Use of Cellphones to be Banned for Truckers and Bus Drivers Reports Arkansas Injury Lawyer
Nov 17, 2011
Little Rock, AR (Law Firm Newswire) November 16, 2011 – The National Transportation Safety Board is finally getting the message about banning texting while driving for bus and truck drivers.
“It’s about time that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is proposing to ban truckers and bus drivers from using cellphones while they are behind the wheel of their vehicles,” said Michael G. Smith, an Arkansas injury lawyer and Arkansas accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Arkansas. “While it is the right thing to do, you can bet that there will be those who think the ban does not apply to them. Humans will be human and deaths will still happen, but if this ban in any way reduces the number of highway fatalities as a result of texting, it will be a success.”
The ban came about because 11 people were killed in the stunning carnage of a chain reaction wreck in March 2010. The ensuing fire was horrific, and the body count was one of the highest emergency workers had ever seen. It was not a night to be out on the highway and witness what remained of people and vehicles after this crash. The report on this crash revealed that the driver of the big rig crashed into a 15-passenger van with 12 people. The trucker was on his cellphone at the time of the accident. During the 24-hour period prior to the wreck, he had used his phone at least 69 times, with four of those calls being made just minutes before the collision.
This accident finally prompted the NTSB to get serious about doing something about the rapid increase of truckers and bus drivers using cellphones while driving. “It’s a real shame that it took the death of 11 people to make a point. Nonetheless, the NTSB is doing what needs to be done,” added Smith.
As is to be expected, when rules are imposed on drivers, there will be those that take great exception to being told what to do. Such was the case when the mandatory seat belt law was passed. Many were up in arms over being told they had to buckle up. It did not take long for those protesting to get the picture that seat belts kept them safe and alive.
“Banning cellphone usage while driving will anger many, but over time, they will come to understand that if they want to stay alive, and not kill others, they cannot take the idiotic risk of texting and driving,” Smith said. “Because no matter what any driver says, they absolutely cannot do two things at once while driving, no matter how good a driver they are. Texting means taking your eyes off the road. Those few seconds can be lethal.”
The good news is that the cellphone ban should result in fewer accidents and better safety records for trucking and bus companies. “Already there are signs that interstate trucking companies are getting on board with a cellphone ban, and that can only be a good thing for everyone,” remarked Smith.
While technology is important to keep plugged into the latest information, it need not come at the expense of lives. Nothing is more important than staying safe on the roads. “Think about this,” added Smith, “at one time, there were no cellphones and everyone got along just fine. We don’t need to use them when driving. I see too many of these kinds of cases, and it always make me wonder why people don’t connect the dots between driving while distracted and death as a result of that choice.”
For those that have been involved in a wreck with a big rig, make that first and most critical phone call to an experienced Arkansas injury lawyer. Justice is just one call away, and an Arkansas injury lawyer can lay out the options in filing a lawsuit to recover damages for injuries.
Learn more by contacting Arkansas personal injury lawyer Michael Smith at http://www.arkansaslawhelp.com.
Michael Smith
425 W. Capitol Av., Suite 3700
Little Rock, AR 72201
Call: 501.519.4357
