The U.S. government on Friday proposed prohibiting commercial truck and bus drivers from using cellphones while behind the wheel.The vast majority of truck drivers on the roads today are pros. They know what they're doing. Most of them can not only talk and drive, but they could probably cook eggs and bacon at the same time and never miss a beat on their driving. Banning cellphones will not make them any safer.
The Transportation Department rule would affect approximately 4 million drivers, who are already banned by the government from texting while working.
The proposal is the latest move in Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's stepped-up campaign against distracted driving in which he has questioned cellphone use in passenger cars and "hands free" communications technology.
"Every time a commercial truck or bus driver takes his or her eyes off the road to use a cellphone, even for a few seconds, the driver places everyone around them at risk," LaHood said in a statement.
Nearly 5,000 people were killed and another 500,000 were hurt in crashes of all vehicles involving a distracted driver in 2009, government safety figures show.
Inattention was a factor in 9 percent of large truck crashes, which fell overall in 2009 from the previous year. Most truck crashes involve collisions with other vehicles.
And let's not forget that since the early 70's or so CB radios have been a staple in long haul trucks. The drivers use them just to jawbone with one another or to get information on road conditions and cops. I don't remember any move to ban CB's because of distracted driving. If anything, talking on a CB or cellphone for a guy who has been behind the wheel for several hours is probably a good thing because it helps him to stay alert.
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2 comments:
Just because accidents with trucks have been caused by "distractions" doesn't mean the distraction is cell phone usage.
This sounds like another case of government do-something-itis.
Have you seen the Sunday
Non Sequiter cartoon?
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