Distracted Drivers

The United States Department of Transportation recently proposed to outlaw text messaging at the wheel by cross-state truck and bus drivers. This regulatory action follows up on its public service program to reduce distractions that cause accidents.

The plan would replace the temporary ban announced in January by the Transportation Secretary. The planned ban applies to drivers of passenger buses and commercial trucks operating vehicles weighing more than ten thousand pounds. To give an idea of the serious nature of the problem, violators could be facing civil penalties and/or even criminal penalties. The United States Transportation Department reports almost 6,000 people died and about 515,000 were injured in 2008 in accidents involving distracted drivers. The department didn’t speculate how many of those accidents involved cell phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reflects the Transportation Department estimates with an estimate that around eighty percent of accidents are caused by distracted drivers. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is sponsoring research to determine the extent of the distraction issue. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reports that driver inattention is a leading factor in many accidents, and mobile phone use and texting are leading causes of driver distractions. States aren’t waiting for research reports and are passing new laws dealing with mobile phone use and texting . The Governors Highway Safety Association reports that currently 20 states plus Washington DC restrict drivers of all types of vehicles from texting while behind the wheel. Another nine states against texting by beginning drivers. Most states are expected to implement the ban before too long. However it is also widely recognized that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technical solutions are neede.

The GHSA says it supports texting bans for all drivers, but does have concerns about enforcement.  The trucking and passenger bus trade associations support the texting ban, and many corporations have strict policies against sending text messages when behind the wheel. The government, industry and safety organizations all agree that driver distraction caused bysending text messages is extremely dangerous, and is worthy of action. Advocates for addressing the problem also include celebrity Oprah Winfrey. Without question there are numerous distractions which may prevent a driver focusing on driving: fiddling with the radio or a putting in tape or CD, talking to passengers, observing an event outside the vehicle, and of course, using cell phones and texting. Navigational and other interactive devices also distract drivers. As regulations and technology develop to solve the problems a software package are available to help deal with monitoring phone use. Spy Phone Software is installed on Android and BlackBerry smartphones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other phone log activity.