his huge Cadillac Escalade rear-ended a Lexus sedan, sending it into the path of oncoming traffic. The driver of the Lexus perished when her car was hit by a Hummer. Jenner’s rep strongly denied that his client was texting. Additional photos taken at the time show that Jenner was smoking, not texting. He also passed the field sobriety tests and tested negative for drugs and alcohol.
Jenner knows that paparazzi follow him everywhere, which makes it even more colossally stupid that he was recently photographed talking on the phone and holding it to his ear while driving. It’s illegal to use a hand held cellphone while driving in California. Here’s more from The Daily News, which also has the photos of Jenner driving and talking on the phone.
Bruce Jenner was spotted chatting on his cell phone while driving in Thousand Oaks, California Tuesday — three days after he was involved in a fatal Malibu car accident.
Using a phone while driving is illegal in the Golden State. Violators face a $20 fine the first time caught and $50 for each subsequent offense.
The former Olympics champ, who was seen behind the wheel of a compact Ford Fiesta, turned over his cellphone records from the weekend to police after his involvement in the deadly pile-up.
I live in a state where it’s still inexplicably legal to use a handheld phone and drive. It’s illegal to text and drive, but I see people doing it all the time. I’ve also seen police officers using cell phones (not their CB radios or whatever they use, regular cellphones) and driving. This angers me, because I lived in New York and Connecticut prior to this, and even 15 years ago it was illegal to drive and use handheld phones in those states. Of course studies show that people are still distracted with hands-free phones, but I do believe that outlawing hand held phones helps somewhat and deters texting. Jenner should know better. The fact that he was caught doing this makes me less sympathetic toward him when it comes to his accident.
The Daily News also reports that the driver of the fourth car involved in the accident, a Prius, was driving illegally on a suspended license. As news of this accident has unfolded, we’ve heard various versions of what happened. Police are still piecing it together as well. First we heard that Jenner rear ended the Lexus, which careened out into traffic. Then we heard that the Prius had unexpectedly stopped in traffic, causing the Lexus directly behind it to stop short and limiting Bruce’s ability to brake in time. Now TMZ has a follow-up claiming that Bruce may have caused the whole pileup. TMZ has photos of the accident progressing, and they theorize that Bruce should have realized that traffic had slowed and should have applied the brakes sooner. It’s unknown whether the Lexus hit the Prius first. Again, police are still figuring out what happened. Plus there are witnesses who say that the Prius had stopped first. I’ll reserve judgment until law enforcement comes out with a statement. I’m still judging Bruce for not using a hands free phone, though. Even that little Ford Fiesta he’s now driving has Bluetooth.
photo credit: FameFlynet
20 dollars? What a ridiculously small fine.
I was thinking the same! Especially as it is 3 times that if you don’t curb your wheels on an almost flat street in San Francisco.
What does curb your wheels mean?
Cindy, it means pointing your front wheels towards the curb if you’re parked downhill, or away from the curb if you’re parked uphill. If the car starts rolling (unlikely if you use the emergency brake), your wheels hit the curb and stop the car before it can hit anything. It’s enforced VERY strictly in hilly places like San Francisco.
Exactly. Not a real deterrent for the majority of people plus i read that many cops do not enforce the law if its the only infraction. Rather, if a person is speeding or committing another moving violation while on the phone the cop will issue the talking on the cellphone ticket in addition to the other infraction(s).
yes, in lots of countries you have to pay that for parking wrong and in most cases thats nowhere near as dangerous.
I couldn’t believe that either, that’s the cheapest ticket I’ve ever seen. Here in NJ it’s $200, the $400 for 2nd offense. 3rd is $600+, 3 points, and a 90 day suspended license.
Also I find it hard to believe that his car doesn’t have Bluetooth or some other hands free option.
I feel bad for him, he’s under a ton of scrutiny.
I was hit by a texted and my car was totaled and the cop didn’t check his cell even after the kids admitted it because the cop knew his parents. Still going through that lawsuit. But Even though someone is dead here, And this is a situation that Bruce helped create, it’s a little Princess Diana-ish, no, to be surrounded by paps constantly? I’m probably being too kind considering this is his own fault but still.
I think it’s more like $200. Initially, years ago, when the law first went in effect, I think it could have been only $20. I just keep thinking….Bruce can sure afford to have a nice hands-free system installed in his vehicles, so why would he be texting? When I’m driving, my bluetooth hands-free answers the phone, but I’m never tempted to text while driving. It can wait !! If I really need to look at my phone at all, I pull over.
Yeah this was really dumb–and its not like the papz following him is a NEW thing, they’ve been following him for a decade (doubt they hounded him that much before KUWTK started)
Who are you even talking to, Brenda? Put the phone down or pull over!
