New national ban on bus, truck texting fights distracted driving car crash crush

Posted by Bruce Westbrook

January 26, 2010

Like a car on freshly-inflated tires, the national momentum to outlaw texting while driving keeps on rolling. Today the U.S. Department of Transportation placed an immediate ban on interstate commercial bus and truck drivers fidgeting with texting gadgets when they should be paying full attention to the road.

After all, they’re getting paid to drive, aren’t they? And, oh yes: If they stop texting, they just might save lives.

In fact, they definitely will, since distracted drivers who text or talk by cell phones kill thousands of Americans each year. So far 19 states have put the brakes on such absurd behavior, with many more states mulling a texting-while-driving ban. And now the DOT has made it illegal — coast to coast — for truck and bus drivers, too.

This texting while driving ban applies to those who drive interstate trucks and buses weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Drivers who are caught in violation face criminal and civil penalties of up to $2,750.

Before you yelp about government interference, know that both the American Bus Association and the American Trucking Association fully endorse this move. Many of their members already ban the practice, or have equipment that disables texting while vehicles are in motion. It will still be permissible for dispatchers to send texts to drivers. It just won’t be allowed for them to read such texts while they’re driving 70 miles per hour on a busy freeway.

Heck, the new rule even draws support from CTIA, the wireless industry’s trade association. (That group no longer goes by its acronym’s original meaning: the Cellular Telephone Industries Association.)

Speaking of acronyms, the FMCSA, or Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,has done some research. It showed that those who text while driving spend 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds — or three-fourth of the time — not looking at the road. In those seconds, a driver going 55 mph travels the length of a football field plus end zones, or 120 yards, without ever looking at the road.

And to think, some people think texting while driving is no problem. That’s because they haven’t had a car crash — yet.

At Jim S. Adler & Associates, we recognize the problem and have cell phone accident lawyers ready to help if you or your loved ones are harmed by distracted drivers. We’ll hold them responsible for their cell phone fixations that endanger innocent lives, and get you the financial compensation that you deserve.

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