The National Transportation Safety Board has proposed a new safety measure that would take cell phones out of the hands of truck and bus drivers across the country. The proposal also aims to not only ban cell phone use, but other hands-free technology, like bluetooth headsets.
This endorsement comes after a tragic Kentucky accident that killed a trucker and 10 people on their way to a wedding. The trucker was distracted by his hands-free phone, went over a median, driving into oncoming lanes of traffic. Only two young children in car seats survived. Driver fatigue is also said to have been a factor in the crash, along with the failure of cable barriers along the median.
The U.S. Department of Transportation currently bans commercial drivers from texting while driving, and some states ban everyone from using cell phones while driving, even hands-free models. The American Trucking Association supports the ban on hand-held cell phone use and texting, but not hands-free devices.
As a personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen how much havoc commercial tractor trailers can wreak in an accident. The sheer size and weight of these vehicles make them some of the most dangerous on the road. A ban on cell phones for truck drivers would mean fewer distractions and would help prevent such accidents.
Many drivers believe the proposed ban goes too far, and should be limited to hand-held phones. Some argue that there’s simply not enough science to back up the claim that hands-free devices can be just as distracting as hand-held phones. Still, distractions are everywhere, and professional drivers should limit them when at all possible.
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About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, which has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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