Fed. Government Bans Texting for Commercial Drivers

Drivers of commercial vehicles, such as trucks or buses, are prohibited from texting while driving, pursuant to a federal law that went into effect last month.

Following the September 2009 Distracted Driving Summit, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced his department's plan to purse necessary actions and lawmaking to reduce accidents and injuries caused by distracted driving.

Any commercial driver who violates the law by texting while driving can expect to face both civil and criminal penalties of up to $2,750.

Countless studies have shown that texting while driving significantly increases a driver's chances of getting into an accident. Research from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that drivers who send, receive, and read text messages while driving end up taking their eyes off the road for 4.6 out of 6 seconds. If a driver were traveling at 55 mph, that would equal traveling the length of a football, including the end zones, without ever having looked at the road. The FMCSA's research also found that distracted drivers are more than 20 times more likely to be involved in an accident than a person who is paying attention to the road and their surroundings.