DOT Considering All-Cell-Phone Ban for Commercial Truck Drivers

By Grant Law Office on October 3, 2011

Distracted driving has become a growing concern for all drivers nationwide. However serious distracted driving or cell phone accidents may be with common passenger cars, they are substantially more severe when the accident involves a commercial vehicle. The devastating results of recent commercial vehicle accidents involving cell phones have prompted the proposal of a federal ban on all cell phone use for commercial vehicle drivers, according to The New York Times.

Bus drivers were banned from cell phone use after a crash in 2004 and, very recently, all commercial operators of marine transportation and railroad transportation were banned after a 2010 barge and tourist vessel crash in Philadelphia and a 2008 train crash in California.

Although some states already have texting and hand-held cell phone use bans for commercial truck drivers, the move towards a federal regulation was made after a tragic Kentucky big rig crash killed 11 people, including the truck driver, after colliding with a passenger van. Investigation into the collision revealed that the driver had used his cell phone 69 times while driving over the previous 24 hours and had in fact made a call minutes before the crash.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) largely agrees with the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) recommendation to ban cell phone use for commercial truck drivers. Although truckers are not calling for a ban on all cell phone use, they do believe that a ban on texting and hand-held cell phone use is an important step.

The immense size and weight of semi trucks makes them exceedingly dangerous in a crash, which is why commercial truck drivers must be alert at all times. If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in Georgia as the result of truck operator negligence, the experienced tractor trailer accident attorneys in Atlanta at The Law Offices of Wayne Grant, P.C., can help you pursue compensation for damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Call us today at 404-995-3955 to learn more about your legal options.