Ban Texting by All Drivers, Not Just Truckers

Recently, there have been so many discussions about the need to ban texting by all drivers. Their reasoning: “Distracted driving is a menace to society”. And it is. I totally agree. Yet the Department of Transportation (DOT) is currently focusing on banning texting only by bus & truck drivers. They’ve already banned texting by all federal workers who drive government vehicles…why not everyone? Why pick & choose?

The new regulation would be very beneficial to all drivers and passengers on the road and it can prevent unnecessary accidents. Consequences from truck accidents are probably more severe, but everyone is considered a reckless driver when they have a phone in their hand, and all accidents cause some kind of pain for someone.

Just like many states have been doing, many trucking companies themselves have developed their own rules for truck drivers, such as when they get into an accident while texting, they would be fired immediately. It’s all about safety here, so why would certain transportation workers be the focus of this ban & not all drivers?

One big problem the DOT will have in singling out bus drivers & professional truck drivers is enforcement. Frankly, it is rather difficult for police to spot a truck driver who is texting while they’re operating their vehicle. These drivers manage big vehicles and police will not be able to see what’s going on inside those trucks. Enforcement will be especially difficult for truck drivers unless the police can observe the truck driver’s driving pattern and see if the truck starts to weave, but there are still many possibilities of why the truck would be weaving – wind, messing with the radio, etc. It seems like phone records would have to be monitored to really get the full truth of what is/was going on in that truck.

I strongly support the idea of banning texting while people operate a vehicle, regardless of the size. The law should be applied to all drivers, not just truck drivers & bus drivers. There are more cars than trucks on the road, and statistically speaking, there are more car accidents than truck accidents. Therefore, all drivers on the road should be very careful and more mindful – and put down the phone! – while they are behind the wheel of the vehicles they operate.