• 15
  • November
    2011

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that regulating and law-making agencies formally prohibit commercial drivers from all use of cell phones while driving.

The recommendation came after the NTSB's ruling that found truck driver Kenneth Laymon responsible for truck accident that caused the death of himself and ten van passengers on an interstate in Kentucky. Laymon was on his phone when he veered into oncoming traffic, panicked and slammed on the brakes to avoid oncoming vehicles. He hit a van carrying a family on their way to a wedding, killing the van's passengers and himself. The NTSB's investigation found that Laymon had used his cell phone 69 times in the 24 hours before the crash.

Unfortunately, this accident is only one of many fatal truck accidents that involve distracted commercial drivers. Another truck driver, Peter Barnum, killed himself and injured others when he drove his truck into an oncoming Amtrak commuter train in Maine. Barnum failed to stop at the lights and barrier across the tracks. The local police department investigation found that Barnum was on his cell phone at the time.

The NTSB has recommended a complete ban on cell phone use by truck drivers to agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Such regulation would have its share of opposition, most of which would likely come from trucking associations. While such professional groups agree that cell phone should be regulated for all drivers, including commercial ones, it does not believe, as the NTSB does, that all use should be banned for commercial drivers. While these groups cite research that shows hands-free cell phone use poses less risk than hand-held use, a recent University of Utah study found that both hands-free and hand-held use are equivalent to driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08.

Distracted driving can lead to texting and cell phone-related accidents and poses risks to all road users. Regulating cell phone use by both passenger car drivers and commercial drivers would help make the nation's roads safer for everyone. If you or a loved one have been injured or killed by a commercial truck driver who was using his or her cell phone at the time of the accident, please contact an experienced personal injury attorney.

Source: NTSB.gov, "NTSB calls for ban on use of mobile phones by commercial drivers; cites need for improved mediam barriers in accident that killed 11 in Kentucky," 13 September 2011