Cellphone Use is Banned for Truck Drivers

Texting while driving is illegal under Virginia law and some legislators have called for a complete ban on hand held phones while driving.

What’s less well known is that all drivers of commercial vehicles have been subject to a national ban on the use of hand held phones from the start of the year.

See this video about distracted truck driving.

As electronic devices have become more sophisticated distracted driving has grown as a threat on the roads of Virginia and elsewhere.

The Department of Transportation (DOT), brought the issue of distracted driving to the attention of regulators at the first National Distracted Driving Summit hosted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in Washington, D.C. in September 2009.

President Obama later signed an executive order that prohibited federal employees from texting while driving government vehicles. The law covers conversations but does not include using a cellphone for GPS purposes.

Legislation preventing commercial truck and bus drivers from using cell phones was published on December 2, 2011 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the legislation came into effect on January 3, 2012.

As an experienced Virginia truck accident injury attorney, I welcome these moves. Truck drivers cover considerable distances and often suffer from fatigue. The added distraction of a cell phone, provides a further danger to other road users.

There is a considerable weight of evidence about the dangers of cellphone use that goes beyond texting. A 2006 study by the University of Utah suggested the use of a cellphone, is as dangerous as driving drunk.

I expect to see further restrictions on the use of cellphones while driving brought forward over the next few years.

The Virginia Beach and Norfolk based truck accident injury law firm, Cooper Hurley, handles automobile, truck, and motorcycle injuries as well as other cases such as slip and fall cases, wrongful death and medical malpractice.  John Cooper and Jim Hurley have over 40 years of combined experience in handling truck injury accident claims.  Attorney John Cooper has been named to Virginia “Super Lawyers” since 2010.

Cooper Hurley represents people hurt in accidents in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News and throughout VA, and always put the best interests of our clients first. The firm is recognized by other lawyers as “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, a national attorney rating service, for our top level of legal skill and highest ethical standards.