Federal Ban on Texting While Driving Large Trucks and Buses
Late last month, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) released federal guidance that expressly prohibits texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses.
The prohibition is effective immediately and means that truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.
“Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab,” says Anne Ferro, Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). “We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit.”
“Unsafe activity?” That’s an understatement. FMCSA research shows that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting.
At 55 miles per hour, that equates to a driver traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road. It comes as no surprise then, that drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers.
Because of safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driving, FMCSA is also working on additional regulatory measures that will be announced in the coming months.
For a comprehensive summary of current cell phone driving laws in different states, see this table, compiled b y the Governors Highway Safety Association.
