What do Oprah, the US Secretary of Transportation, the Auto Club, insurance companies and, state and federal legislators have in common?
The US Department of Transportation recently offered a plan to ban text messaging at the wheel by interstate truck and bus drivers. This regulatory action follows up on Transportation Department public service program to lessen the number of distractions that cause crashes.
The proposal would make permanent an interim ban announced at the beginning of the calendar year by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The proposed ban applies to drivers of passenger buses and commercial trucks operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over five tons. As an indication of the scope of the issue, the drivers could face civil penalities and/or even criminal penalties.
The US Transportation Department reports that 5,870 people were killed and over a half million were injured in 2008 in crashes connected to 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 statistics with an estimate that around eighty percent of crashes are caused by driver distraction. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is sponsoring research to find out the extent of the distraction issue. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reports that driver inattention is a determining factor in many crashes, and mobile phone calls 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 twenty states plus Washington DC restrict all drivers from texting when driving. Another nine states prohibiting texting by beginner drivers. The remaining states are expected to implement the ban eventually. However it is also believed that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technical solutions are required. The GHSA purports to say it supports texting bans for all drivers, but does have concerns about enforcement.
One source of a potential solution is Phone Beagle. Their software installs on Android and BlackBerry smartphones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other call log activity.
The trucking and passenger bus trade associations support the texting ban, and many companies have explicit policies prohibiting sending text messages while driving. The government, industry and safety organizations all agree that driver distraction caused bytexting is a menace to society, and deserves action. Advocates for dealing with the problem also include media powerhouse Oprah.
The issue is emerging as a new phenomenon. As navigation systems, cellphones and other mobile electronics have become ubiquitous in vehicles, safety advocates and the government have pushed for restrictions.
As regulations and technology develop to solve the problems a software package from Phone Beagle is available to help deal with monitoring phone use. PhoneBeagle installs on Android and BlackBerry cell phones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other call log activity.
Tags: cell phones, distracted drivers, legislation, mobile, Oprah, Phone Beagle, regulations, text messaging