According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every year 3,477 people are killed in distracted driving accidents. These numbers don’t begin to account for the many more people who are injured each year in distracted driving accidents. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration explicitly forbids interstate truck drivers from texting and driving. Texting is defined as any action that requires a driver to press more than one button. This includes reading emails, reading texts, and any other activity that can be defined as distracting.
The sheer size of trucks on the highway makes them particularly dangerous to passenger vehicles. When accidents occur, individuals can suffer more serious and life-threatening injuries. Drivers who break the law can face serious fines and penalties for texting and driving. Companies that hire truck drivers can also prevent drivers from texting and driving by putting in place serious penalties for distracted driving. When a driver takes his or her eyes off the road to respond or to read a text message, he or she increases the risk that an accident will take place by as much as 23 times. In the time it takes a truck driver to check and read a text message, he or she could have travelled the length of a football field. This is simply too far to be traveling without looking at the road.
The truck industry can also do more to put an end to texting and driving. Truck drivers should be required to store their phones in a location inside their truck where the phone cannot be seen or heard. Drivers should be given regular breaks where they can respond to text messages from family, friends, and co-workers, but companies should have a zero-tolerance policy for texting and driving on the job.
Companies that install cameras inside a truck’s cabin also increase truck drivers’ compliance rates. If a driver knows that he or she may be watched, he or she may be more likely to follow the rules and avoid the temptation of answering the phone.
New technology makes it possible for drivers to turn off their phones while in motion. Some vehicles can be equipped with special technology that will deactivate a phone while the vehicle is in use. Truck companies might be wise to consider utilizing some of this technology to protect drivers and the general public.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to a distracted driver, it is important to know that you have rights under the law. Truck companies are required to hold high insurance policies to compensate victims in the event of an accident. When individuals are involved in a truck accident, many stakeholders may be involved. If you’ve been in a crash with a truck, consider speaking to the truck accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Robert Gregg in Dallas, Texas today. Our firm can identify stakeholders, fight to help you get the compensation you may deserve, and help your family see justice. You may only have a very limited amount of time to make a claim under the law.