Whom are you calling Brenda?
His name, at this time, is Bruce.
Mkyarwood
Can we be adult about this? It’s a sensitive topic, not to mention a woman lost her life not long ago.
Sure, just as soon as he starts being an adult. I’m smack dab in the reality of a trans person’s life, so I’m not removed or being insulting. His name, at this time, is probably still whatever Kris tells him it is. If this doesn’t turn out to be part of a storyline, I’ll back down.
LOL. I laughed mkyarwood.
I think I’ve been pretty clear with my views on this matter.
I feel for the woman who died.
I completely sympathize with the police on cell phone issue- I see it here as well and it’s so frustrating. No role modeling at all, yet they enforce the laws.
Honestly he may not be guilty but it rubs me the wrong way that as soon as the issue happened suddenly TMZ was blasting, “Paparazzi cause Bruce’s Fatal Car Crash!!!” when they weren’t the cause or even being aggressive.
I think the whole family has issues taking responsibility and seeing Bruce on a phone while driving days after a woman died in an accident he contributed to makes me feel the same about him. Clearly they don’t care about the people who aren’t in frame of their reality TV show cameras.
Not very smart of him knowing the paparazzi are always following him. Also not smart after being in a deadly accident.
Just “keeping up with” the family standard.
Stupid being on the phone and with that accident, what about the fact that he was towing a vehicle? I haven’t read news reports talking about that.
Bruce was towing in the left lane and unless he was passing he should have been in the right lane. Adding and when towing you are expected allow more room between yourself and the car ahead than because breaking takes longer.
+1
This was a pretty stupid thing for him to do, considering the circumstances. A lot of people do use handheld phones while driving, and I don’t necessarily think it’s more dangerous than fumbling around to get a speaker or headset connected, which is what everyone I know who don’t talk on their phones end up doing (to avoid getting a fine). He should have known the paps would be out to get these types of photos of him tho.
I cannot tell you how many people I see texting and driving or holding their phones. It freaks me out how many times I’ve seen near misses in traffic, and I’m thinking “Please don’t hit me, please odn’t hit me”. Come on. Stop.
I had a near miss this morning, in fact, on the interstate heading into work. Young girl maybe 16, 17 was texting on her phone. She never looked up as far as I could tell until she almost ran me off the road. Going 70+ mph, something like the length of 4 or 5 football fields are traversed in mere seconds. Scary to think someone is looking down for that distance.
You’d think he’d use a driver. He’s rich enough for that right?
I simply do NOT understand why these celebrities talk on a handheld while driving. I drive a Toyota Highlander and have a hands-free bluetooth speaker built in to my dash which I use all the time if I have to make a call. It’s super convenient to have both my hands while driving, not to mention MUCH safer. All these celebrities rolling around in $100k vehicles you know they have to have a bluetooth option yet they still use the handheld. Doesn’t make any sense!!
He was in a little Ford Fiesta rental car. Maybe it didn’t have it.
Still, with what had just happened, I can’t believe he would risk any photo like that, even if a brief call.
We don’t have that law down here.
Why is he in a damn fiesta? You’ve god blobs of $$$$$!!!!!!!
I thought the Ford Fiesta was equipped with Ford SYNC. Maybe he hadn’t set it up since it was a rental.
Agreed, could he be more careless at such a significant time?
My question is, if it is a rental, why? Doesn’t he have other cars to drive?
Ford Fiestas have had Sync for at least a few years, and most rental cars are fairly new models. I’ve had it in my Ford leases for at least 5 years now.
And if a car doesn’t have bluetooth…pull over if you need to talk on the phone.
nah, it has it. almost all have Bluetooth now. Ford esp is real tech savvy. A lot of older people don’t want their bluetooth hooked up, cause they don’t use their cellphone that much. It’s prob that for bruce
I have a little ford car. They come with bluetooth and they’re not hard to set up. Plus you can use Siri to dial through it, you never have to pick up the phone.
As a native Angeleno, I can tell you that the fines seem small, but the bureaucratic fees jack those prices up over $150, sometimes going over 300. BUT, I think that’s still not enough. Either way, someone died and that’s just sad.
He was also seen speeding 2 days after the accident. Crazy, right? He is not off the hook completely yet, he needs to be careful.
With all the money this family has, I am sure Bruce can afford a Bluetooth device. Hell, he could afford a vehicle that, like mine, has voice command blue tooth. You don’t even have to hold your phone to make a call or even to text! There is simply no excuse for this bs. My best friend’s cousin was killed in a car accident in which the other driver was texting and ran a red light. This has got to stop.
