On November 23, 2011, the U.S. Department of Transportation in a final rule approved by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration prohibited interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held mobile or cell phones while driving.
The rule provides for civil penalties and the potential loss of a commercial drivers license (or CDL) to both the driver and the motor carrier. According to the press release:
Nearly 5474 people died and half a million were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2009. Distraction-related fatalities represented 16 percent of overall traffic fatalities in 2009, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research.
While many companies have policies in place that prohibit cell phone use; the rule will ensure that companies who do not have such policies in place are subject to the same type of policies that provide for the safety of other drivers. Therefore, it is an example of the types of regulations that ensure public safety, in particular to the drivers traveling the interstate highways.
Mike Sudekum is an trucking accident attorney with offices in St. Louis and Wentzville (by appointment), Missouri. You may contact him here.
