Commercial Trucks and Bus Drivers Prohibited from Texting

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today that drivers of commercial trucks and buses will be banned from texting  under federal guidelines.

The federal government is joining in the fight to eliminate distracted driving and the accidents it causes.

The prohibition is effective immediately.  Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties.

The Transportation Department recently launched the site distraction.gov  to relay the dangers of distracted driving.

The government has further created an advocacy group FocusDriven to support families of distracted driving victims.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every six seconds while texting. This research shows drivers who text are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than nondistracted drivers.

Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than 500,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers advises you not to add distractions when you should be most alert.  Texting while driving is a dangerous distraction that’s killed thousands of Americans in car accidents.  If you or a loved one have been harmed in an auto-pedestrian accident, or any other form of motor vehicle accident caused by a distracted driver, call an Texas Auto Accident Attorney  to work on your case.