Using a handheld phone behind the wheel is still legal in my state, too… and texting was only made illegal within the last year. It’s still a secondary offense, so cops can’t pull you over just because you’re texting. This infuriates me. I had to call 911 (first & only time… I don’t do it lightly) once because a driver in front of me was texting and swerving back and forth, nearly missing oncoming traffic, drifting across four lanes and cutting me off in an intersection, and even plowing through a red light. If I hadn’t seen her on her phone when she was next to me earlier, I would have assumed she was wasted. Maybe she was wasted too… but it was the middle of the day. I have absolutely no tolerance for people who endanger lives for something as trivial as a text. Even a phone call can wait. Pull over if it’s an emergency; you shouldn’t be handling emergencies while driving anyway. (Ironic, because the 911 dispatcher asked me to follow her and stay on the phone… I stopped when she ran the light, because I wasn’t about to do the same. It felt hypocritical, and I wasn’t comfortable with it… but it was the only way they could track her. At least I had a hands-free connection.)
I wish I could say I’m shocked that Bruce would be so careless, if only in the interest of publicity or propriety after the tragedy. However, it doesn’t surprise me at all. Wealthy, famous people are entitled enough as it is… and the average person already feels entitled to use their phone while operating heavy machinery.
I DID have some sympathy for what we has going on in his life, not to mention the craziness he has lived around for years, but if he’s this darn stupid and unable show a bit of restraint from the cell phone then he can go do you know what to himself. Ridiculous, we lived without phones in our cars for years people…the call can wait! ALL LIVES MATTER!
Yes, I was big on the innocent until proven guilty thing and thought people were being harsh. Now he does this? Smh
No, it’s good you aren’t so jaded GNAT.
KMZ is now changing their story a bit. Now they are saying the photos indicate the Lexus might not have hit the Prius, that it might have been Bruce, who first hit and rammed the Lexus, then the back of the Prius. The lawyer for the Prius driver says there is an imprint on the back of the Prius of Bruce’s Escalade. There were lots of witnesses, but some difference to their stories. Accidents happen so fast, a lot of people probably didn’t look in time.
The story has to keep changing to keep everyone on the edge of their seat. If all the true facts came out right away, people would lose interest.
The Prius drivers lawyer story sounds strange
I agree, the media always does that and it drives me nuts. They don’t wait for actual facts anymore, they report on speculation and throw in disclaimers, and change the story all the time.
Agree with both of you.
I can’t believe they let the story be framed as the Lexus hit the Prius first, when they probably already had the photos that showed that the Lexus had no front end damage when Bruce hit it.
At the end of the day, yes, EVERYONE makes mistakes while driving, but that doesn’t make it ok. This story should be a reminder, that while we are so comfortable with our cars, they are lethal. Everyone of us every time we get behind the wheel has the potential to take the lives of other human beings. I have seen people comment that they don’t leave the recommended space because people might get in front of you. Having one more car in front of yours seems like a small price to pay if it saves lives.
I hate to admit it, but I have watched some episodes of KUWTK, and they routinely hold phones while they drive and put their seatbelts UNDER their arms. Interesting that this is illegal in CA and they still do it. On camera. No repercussions?
Prayers for the woman who died.
I take it no one commenting on here has never used a cell phone while driving? I take it no one has ever caused an accident or been in an accident? I also take it no one has ever broken a traffic law, either.
You can do everything right and bad things still happen. Just because he was speeding after the accident doesn’t mean he was before the accident & it also doesn’t mean he was using the cell phone prior to. My point is we are all human and make poor decisions every day. It is just that most of us that make poor decisions don’t have it end tragically.
I agree, people are being WAY hard on him.
What a jerk. He knows there was a scandal at the beginning of this fatal crash story that he might have been texting before running into the Lexus. So what does he do? Get caught texting and driving just days later. On top of that, he knows that more so now than before that he’s going to get papp’d when he’s driving.
I don’t know if that’s based on arrogance and entitlement or because he’s just really stupid. But I don’t think anybody is that stupid.
they updated that, he wasn’t texting, he was holding a cigarette.
I wish it were illegal in my state to talk on a cell while driving. As it is, ppl (clients) expect me to be available at all times, and I am NEVER without a cell to my ear or at my fingertips. Therefore, in regards to Bruce, I can’t shame him, but I can certainly remind him to use that law to his benefit–enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet while you drive.
The Kar/Jen family sold their souls to the devil MANY years ago and MANY times again over the years. It’s why & how they are Teflon. But? Eternal damnation gonna be a big ole bishy.
No phone call is so important that it can’t wait until a person is not driving!!! PUT DOWN THE PHONES, PEOPLE!!!
Making a big deal out of nothing, much? I talk on the phone all the time when I drive, and never think twice about it, whether I’m going 15 or 80 mph. Has never caused any problems.