There have been many studies in recent months and years that have linked cellular phone use to any number of issues on the road. For truck drivers, that risk is even further pronounced when it comes to the risk of accidents. Someone handling such a large vehicle, with so many moving parts and the potential of there being an accident needs to be able to respond quickly, without having that delay between recognition and action. Cell phones reduce that response time considerably.

What Cell Phones Can Cause

The big risk that is associated with cell phone use is inattentiveness on the road. Drivers don't pay attention, lose track of what they are doing, or get engrossed in their conversations or the visual imagery on their smart phones. Text messaging is an even bigger risk because it requires both the use of a hand and occasional eye time from the driver. This can be a big deal for many people who are unable to maintain their control of the vehicle and their phone at the same time.

Laws Regarding Cell Phone Use

Not all states have put laws into place regarding cell phones but many have. For this reason, a truck driver might, at any point in time, be somewhere that they're not permitted to use their phone. Additionally, recent federal guidelines now ban the use of text messaging by all truck drivers due to the prevalence of it affecting their driving. Of course, text messaging is just as bad for normal drivers, but that is a state's prerogative to ban, rather than the federal government's.

Because of the way cell phone use has been studied and the legislation that has developed in recent years as a result, it is becoming increasingly less likely that a truck driver has a good reason to use their phone while driving. Even federal laws are being laid out now that limit how they use their mobile devices in the cab due to the massive number of issues that have developed. So, for anyone that has been in an accident with a big rig truck or who has seen someone using their cell phone, be extremely careful and make sure that information is drawn to light. This article is not meant to be used as legal advice.

Truck driver cell phone use is a tremendous problem. Talk with a Truck Accident Law Firm in Chicago today if you have been involved in a truck crash.