What do Oprah, the Department of Transportation, the Triple A, insurance companies and, state and federal legislators have in common?

The United States Transportation Department recently presented a proposal to ban text messaging at the wheel by interstate truck and bus drivers. This regulatory action follows up on its public service program to mitigate distracted drivers that cause accidents.

The proposal would replace an interim ban put in place earlier in the year by the Transportation Secretary. The proposed ban applies to drivers of passenger buses and commercial trucks operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over five tons. As an indication of the scope of the issue, violators could be facing civil penalties and/or even criminal penalties.

The United States Transportation Department reports almost 6,000 people died and about 515,000 were injured in 2008 in accidents involving driver distraction. They didn’t speculate how many of those deaths and injuries involved an electronic device. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mirror the Transportation Department statistics with an estimate 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 distracted driver problem. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) states that driver inattention is a determining factor in many accidents, and cell phone use and texting are leading causes of driver distractions.

States aren’t waiting for research reports and are issuing new laws dealing with cell phone calls and texting . The Governors Highway Safety Association reports that twenty states plus the District of Columbia outlaw drivers of all types of vehicles from texting while behind the wheel. Another nine states restricting texting by new drivers. The remaining states are expected to implement the ban before too long. However it is also believed that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technology is neede. The GHSA purports to say it supports texting bans for all drivers, but has doubts about enforcement.

A leading source of a potential solution is Phone Monitoring and Tracking Apps. Phone Monitoring Software installs on Android and BlackBerry mobile phones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other phone log events.

The trucking and passenger bus trade associations support the texting prohibition, and many companies have firm policies against texting when behind the wheel. The government, industry and safety organizations have found common ground that distracted drivers caused bysending text messages is extremely dangerous, and deserves action. Advocates for addressing the problem also include media powerhouse Oprah.

Undoubtedly there are numerous distractions interfering with a driver focusing on driving: changing the radio or a inserting tape or CD, talking to passengers, rubber necking, and of course, using cell phones and sending text messages. Navigational and other interactive devices also cause inattention.

As legislation and technology develop to address the problems 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 smartphones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other phone log events.

What do Oprah, the Department of Transportation, the Triple A, insurance companies and, state and federal legislators have in common?

What do Oprah, the US Secretary of Transportation, the Auto Club, insurance companies and, state and federal legislators have in common?

The US Transportation Department recently presented a proposal to ban text messaging while driving by cross-state truck and bus drivers. This regulatory action follows up on Transportation Department call to lessen the number of distracted drivers that cause accidents.

The proposal would make permanent the temporary ban put in place in January by the Transportation Secretary. The planned ban applies to bus drivers and truck drivers operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over ten thousand pounds. As an indication of the scope of the issue, the drivers could face civil penalties and/or even criminal penalties.

The United States Department of Transportation reported almost 6,000 people died and over a half million were injured in 2008 in accidents connected to driver distraction. The department has not determined how many of those accidents involved mobile phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reflects the Transportation Department statistics with projection that about eighty percent of crashes are caused by distracted drivers. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is funding research to determine the extent of the distraction issue. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reports that driver inattention is a leading factor in many crashes, and cell phone calls and texting are leading causes of driver distractions.

State legislatures have responded to the growing concern regarding cell phone calls and sending text messages while driving by passing a range of new laws, inclucing banning handheld mobile phone use or texting by all drivers or restricting mobile phone use or sending text messages for a specific demographic, such as teens or school bus drivers. The Governors Highway Safety Association reports that twenty states plus Washington DC prohibit drivers of all types of vehicles from texting while driving. An additional nine states against texting by novice drivers. The remaining states are expected to implement the ban eventually. But it is also widely recognized that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technology is neede. The Governors Highway Safety Association says it supports texting bans for all drivers, but does have concerns about enforcement.

A leading source of a potential solution is Phone Monitoring and Tracking Apps. Their software installs on Android and BlackBerry mobile phones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other call log activity.

The trucking and passenger bus trade associations support the text message prohibition, and many companies have explicit policies prohibiting sending text messages when behind the wheel. The government, industry and safety organizations all agree that driver distraction caused bysending text messages is a menace to society, and deserves action. Advocates for dealing with the problem also include media powerhouse Oprah Winfrey.

The issue is emerging as a new phenomenon. As navigation systems, cellphones and other mobile electronics have become ubiquitous in cars and trucks, safety advocates and the government have pushed for restrictions.

As regulations and technology develop to solve 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 smartphones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other call log activity.

What do Oprah, the US Secretary of Transportation, the Auto Club, insurance companies and, state and federal legislators have in common?

What do Oprah, the Department of Transportation, the Auto Club, insurance companies and, state and federal legislators have in common?

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?