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U.S. bus and truck drivers banned from texting and driving

Categories: Announcements, Legal
By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 3:36 PM

trucks drivingIt’s scary to think about drivers of dozen-ton vehicles taking their eyes off the road to send out a text message from behind the wheel, which is why the US is making it illegal throughout the US. The federal government has officially banned American truckers and bus drivers from texting while driving. US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the new law takes effect immediately. So, you can drive with a little more peace of mind, starting today.

The new law is aimed at persuading fleets of the scariest vehicles on the road to drive safer. Drivers that break the new law (and get caught) will face fines of up to $2,750 for each offense. The fine is significantly greater than that levied against small vehicle motorists in states where texting and driving is prohibited. It makes sense, though, because bigger vehicles pose a greater danger to other drivers. With some 200,000 accidents a year estimated to be caused by texting, it’s sobering to think how many of those could be big-rig trucks and buses.

Do you feel safer knowing that truck and bus drivers have been banned from texting? A lot of motorists are simply ignoring their state’s texting and driving laws anyway.

[Via: Reuters]

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About The Author

Will Park

Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...