Commercial trucks are significantly larger and heavier than the average passenger which can result in catastrophic harm when a truck accident takes place. As a result, strict rules prohibit truck drivers from texting while driving or operating a hand-held mobile phone while driving.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules aimed at preventing distracted driving by truck drivers are designed to help keep everyone safe on the roadways. It is no secret that distracted driving is dangerous and can result in serious accidents and injuries for truck accident and car accident victims. Texting includes entering a text or reading a text while the truck driver is driving. Truck drivers are prohibited from emailing, instant messaging, calling web pages or pressing more than a single button to initiate or terminate a phone call while driving. In sum, truck drivers are prohibited from unsafely reaching for a cell phone, holding one or pressing multiple buttons on one while driving.
The risks of distracted driving by truck drivers are real. The odds of a truck driver being involved in a safety-critical event, such as a car accident, near-car accident or swerving out of the driver’s lane of travel, are increased by 23.2 times for truck drivers who text while driving than for those that do not. On average, a driver removes their eyes from the roadway for 4.6 seconds while texting which is equivalent to traveling the length of a football field blindfolded if the driver is traveling at 55 miles per hour.
Driving distracted can be risky and can cause serious accidents and injuries. As a result, truck accident victims who have been harmed by a distracted truck driver, or other type of negligent truck driver, should be familiar with the legal recourse available to them and the remedies that can help with their damages.
At Colton Holm Law Firm, we look forward to learning how we can help you resolve your legal concern.Call us today: (406) 259-9986