|
Written by Steven Daily, LawServer Attorney-Editor
|
|
January 27, 2010 |
|
The U.S Department of Transportation announced rules expressly prohibiting texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses. The ban is effective immediately. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750. "We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe," said Transportation Secretary LaHood. "This is an important safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving." 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, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road. Drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers.
During a September 2009 Distracted Driving Summit, the Secretary announced the Department's plan to pursue this regulatory action, as well as rulemakings to reduce the risks posed by distracted driving. President Obama also signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles or with government-owned equipment. Federal employees were required to comply with the ban starting on December 30, 2009. Source: DOT
|
|
|
Comment (0)
Email
Print