• 01
  • March
    2010

The federal government's latest assault on distracted driving, new guidance issued by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), interprets existing law as prohibiting commercial truck and bus drivers operating vehicles weighing in excess of 10,000 pounds from texting while operating their rigs. Since two high-profile public transit accidents in 2008 and 2009 underscored the dangers of texting while operating a vehicle, the federal government has taken an increasingly prominent role in addressing distracted driving. The federal effort includes convening a transportation summit in September where distracted driving dangers were discussed and remedies proposed.

In support of its texting ban, DOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) cited evidence that drivers sending and receiving texts take their eyes off the road for 4.6 out of every six seconds. To emphasize the significance of this degree of inattention, FMCSA explained that a driver texting at 55 miles per hour typically drives the distance of a football field including end zones without looking at the road.

Truckers who violate the federal texting ban are subject to fines up to $2,750.

A 2006 National Highway Safety Transportation Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study concluded that text-messaging drivers are six times more likely to crash than drivers paying attention to the road. Data analyzing the driving of 203 commercial truckers logging 3 million miles between 2004 and 2007 was even more alarming, indicating that texting truckers were 23 times more likely to be involved in a truck accident or near-miss than their non-texting counterparts.

The DOT's focus on truckers represents a major step in advancing highway safety. The Washington Post, citing government data, reported in July that of the 37,200 traffic fatalities in 2008, about 11 percent involved large trucks. One of those crashes killed a child on a school bus struck by an 18-wheeler.

Distracted driving, including texting and other distractions, has been found to be a factor in 80 percent of all vehicle crashes and 16 percent of all vehicle fatalities.