Texting banned for truckers, bus drivers

Truckers and bus drivers have been barred from text messaging on the job, following announcement of a federal ban on the practice.

“We know that a commercial truck or bus driven by someone texting is a lethal weapon,” says U.S. Transportation chief Ray LaHood.

The ban — which includes the use of handheld cell phones for texting — officially comes from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It applies to interstate truck drivers and commercial bus or van drivers who carry more than eight passengers.

Penalties for texting and driving for truckers will be up to $2,750.

Hood, who has grown increasingly passionate about the distracted driving issue over the past six months, writes on his DOT blog:

“We’re not trying to deny anyone the opportunity to earn a living at the wheel of a truck or bus. We’re simply sending a message: when we advise drivers to share the road responsibly, we mean it.”

The truckers lobby has been closely following distracted driving legislation, in particular any implications for two-way radios and GPS systems. Most, but not all, states that have banned drivers from text messaging or using handheld cell phones (those without hands-free accessories) have exempted these devices.

The obvious question is enforcement, an issue even with small cars. Law officers would be hard pressed to tell if a truck driver were texting due to the height of the cabin.

“The enforcement problem here is enormous,” said Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, quoted in the Washington Post. “It’s not clear this is going to make any difference on the road in terms of crashes.”

Nonetheless, safety advocates point out, many people simply respect and observe laws.

LaHood vowed “additional legal remedies” in coming months. The DOT cannot order states to ban electronic devices, but it is possible to cut off funding for those states that do not cooperate. A similar method was used with seat belts and legal drinking ages.

An outright ban on commercial drivers’ use of handheld cell phones could be next on the DOT’s agenda.

President Obama has banned text messaging for federal employees driving U.S. vehicles.

DOT adds ‘distracted flying’ to probe

“Distracted flying” is now under investigation by the Transportation Department, following news of two Northwest Airline pilots who overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles, apparently while using their using laptop computers.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has widened his department’s initiatives to “distractions as they apply beyond cars — to rail, buses, and now, planes,” a spokesman told the Associated Press on Oct. 28.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called the incident “the ultimate case of distracted driving — only this time it was distracted flying.”

The two pilots, whose licenses have been revoked, were out of touch for almost an hour and a half.

At a Senate hearing on a new distracted driving bill Wednesday, Hood noted that “the problem is not just confined to vehicles on our roads — it affects all modes of transportation.”

Fed workers banned from texting, driving

President Obama has ordered federal employees to stop text messaging while driving on the job.

The news was announced Thursday by Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, left, as he spoke on the final day of the DOT’s distracted driving summit.

“Text messaging causes drivers to take their eyes off the road and at least one hand off the steering wheel, endangering both themselves and others,” the president said as he signed the three-page executive order.

The ban did not include limits on drivers talking on handheld cell phones, echoing the year’s trend in state legislatures.

The ban is identical to the one that went into effect several weeks ago at the National Transportation Safety Board.

Federal employees are prohibited from texting while driving government-owned vehicles or cell phones, or while conducting U.S. business while in their personal cars, or while using federal cell phones.

“This meeting is probably the most important meeting in the history of the Department of Transportation,” LaHood told the conference audience of safety experts, legislators, telcom execs and family members of those killed by texters.

The ban on text messaging by federal staffers is now in effect. The president signed the order Wednesday night, the New York Times reported.

Sure to be much more controversial is a forthcoming ban on interstate truckers and bus drivers. The New York Times also reported Thursday on the phenomenon of cars used as offices, as well as truckers and the computers that they use in their cabs.

Distracted driving an epidemic, summit told

“Distracted driving is a menace to society,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday as he opened the federal summit on text messaging, cell phoning and other forms of dangerous behaviors behind the wheel.

The government was ready with the statistical evidence: 5,870 people were killed and 515,000 were injured in 2008 in which distracted driving was a factor. Sixteen percent of fatal crashes had the link, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found.

“Distracted driving is an epidemic and it seems to be getting worse every year,” LaHood told his audience of experts on traffic safety.

