The US Transportation Department just offered a plan to outlaw text messaging at the wheel by cross-state truck and bus drivers. This regulatory action follows up on its call to mitigate distracted drivers that lead to accidents.
The proposal would replace an interim ban announced at the beginning of the calendar year by the Transportation Secretary. The proposed ban applies to bus drivers and truck drivers operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over ten thousand pounds. To give an idea of the serious nature of the problem, the drivers could be facing civil penalties and/or even criminal charges.
The US Department of Transportation reports almost 6,000 people died and over a half million were injured in 2008 in crashes involving driver distraction. They didn’t speculate how many of those deaths and injuries involved mobile device. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mirror the Transportation Department estimates with projection that about eighty percent of crashes are caused by driver distraction. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is sponsoring research to determine the extent of the distraction problem. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) states that driver inattention is a determining factor in many crashes, and cell phone calls and sending text messages are some of the most common driver distractions.
State legislators aren’t waiting for data and are enacting new laws dealing with cell phone calls and texting . The GHSA reports that currently 20 states plus the District of Columbia ban all drivers from sending text messages while behind the wheel. An additional nine states against texting by beginner drivers. The remaining states are expected to implement the ban eventually. However it is also widely recognized that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technology is neede. The Governors Highway Safety Association purports to say it supports texting bans for all drivers, but does have concerns about enforcement.
An interesting source of a potential solution is Phone Monitoring and Tracking Apps. Their software is installed on Android and BlackBerry smartphones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other call log activity.
The trucking and passenger bus trade associations support the texting prohibition, and many companies have strict policies against texting when behind the wheel. The government, industry and safety organizations have found common ground that driver distraction caused bysending text messages is extremely dangerous, and deserves action. Advocates for dealing with the problem also include celebrity Oprah.
Without question there are many distractions which may prevent a driver focusing on driving: changing the radio or a finding a tape or CD, talking to passengers, rubber necking, and of course, using cell phones and texting. Navigational and other interactive devices also cause inattention.
As legislation and technology develop to address the issues a software package from Phone Monitoring and Tracking Apps is available to help deal with monitoring phone use. Their software is installed on Android and BlackBerry cell phones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other phone log events.
What do Oprah, the Department of Transportation, the Auto Club, insurance companies and, state and federal legislators have in common?
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