The U.S. DOT (Department of Transportation) clamps down on truckers and bus drivers. Commercial drivers now face a fine of up to $2,500 for texting or using hand held cell phones while driving.
Truckers Face Severe Fines for Texting
With 23 states are considering a law to ban texting, 19 have already passed legislation outlawing it. Some of the states actually have laws that ban novice drivers from texting. (Hellooo… Is that a no-brainer?)
Again the problem seems to be enforcing these laws. Alberto Gutier, director of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, asks “How do you know the person was texting and not dialing a number? We need to go after distracted driving, but distracted driving can be so many things. I see people doing all kinds of stupid things. … People reading their mail. I see people putting in contact lenses.”
Awareness is growing over this national problem. President Obama and public figures like Oprah are on the band wagon to stop this ever growing trend. An estimated 1.4 million traffic accidents are due to cell phone distraction. (See my blog 1.4 Million Car Accidents Per Year Directly Related to Talking on Cell Phones.)
Is the fine facing the truckers too severe? Perhaps it is. But if you think about the magnitude of the kind of traffic accidents big rigs can cause, perhaps the fine isn’t great enough. What are your thoughts?
If you want to make sure the Department of Transportation hears your thoughts on the new rule, go to http://regulationroom.org/texting/ and post your comments.