The summit was inspired by the growing national alarm over the problems of inattentive driving, primarily the potentially deadly practice of text messaging while driving, a practice seen as common among young adults.

One of the opening day’s hot topics was whether hands-free devices really do make cell phone use by drivers safer. Another discussion looked at the the difficulties faced by law officers trying to determine if drivers are texting.

One expert called text messaging while driving “the perfect storm that brings together visual, manual and cognitive demands.”

On Thursday, LaHood plans to unveil the steps his DOT will take to address the distracted driving crisis.

Still, “You can’t legislate behavior,” LaHood said. “Taking personal responsibility for our actions is the key.”

The public is invited to view the summit online and to submit questions for the panelists. View the page for the distracted driving webcast.

Distracted driving summit starts Wednesday

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s summit on distracted driving begins Wednesday, bringing more than 200 experts to Washington to address the problems of texting and using cell phones while on the road.

The summit was inspired by the growing national alarm over the problems of inattentive driving, primarily the potentially deadly practice of text messaging while driving, a practice seen as common among young adults.

The public is invited to view the summit online and to submit questions for the panelists. View the page for the distracted driving webcast.

The DOT will issue a series of actions to deal with the crisis once it hears from the gathering of senior transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, members of Congress and academics who study distracted driving.

The DOT outlined the two-day summit’s agenda like so:

Day 1: A context setting panel where participants will examine the scope of the issue and the various distractions that exist, followed by a panel that will review currently available research. The day wraps with an examination of distractions caused by technology and efforts made to assess and reduce negative effects caused by current and planned devices. Panelists will also consider technology that can prevent the consequences of driver distraction.

Day 2: A review of legislative and regulatory approaches for dealing with distracted driving; evaluations of the impact of such measures; and enforcement issues. Members of Congress and their staff will also have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion. The day concludes with a discussion with teens about their experiences with distracted driving followed by an examination of various public awareness initiatives and research regarding the effectiveness of these efforts.

“The public is sick and tired of people being distracted and causing accidents,” DOT chief Ray LaHood said at an early August press conference announcing the federal summit. “We all know texting while driving is dangerous and we are going to do something about it so that responsible drivers don’t have to worry about it when they or a loved one get on the road.”

Read the full agenda for the distracted driving summit.

Automaker backs texting bans

Automaker Ford has endorsed congressional plans to force states into banning text messaging while driving.

The Ford Motor Co. said it believes hand-held texting “substantially increases the risk of accidents.” It is the first U.S. automaker to weigh in on the texting ban issue.

Ford’s entry into the texting debate has no clear purpose, nor is it likely to make a significant impact on pending legislation. The endorsement does, however, provide some more ammo for lawmakers nationwide seeking to wipe out the dangerous practice.

In any case, the Ford endorsement of congressional action has resulted in lots of free publicity for its Ford Sync dashboard systems, which provide voice-activated hands-free mobile phone calls.

The Ford Sync system, standard on many of the Detroit company’s products, also has the ability to voice text messages to the vehicle’s occupants. Sync was built with Microsoft software.

Ford made clear it was backing bans on hand-held texting. Support is starting to emerge for bans on all cell phones and texting devices, which certainly could impact interactive mobile communications systems such as Ford Sync. The National Safety Council has called for a ban on all cell phone calls, for instance.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-New York, made a splash several weeks ago with a plan to penalize states that refuse to ban texting with a 25 percent reduction in highway funding. A similar approach has been used to raise legal drinking ages and to mandate seat belts.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, also a Democrat from New York, is leading the charge in the House.

“Ford deserves credit for stepping up as the first car company to endorse a ban on this dangerous habit,” Schumer said in a statement. “We are gathering a critical mass of support for this bill, which will give us the momentum we need to get it passed.”

The story first appeared in the New York Times.

A Ford vp was quoted as saying: “The most complete and most recent research shows that activity that draws drivers’ eyes away from the road for an extended period while driving — such as text messaging — substantially increases the risk of accidents.”

Verizon wireless also has come out in favor of the nationwide texting ban.