Hands-Free Electronics Can Lead to Columbia Truck Crashes
Truck drivers are not permitted to use handheld cell phones, according to current regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The reason this rule exists is because the FMCSA has found the odds of being involved in a safety-critical event are six times greater when a commercial driver is dialing a mobile phone. A safety-critical event includes a collision, a near crash or unintentionally deviating from the lane.
A truck accident lawyer knows a trucker who is dialing a cell phone will have his eyes off the road for 3.8 seconds on average, which means he could travel 306 feet without looking up if he is going 55 mph. The risks associated with handheld phone use are clearly not worth it, as motorists are in serious danger when a trucker is driving without looking where he is going.
However, the rules banning handheld cell phone use may not go far enough. According to Fleet Owner, safety advocates are urging the FMCSA to impose stricter limitations in light of a recent report about the cause of a devastating truck/train collision.
Should Hands Free Electronics Be Banned for Truckers?
Last May, a commercial truck driver was operating his vehicle while he was allegedly distracted as a result of the use of a mobile communication device. According to the recently released FMCSA report, the use of the device caused the driver not to check railroad tracks to make sure the tracks were clear. The result was a truck-train collision, resulting in a 15-car freight train derailment and explosion.
The National Transportation Safety Board has expressed grave concern about the contents of the FMCSA’s report. The NTSB believes insufficient oversight contributed to the crash. The NTSB also believes the report provides support for the position that truckers should not be allowed to use even hands-free devices. The acting chairman of the NTSB believes all electronics should be banned because allowing the use of all but handheld devices could “mislead people to believe that ‘hands-free’ is as safe as not using a phone at all.”
Study after study has shown hands-free communication systems can be just as much of a distraction as handheld electronic devices. As a result, commercial truckers should not take the risk of using voice-controlled or voice-activated cell phones or other devices.
Banning the use of all electronic devices could save many lives. A study of truck collisions by Distraction.gov found that as many as 81.5 percent of truck collisions involved driver distraction as a potential contributing cause of truck accidents. If truckers stopped using all distracting devices and stayed solely focused on the road, many lives could potentially be saved and fewer people would be hurt in collisions caused by truckers who are not paying attention to what is going on around them.
Columbia South Carolina car accident victims should contact McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC at 803-327-7800 or visit https://www.mcgowanhood.com for a free case consultation. Also serving Anderson, SC, Rock Hill, SC, Sumter, SC, and Georgetown, SC, and surrounding areas.
McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC has been a part of your community for years. We founded our firm in its current state in 2003, but each of our partners – Chad McGowan, S. Randall Hood, Johnny Felder and Robert Phillips – has more than 20 years of experience to his name. Since then, we have grown in both size and number, with nearly 20 attorneys whose primary goal is offer you and your family exceptional legal guidance and support when most needed.
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