The FMCSA Has Specific Rules for Truck Drivers
Cell phones kill people.
Well, the phone itself doesn’t do the killing. Drivers using their phones kill people. About 8 people every day actually. And more than 1,000 a day are injured because people in vehicles can’t seem to put down their phones for a few minutes.
Because of this problem that has persisted for more than a decade, the FMCSA (that’s the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the entity that builds the guidelines for commercial vehicles) has developed implemented how much cell phone use can be used while driving a commercial vehicle (like a semi truck).
Bottom line: to prevent semi truck distracted driving accidents you can press a button. Not more than one button, just one button.
No Texting While Driving
We all know that we shouldn’t be texting while driving. And those behind the wheel of a big rig know that they are especially more dangerous than a small passenger vehicle. We get that part.
But what constitutes texting? Is it sending a message to your bae? Typing in the name of your favorite podcast? Inputting an address so you get to the right destination?
The newest rules dictate that, “Texting means manually entering alphanumeric text into, or reading text from, an electronic device.” It goes on to tell us that basically anything you type into a device (phone, laptop, tablet, plug-in-typewriter) is considered texting. It’s anything beyond pressing a single button to initiate or terminate a call.
Pretty much just put it away, you can press the little button on a Bluetooth earpiece to answer a call that comes in.
No Reading While Driving
So maybe you’re not typing out emails, or sending text messages while you drive. Maybe you’re reading the Wikipedia entry for the town you just drove through.
Nope, this still falls into the no texting rule.
Quit glancing at the phone, even reading just a sentence is enough to kill someone in a semi truck distracted driving accident.
No Touching While Driving
But it goes even further.
The latest rules restrict commercial vehicle drivers from reaching for or holding a mobile phone. That of course, doesn’t include, grabbing it and pressing “answer” or “ignore.”
What it does entail, however, is holding the phone to your ear while you drive. Or digging around in the seat next to you, or under it, or in the glove box, or putting the truck on cruise control and going back into the sleeper compartment to find where you left the darn thing. It has to be safely accessed within an arm’s reach, without adjusting safety belts.
Herbert Law Group Handles Semi Truck Distracted Driving Accidents
When a driver is caught breaking one of these rules, the fines can be up to $2,750 and possible license revocation. If you’re driving truck, it’s not worth ruining your career to send that quick note that you’ll be home in 3 hours.
But what about the rest of us?
Most areas around the country have very similar distracted driving laws. And those laws, as we can see by the 400,000 people injured every year in distracted driving accidents, are ignored by many people.
If you have been injured in a truck accident, you need Herbert Law Group, truck accident attorneys in Dallas, on your side.
Cell phone records can be reviewed, and it can be determined if the accident occurred around the time when messages were being sent.
No matter what, let’s talk about your accident. There’s no obligation to you to become a client, we need to make sure we’re a good fit first.
Give us a call at 214-414-3808, or fill out the contact form and we will be in touch.