US bans texting for some drivers
Commercial buses, trucks targeted
WASHINGTON - The federal government yesterday banned texting for commercial bus and truck drivers as part of an effort to combat traffic deaths stemming from distracted motorists.
Violators may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of as much as $2,750, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in Washington.
LaHood has made the issue a priority after more than 5,800 people died in 2008 in accidents in which driver distraction was cited in the crash report. Last fall, President Obama banned the nation’s almost 3 million federal employees from texting while driving on the job.
“Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab,’’ said Anne Ferro, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit.’’
Research shows that drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds for every 6 seconds spent sending and receiving text messages, the Transportation Department said in a statement.
The ban announced yesterday doesn’t apply to in-cab computers, according to the Transportation Department. Drivers for shippers such as
The agency has the authority to immediately prohibit texting by commercial drivers, but would have to go through the federal rulemaking process to bar the use of in-cab computers while driving, which LaHood said last year he plans to do.
The agency is working on a broader rule for commercial drivers, LaHood said, declining to say what might be included in such regulation.
The American Trucking Associations, which lists as members companies that include FedEx, UPS, and
In-cab technologies may advance so that truck drivers can send and receive information by voice rather than text, said Bill Graves, chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations.
“Most everyone involved in commercial vehicles operation - and I say most, unfortunately not all - understands the imperative to be safe when they operate a commercial vehicle,’’ he said. “But they also understand the economics of commercial vehicle operation.’’
Norman Black, a spokesman for Atlanta-based UPS, said the company “fully supports the Transportation Department’s approach to this issue.’’
“UPS is known for its commitment to safe driving and as a matter of policy and training, UPS drivers cannot use their handheld computers or their cellphones while driving,’’ he said.
Maury Lane, a spokesman for Memphis-based FedEx, had no immediate comment.
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, an interest group, has petitioned the Transportation Department to also bar drivers’ use of in-cab computers.
The texting prohibition “is an important first step, but it isn’t a final step,’’ Jacqueline Gillan, the group’s vice president, said in an interview. “We can’t just stop with texting.’’
Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat who introduced legislation that would forbid texting and e-mailing for all US drivers, agreed that yesterday’s ban is a start.
“This is a giant step forward for safety on our roads, but we must do more,’’ Schumer said in an e-mailed statement.
