DOT plans to ban trucker texting
Truck and interstate bus drivers would be prohibited from using text messaging while driving under a rulemaking planned by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In addition, DOT plans to place restrictions on the use of cell phones while driving.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s Oct. 1 announcement came after a two-day summit on distracted driving. DOT recognizes distracted driving as a problem among all drivers, but the department currently has authority only to regulate commercial vehicle operators.
Separately, the American Trucking Associations Executive Committee voted to support a bill introduced by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., to ban texting by all drivers. This legislation was drafted after several mass transit crashes were caused by distracted operators.
New research findings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than half a million were injured. On any given day in 2008, more than 800,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a handheld cell phone.
As for more broadly targeted initiatives, LaHood pledged to work with Congress to ensure that the issue of distracted driving is appropriately addressed. He also called on state and local governments to work with U.S. DOT by making distracted driving part of their state highway plans, and by continuing to pass state and local laws against distracted driving in all vehicles, especially school buses.
A full webcast of the summit is available at https://www.transportation.gov/
