Jump To Navigation
Do you have a case? Find Out NOW!

Texting While Driving Commercial Trucks

Research by trucking regulators show that commercial truck drivers take their eyes off the road for much of the time that they send and receive text messages, and they are significantly more at risk of getting into an accident than someone who is not texting.  The National Safety Council, a research and advocacy group, estimates that 200,000 crashes each year are caused by drivers who are texting.

In fact, CNBC recently issued a report noting that texting while driving can be more dangerous than drinking and driving.  Drivers are slower to react, braking in more time.  A recent driving test by Car & Driver showed the following braking times:

  • Unimpaired Driver:  0.54 seconds to brake

  • Legally Drunk Driver:  traveled 4 additional feet  before braking

  • Driver Reading an E-mail:  traveled 36 additional feet before braking

  • Texting Driver:  traveled 70 additional feet before braking

Semi Truckers Banned from Texting
driving while texting
A recently released study found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of an accident.1 To address this problem, Congress recently banned hand-held texting by drivers of large commercial trucks and buses to avoid the danger of distracted driving.  The prohibition took effect January 26, 2010.  Today, truckers found texting can pay fines of up to $2,750.


Help if You’ve Been Injured by a Texting Trucker
At O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath, our trucking attorneys can help you if you’ve been injured in an accident involving  a truck driver breaking the law and texting while driving.  If you’ve been injured due to a texting trucker, call us today to discuss your case.

1 “New Data from VTTI Provides Insight into Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction,” Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, July 2009.

808 west avenue austin, texas 78701 phone: 512-494-9949 email us map | Directions