Cellphone Ban Bus/Truck Drivers

[usbusin]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/40724585


U.S. proposes cellphone ban for truck drivers
Published: Friday, 17 Dec 2010 | 5:53 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government on Friday proposed prohibiting commercial truck and bus drivers from using cellphones while behind the wheel.

The Transportation Department rule would affect approximately 4 million drivers, who are already banned by the government from texting while working.

The proposal is the latest move in Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's stepped-up campaign against distracted driving in which he has questioned cellphone use in passenger cars and "hands free" communications technology.

"Every time a commercial truck or bus driver takes his or her eyes off the road to use a cellphone, even for a few seconds, the driver places everyone around them at risk," LaHood said in a statement.

Nearly 5,000 people were killed and another 500,000 were hurt in crashes of all vehicles involving a distracted driver in 2009, government safety figures show.

Inattention was a factor in 9 percent of large truck crashes, which fell overall in 2009 from the previous year. Most truck crashes involve collisions with other vehicles.

Fatal bus crashes jumped from 20 to 38 in 2009.

Between 6 percent and 13 percent of bus crashes were linked to inattention, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation of those types of accidents between 1998-2008.

Many big transport companies, like UPS Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc, already prohibit drivers from using a cellphone while operating their trucks.

The cellphone proposal is subject to a 60-day comment period before being finalized.

[bioVenture]

Not surprising at all, most americans are ready to give up just about every right (most in the interest of safety) because those without common sense cannot judge what is reasonable.  Use a bluetooth headset, if your phone voice dials get accustomed to using before you drive.  and thirdly common sense shouldn't be too much to ask IMO.  Rush hour on I80\90 prob should stay off the $%^& phone...

Sorry had to vent, JMO  Thanks for the post 

[Lonnie time to go]

I am all for it, so many drivers talking on the phone and not looking at the road.


Lonnie

[eddiepotts]

Next it will be no billboards or big boobed, mini skirted women in convertibles. In fact lets remove all Freeway signs. Then they can paint a blue stripe in the center of the road that a laser must follow. It can be 40ft in front of you. If it gets on the trunk of any car then your to close and a 911 call will be sent by On-star to the nearest trooper. Drivers must be in fully blacked out cube not to be distracted by any passengers. I am sure this will help the government break the link to inattention. I bet my passenger is 10 times more distracting then any cellphone conversation. Hell sometime she kisses my cheek while I am driving. Maybe she needs a good A$$ kicking off the bus to break the link. It's going to get lonely out there on the highway. Sorry lol

[jackhartjr]

I keep thinking ray lahood was picked on by bullies growing up...I bet they took his crayons!  He also wants to take the CB radios out of the trucks.  They just passed a law in which all cars built in 2014 must have a back up camera installed.  Is that needed?  I feel there will be a lot more crashes due to folks relying on the cameras as opposed to simply looking back!
I am just before getting out of this driving gig...the cops take way too much of my time.  I spend 12 hours a year wasted in Florida alone just on the scales.  Now mind you we are never near overweight, but they pull us across the scales anyway.  That wastes 2 minutes every time, times 12 scales a week times 50 weeks in a year.  Not to mention the extra fuel burned by going up and down through the gears instead of running 45MPH on the by-pass lane. 
i was held for an hour and a half on the side of the raod...in the dark a few weeks ago in Florida while the so called dot idiot went over my logs from the past week with a fine tooth comb...then comes back and writes me a violation for falsified logs.  Said I was not in Jacksonville when I fueled.  The Pilot is at Exit 329, they get their mail addressed Jacksonville, UPS and FED-EX bring packages in addressed Jacksonville, the mailbox is in front of the truckstop.
He had the reciept in his hand that says Jacksonville.   
One of the major problems is that there are too many cops!
Rest assured they will get the phones taken out of cars too!  ray lahood has already said he likes the technology in which cell hones can be blocks when the car is moving!

