With the cell phone becoming such an integral tool of our personal and work lives, we are all faced with the added challenge of how to safely manage cell phone use while driving. There are few professions that are more difficult to incorporate safe cell phone use than commercial driving.
Photo by Ivan Tjossem, HTrans Driver
In recent meetings with Houston’s insurance representatives, I was shocked to learn the severity a distracted driving violation carries.
Our insurance carrier shared with us that even just one distracted driving violation (mainly cell phone use) can lead to a driver becoming uninsurable. This is true while driving for your employer or in your personal vehicle.
The way they sum it up: “Sending or reading a text while driving takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 MPH, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field blindfolded.”
It is a new mindset for drivers; however, we must treat cell phone use as the major safety concern and violation that it is and follow regulations accordingly.
Federal law outlines the following truck driver regulations for handheld devices:
- No texting while driving
- Utilize an earpiece or speaker phone function
- Use voice-activated or one-button touch features to initiate, answer, or terminate a call
- Locate the phone so it is within reach of the driver, who must be seated properly with correctly adjusted safety belts
The absolute best practice is to abstain from cell phone use altogether while driving. Drivers should wait to be parked and off the road to use their phone, whenever possible.
Insurability and following regulations are certainly important issues, however, the safety of our Driver Team and fellow motorists is the No. 1 concern.
Thank you to our entire professional Driver Team for their continued commitment to raising awareness and operating safely.
Written by Steve Hall, HTrans Fleet Manager
