New Study: 52% Of U.S. Crashes Are Due To Phone Distraction
Topic 19277 | Page 1
Page 1 of 1
Page 1 of 1
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Bold
Italic
Underline
Quote
Photo
Link
Smiley
Links On TruckingTruth
Done
Done
0 characters so far - 5,500 maximum allowed.
Notify Me Of New Comments
Submit
Preview
Preview:
Submit
Cancel
Why Join Trucking Truth?
We have an awesome set of tools that will help you understand the trucking industry and prepare for a great start to your trucking career. Not only that, but everything we offer here at TruckingTruth is 100% free - no strings attached! Sign up now and get instant access to our member's section:
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
In what might come as no surprise to anyone, distracted driving was a factor in over half of driving trips that resulted in a crash, according to one recent study by Cambridge Mobile Telematics. The study collected data from several hundred thousand drivers and measured behavior in six different categories:
"Phone use while driving, excessive speeding, braking, acceleration, cornering, and time of driving."
Key findings in the report included:
According to the National Safety Council, overall highway fatalities have increased 14% in the last 2 years, the largest such increase in the last half-century.
Studies have also shown that states with anti-phone laws have only slightly lower rates of distracted driving.
The FMCSA has specific rules to address distracted driving by commercial drivers, and can be summed up as such:
NO Reaching
NO Holding
NO Dialing
NO Texting
NO Reading
So as a truck driver, unless your are in an emergency or contacting law enforcement, any texting or dialing device needs to be "hands-free", and the FMCSA has this to say about company Qualcomm devices:
"texting on a dispatching device is indistinguishable from texting on another text-capable device, and is therefore prohibited."
Depending on the state laws regarding seriousness of any infractions, the penalties could lead to eventual disqualification for CDL holders.
Some easy tips to avoid distracted driving include the obvious:
About Cambridge Mobile Telematics:
"Founded in 2010 by two MIT professors and experienced entrepreneurs, CMT pioneered telematics for behavior-based insurance (BBI) and deployed the first solution to provide both traditional vehicle-centric UBI and BBI. With over 20 customers in 14 countries, CMT has a proven record of changing driver behavior: an average reduction of 35% in phone distraction, 20% in hard braking, and 20% in at-risk speeding all within less than 30 days of using the program. With DriveWell, insurers report fast customer growth (e.g., 2x growth rate compared to earlier), lower loss ratios (e.g., 34% lower crash rates, 19% less-severe claims, and 10% lower loss ratio compared to blackboxes), and greater customer retention rates."
Telematics: the branch of information technology that deals with the long-distance transmission of computerized information.
More From TruckingTruth.com
Wiki - Cell Phone Use, Texting, & Driver Distractions
Blog - Distracted Driving For Truck Drivers: The Penalties And Risks
CDL Driver Disqualification
External Links:
New data from Cambridge Mobile Telematics shows distracted driving dangers
FMCSA - Distracted Driving
FMCSA: Limiting the Use of Wireless Communication Devices
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Qualcomm:
Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.