United States Government Passes Legislation Banning Texting of Drivers of Large Commercial Trucks and Buses in an Effort to Eliminate the Dangers of Distracted Driving
According to Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood, the ban will go into effect immediately. The experienced Philadelphia car accident and truck accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily have known for years that trucking regulator site research shows that when drivers take their eyes off the road to send and receive text messages on cell phones, they put themselves and other drivers at significantly higher risk for accidents. Drivers of heavy trucks and buses that are texting are 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near crash event than those who are not texting while driving. Studies have indicated that drivers of heavy vehicles take their eyes off the road for five to six seconds while texting. At 55 mph this means that drivers travel the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road. The National Safety Council estimates that over 200,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers who are texting. Legislation has also been introduced in Congress to extend the ban to all drivers of motor vehicles on a national scale.
