Distracted Bus Driving- Cell Phones Can Still Be Used

Effective January 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration prohibited texting by bus drivers.

This was an excellent safety rule enacted by the federal agency responsible for enforcing safety on commercial vehicles and preventing accidents. But the rules did not nearly go far enough.Other rules proposed in 2009 were never adopted which would have included limits on the use of cell phones by bus drivers while driving.

 There is plenty of support for the concept that any distraction degrades a driver’s ability to handle a vehicle safely. This Is particularly true when the vehicle is a bus carrying dozens of passengers.  Much is now being written on the negative effects of distracted driving. For examples go to www.enddd.org  or the distracted driving pages of the US Department of Transportation. http://www.distraction.gov/

We are all obsessed with our handheld devices. The temptation to just take a quick look at the device or take a call while driving is almost too hard to resist when the device is within reach. Only strict rules prohibiting use and requiring the device to be OFF while driving will prevent accidents and save lives.