Distracted driving: Texting banned for truckers and bus drivers

Jan 26, 2010 4:47 PM

In the ongoing efforts to eliminate distracted driving on the roads, the Department of Transportation has announced a ban on texting and handheld cell phones for commercial truck and bus drivers. If caught, they could face civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.

Research by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) finds that drivers who text message look away from the road for 4.6 seconds out of every six seconds. That is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with end zones at 55 mph without watching the road. A Virginia Transportation Institute study found the crash risk of texting is 23 times greater than not texting.

Effective immediately, this decision affects interstate commercial truckers, as well as buses or van drivers who carry more than eight passengers.

This announcement continues the DOT’s safety mission following the distracted driving summit last fall to pursue other remedies against texting and talking while driving. We may see other legislation and penalties announced in the future.

For more on distracted driving see distraction.gov and also our related reports:

Hands-free cell phone laws: Are they effective?
Distracted driving summit: The highlights
Choosing words wisely in the distracted driving discussion
Distracted Driving Summit: The hands-free debate
Defining the problem: Casting a wide net over driver distraction
Automakers agree to ban
Anti-texting video to scare drivers straight
Using wireless communication devices while driving
Cell phone use and driving laws
Dangers of cell phones while driving
Should cell phone use by drivers be illegal?