NAFA Urges Restrictions On Use Of Mobile Devices By Commercial Drivers

NAFA is urging the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to move expeditiously with rulemaking addressing the use of mobile devices by commercial drivers. The two agencies have been asked by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to prohibit the use of both handheld and hands-free cellular telephones by all commercial drivers’ license holders while driving in commercial operations, except in emergencies. In a letter to Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation and Anne Ferro, Administrator of the FMCSA, NAFA expressed strong support for the NTSB’s recommendation.

"FMCSA’s action on NTSB’s recommendation will be an important tool against distracted driving and will support the efforts of fleet managers to encourage their companies and agencies to strengthen safety programs with further restrictions on cell phone and text message usage," NAFA said in the letter.

The NTSB made the recommendation to the FMCSA and state regulators, citing distraction from the use of a mobile phone by the driver of an 18-wheel semi-truck as the probable cause of a crash that killed eleven people. Investigators determined that the driver used his mobile phone for calls and text messages a total of sixty-nine times while driving in the 24-hour period prior to the accident. The driver made four calls in the minutes leading up to the crash, with his last call coinciding with the time his southbound truck crossed a sixty-foot-wide median, struck and overrode a cable barrier system, entered the northbound travel lanes, and struck a fifteen-passenger van.

"Distracted driving is becoming increasingly prevalent, exacerbating the danger we encounter daily on our roadways," said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "It can be especially lethal when the distracted driver is at the wheel of a vehicle that weighs forty tons and travels at highway speeds."

NAFA thanked Secretary LaHood and Administrator Ferro for their leadership in improving safety by eliminating distracted driving. "The safety of drivers ultimately impacts the bottom line in many ways. Ending distracted driving is in the best interest of fleets, drivers, and the general public," NAFA said.

Secretary LaHood has been invited to speak at NAFA’s 2012 Institute and Expo in St. Louis, MO to share his thoughts on distracted driving and other important fleet issues.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
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Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004