Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyer Supports Ban on Texting for Truckers

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Jason Schultz

 

As an Atlanta truck accident lawyer, I am pleased to see federal agencies taking decisive steps to promote truck safety and prevent accidents. In the latest such measure, the US Department of Transportation has announced a ban on texting while driving for all commercial truck and bus drivers. The ban is effectively immediately.  Considering the DOT’s war on distracted driving, I wasn’t too surprised that the ban was enacted.

The ban comes soon after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that it would be revising the hours of service rules for truckers. New rules can be expected in the next few months, and these will hopefully set consecutive working hours back to 10.

 

As long as the federal government is on a roll with these commendable steps, I believe it should go the distance and implement a number of other measures that this Atlanta truck accident lawyer has been hoping for years. These include

 

  • Mandating onboard recording devices on trucks that monitor the number of hours the trucker has driven, by tracking the number of times the vehicle is switched on and off
  • Mandating seatbelts on all buses
  • Mandating sleep apnea screenings for all commercial truck drivers. If the government wants to deal with trucker fatigue-related accidents, it would make sense to also deal with the other major factor in trucker fatigue.
  • Putting aside all plans to increase the weight limit of tractor trailers on our highways. The trucking industry has been lobbying hard for bigger and heavier trucks that would allow companies to transport more cargo in a single trip. We don’t need heavier trucks on our highways. What we do need are stronger laws that prevent accidents involving our current-sized trucks.
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Trucking Group Throws Support Behind Anti-Texting Bill

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Jason Schultz

The American Trucking Association has announced its support for a bill that would minimize accidents by banning texting by all drivers, including passenger vehicle drivers and commercial truck drivers.

The bill, the Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers Act or ALERT Drivers Act, has been introduced by Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY).  The bill bans the use of handheld cell phones and other personal electronic devices that can be used for making calls or texting. States that don’t enforce the ban within 2 years will have up to 25 percent of their annual federal highway funding cut.

 

In August, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute monitored truck drivers' behavior by installing video cameras in cabs. The researchers found that truckers who indulged in activities that took their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel, like texting, increased their risk of an accident by 23 times. Those are staggering statistics, and call for strong measures. Even if you don’t agree with the 23-times risk increase, you have to agree that any kind of distraction behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck is extremely dangerous.

 

The ATA also adopted three other policy statements, one of which involved support of the use of onboard safety systems, including lane departure warning systems, brake monitoring systems and collision avoidance systems. However, the ATA is insisting on stronger incentives to encourage trucking companies to adopt such accident-prevention technologies. It also adopted a policy statement regarding educating new motorists on sharing the road with commercial motor vehicles. The policy statement says that passenger vehicle drivers must be educated on proper distances for following trucks, blind spots and other issues that can cause accidents.

 

Jason Schultz is an Atlanta truck accident attorney, representing injured victims of truck and tractor trailer accidents across the state of Georgia.

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