Distracted driving is a constant safety concern in traffic. Most people who pay attention notice at least a few motorists every day who have their phones in their hands or their faces pointed down into their laps while actively driving.
Distracted drivers may fail to notice changes in traffic conditions. They can make the wrong decisions when issues arise. Other times, they may not react in time when another vehicle turns, slows or stops, which can cause preventable collisions.
Distracted driving is dangerous for anyone operating a motor vehicle, but it can be especially devastating in cases where the distracted driver is in control of a commercial truck. Federal rules prohibit the use of digital technology while operating a commercial truck, but drivers often break those rules despite the risk.
What the law prohibits
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) enforces numerous rules that only apply to commercial drivers, including the rule against manually using technological devices while driving. The FMCSA rule against texting prohibits manually handling a phone to compose or read text messages and emails. Drivers should not even manually dial a phone while actively driving a commercial vehicle.
Unfortunately, loneliness, employer demands and boredom may lead to truck drivers breaking this rule. Given that they already have an increased stopping distance when compared to smaller vehicles, the additional increase in reaction time can have devastating consequences in traffic. Phone records and camera footage can validate that a commercial driver handled a device prior to a collision.
Rule violations make commercial drivers or possibly their employers liable for serious commercial truck collisions. Working with a lawyer can help people prove that semi-truck drivers broke the law and caused a crash.