Let me ask you this question;

Do you want cell phones banned in your cars?
Jack

[belfert]

It would suck big time if cell phones are banned in cars.  I am on-call basically 24x7.  I would never be able to go anywhere if my cell phone didn't work in the car.  I might not get a call for weeks or months on end, but my employer still needs to reach me if something does happen.

Are we going to have to go back to pagers, or are those illegal too under text messaging bans?  Would passengers also be banned from mobile device use ini cars if cell phones were actually disabled in cars?  How would the car or phone know who is driving?

[jackhartjr]

That's a good question Brian...however I am sure ray lahood can answer it!

[eddiepotts]

Jack I hear ya on cops. This is no joke. Last night I was pulled over for 15min at 11pm for doing the speed LIMIT in the left lane of an almost empty road. He asked me if I had ever heard of a passing lane on the highway. He then explained to me that slower traffic must stay to the right. Mind you it was only me and him on the road. I set my cruise on 65 and drove for about 2 miles with him behind me. I told him I could not be passed I was going as fast as the law let anybody go. He said if he got a call he could not pass on the right because if he bumped me he would be liable. I told him it did not matter if he bumped me on the right or left he would still be at fault. Then I had to tell him that If he had a call he could turn his light on and I would move out of his way just like I did when he was following me to the side of the road. Mind you I was in my Chevy truck not my bus. What is it coming to when you are pulled over for going as fast as you are allowed because the speeders can't pass you. I did not get any tickets but what a waste of time for someone that might have really needed him for the great things the perfect people do.

[Lin]

Shoot, what are the police and fire departments going to do without their radios?  I wonder how many accidents have been avoided because someone calls in a road hazard?  I was on I-10 this week and there was a ladder lying across two lanes.  Cars were swerving to avoid it.  I called 911 which goes to the CHP.  The lady the answered said, "Are you calling about the ladder?  A units on the way."  

There are always shortsighted fools to deal with in every field.  Unfortunately, there a bunch in the bureaucracy too.  Somewhere you will find one the wants to outlaw eating to prevent food poisoning.

Eddie, I disagree with you.  Left lane is the passing lane.  Go whatever speed you want but it is not your job to enforce speed limits.  Of course, in your case you were not blocking traffic since there were no other cars, but you do create a possible problem.  Personally, I wish lane blockers would get ticketed more often.

[rwc]

AMEN!!!

[luvrbus]

Eddie could move and drive on the shoulder to let traffic pass if he was causing a back up Texas is one the few states that allow it sounds like the officer was bored   


good luck

[DMoedave]

please , we need more laws that they dont enforce.  This does not bode well for us busnuts as the states look for more revenue. around long island you have to watch out for jaywalkers who will step right in front of you while chatting it up on the cell phone. At an intersection waiting for the light 3 out of 5 cars passing will be on a phone up to their ear, alot of them cops. And Eddie, stay out of the hammer lane! the slow lane is the new passing lane!

[jjrbus]

Eddie, I disagree with you.  Left lane is the passing lane.   Personally, I wish lane blockers would get ticketed more often.

I tried to bite my tongue on this. They should get 30 days hard labor!
Why does it need to be a law, it is just common sense and courtesy. Jim

[bevans6]

I think cell phones should be banned in cars or any other moving vehicle, as far as the driver is concerned.  I learned a long time ago that if you are concentrating on a conversation on a telephone, you can't concentrate on driving.  I haven't answered a cell phone in a moving car that I was driving in at least 5 years.  The science is there, if you care to learn about it.

Brian

[eddiepotts]

Don't get me wrong lol I never block traffic. Just were I was is the intersection of a major spaghetti bowl that is patrolled heavily. I was doing 80 through the ez tag toll. I just slowed  knowing where the cops sit. I am always cussing people in the left lane slowing me down. It was just a speed trap through there. I had just never been pulled over for going top legal speed. I just turned 40 so it made me feel a Little old being pulled over for going to slow even though it was the speed limit