Last week, the U.S.
Department of Transportation banned drivers of commercial trucks and
buses from texting while driving. Those who violate the ban may be
subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.
Drivers
who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an
average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds spent texting, according
to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
At
55 mph, a texting driver is traveling the length of a football field,
including end zones, without looking at the road, according to the
Transportation Department.
During interviews last week at a gas station near Interstate 75, drivers expressed support for the new rule.
"I
can't imagine anyone would think it's intelligent to text and drive,"
said Lee Whitridge, a Fort Pierce woman. Whitridge said texting should
be illegal for all drivers, but banning it for truck and bus drivers is
a good place to start.
Richard
Melton of Dunnellon said a ban on texting is "a good idea." He said
it's not right that the ban applies only to truck and bus drivers, as
he has seen motorists swerving on the road, distracted by their cell
phones. "It should be for everyone," Melton said.
"I
want people to be focused on the road," said Susan Harris of Maryland.
Both of her sons have been rear-ended in accidents by drivers who were
using cell phones. Harris said the ban should be for all drivers, not
just truck and bus drivers.
In fact, truck and bus
drivers usually are more experienced drivers because they go through
training and testing for their commercial licenses, Harris said.
Thomas
Perez, a truck driver for 15 years, said when drivers take their eyes
off the road to text, it's dangerous for everyone. He said texting
ought to be prohibited for all drivers, not just truck and bus drivers.
Perez said he occasionally sends and receives text messages while driving, but the ban and the fine will change his habits.
Perez
also regularly uses an in-cab computer to communicate with dispatchers
while driving, which is just as distracting as texting, he said. The
Transportation Department said it plans to regulate the use of other
electronic devices in the coming months.
"Text
messaging should be illegal all the way around," said Larry Cairnas, a
truck driver for 18 years. Truck drivers are supposed to be
professional, so the higher standards are understandable, he said.
Cairnas
said from high in the cab of his truck that he has seen drivers using
laptops, reading newspapers, putting on makeup, and just about
everything else. Texting is just another thing to distract drivers, he
said.
Daniel Prinz, a
truck driver for 10 years, said that while he does not like additional
regulations, a texting ban is probably a good thing. Prinz said he does
not text while driving, but he often sees drivers "messing with their
phones."
Nineteen states
and the District of Columbia already have text messaging bans for all
drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Florida
does not have statewide restrictions on texting.
In July 2009, U.S. Sen.
Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a bill that would reduce the amount
of federal highway funding by 25 percent for states that did not enact
texting bans. The bill is currently in the Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works.
The
government's announcement last week was followed by an unexpected
announcement. According to USA Today, a study by the Highway Loss Data
Institute found no reduction in vehicle crashes after bans on handheld
cell phones were enacted in New York, Connecticut, California and
Washington, D.C.
Source: Ocala
