On January 1, 2010 a new Illinois law went into effect that prohibited text messaging and web browsing while driving. Now, the federal government has announced a federal ban on texting for drivers of commercial vehicles. The ban is effective immediately.
The purpose of the ban is to decrease the number of truck accidents and bus accidents that occur due to distracted drivers. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving may face civil and criminal charges and penalties of up to $2,750.
Statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicate that:
- Drivers who are texting do not look at the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds spent texting;
- Truck and bus drivers can travel the length of an entire football field in that time without looking at the road; and
- Drivers who text while driving are 20 times more likely to be in an accident than non-texting drivers.
For more information on the federal government’s campaign to end distracted driving, please visit www.distraction.gov.
If you have any questions about the law in Illinois, or if you have been hurt in an Illinois truck accident then please contact an experienced Illinois truck accident attorney for more information.
