The US Transportation Department recently proposed to forbid text messaging while driving by cross-state truck and bus drivers.  This regulatory action follows up on its public service program to mitigate distractions that cause crashes.

The plan would replace an interim ban put in place in January by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  The proposed ban applies to drivers of passenger buses and commercial trucks operating vehicles weighing more than ten thousand pounds.  To give an idea of the serious nature of the problem, violators could be facing civil penalities and/or even criminal penalties.

The United States Transportation Department reported that 5,870 people were killed and about 515,000 were injured in 2008 in crashes involving driver distraction.  They has not determined how many of those accidents were linked to mobile device.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mirror the Transportation Department statistics with projection that about eighty percent of crashes are caused by distracted drivers.  The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is sponsoring research to determine the extent of the distraction issue.  The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)   states that driver inattention is a determining factor in many accidents, and mobile phone use and texting are leading causes of driver distractions.

State legislatures have reacted to the growing concern regarding mobile phone calls and texting while driving by issuing  a variety of new laws, inclucing banning handheld mobile phone use or texting by all drivers or restricting cell phone use or sending text messages for a specific demographic, such as teens or school bus drivers.  The GHSA reports that currently 20 states and the District of Columbia prohibit drivers of all types of vehicles from sending text messages while behind the wheel.  An additional nine states prohibiting texting by beginner drivers.  Most states are expected to implement the ban eventually.  However it is also widely recognized that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technology is neede.  The Governors Highway Safety Association says it supports texting bans for all drivers, but does have concerns about enforcement.

One source of a potential solution is Phone Beagle.  Their software is installed on Android and BlackBerry mobile phones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other phone log events.

The trucking and passenger bus trade associations support the text message prohibition, and many corporations have firm policies prohibiting sending text messages while behind the wheel.  The government, industry and safety organizations have found common ground that driver distraction  caused bytexting is extremely dangerous, and is worthy of action.  Advocates for dealing with the problem also include celebrity Oprah.  

The issue is emerging as a new phenomenon.  As navigation systems, cell phones and other mobile electronics have become common in vehicles, safety advocates and the government have pushed for action to curb the problem.

As legislation and technology work to to solve the problems a software package from  Phone Beagle is available to help deal with monitoring phone use.  Their software installs on Android and BlackBerry mobile phones and monitors GPS location, and text messages along with other phone log events.