National Transportation Safety Board asks for stricter cell phone ban on truckers

Using cell phones while driving is a risky habit, made even more dangerous when one is behind the wheel of a big rig. Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urged government officials to ban cell phone use by truckers altogether while they drive, to hopefully ensure truck driving safety and the protection of all motorists on the road, reports USA Today.

Recently, there have been numerous tragic accidents lately involving truckers that are using their phones causing crashes on highways and putting others' lives in danger. The NTSB said they think these situations could easily be avoided with stricter regulations and better compliance training for truck drivers.

In 2006, there was a similar plea passed for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety administration to ban texting while driving by commercial truckers and charge them large fees if these laws were broken. This new bill would prohibit all manual cell phone use for calling or texting.

According to Reuters, a 2010 accident that saw a trucker killing 11 motorists inspired the new petition call for stricter cell phone laws for truckers. If this law passes, it may save lives in the future and prevent fatal crashes from occurring due to cell phone use.

National Transportation Safety Board asks for stricter cell phone ban on truckers

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011