{"id":3613,"date":"2010-12-27T03:10:20","date_gmt":"2010-12-27T11:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.truckaccidentlaw.org\/blog\/?p=3613"},"modified":"2013-03-15T11:09:35","modified_gmt":"2013-03-15T18:09:35","slug":"fmcsa-issues-notice-of-proposed-rulemaking-for-total-ban-on-cell-phone-usage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.truckaccidentlaw.org\/blog\/3613\/fmcsa-issues-notice-of-proposed-rulemaking-for-total-ban-on-cell-phone-usage\/","title":{"rendered":"FMCSA Issues Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking for Total Ban on Cell Phone Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON DC – On Tuesday, December 21, 2010 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FMCSA<\/a> called for a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would ban the use of hand-held mobile devices by commercial drivers of motor vehicles (CMVs).<\/p>\n

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Proposed ban on hand-held devices by commercial vehicle drivers<\/p><\/div>\n

This recent NPRM goes against the advice of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) earlier this year.<\/p>\n

The new proposal has not yet completely ruled out the use of hands-free devices but is asking the public for comments on whether or not the new rules should ban them along with hand-held devices.<\/p>\n

The FMCSA’s reasoning for the new NPRM is expressed by the following quote from their proposal:<\/p>\n

Using a hand-held mobile telephone may reduce a driver\u2019s situational awareness, decision making, or performance; and it may result in a crash, near-crash, unintended lane departure by the driver, or other unsafe driving action.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Under the new NPRM drivers conducting interstate commerce would be forbidden to use any hand-held device such as a cell phone while operating a commercial vehicle.<\/p>\n

In addition, the new proposal would:<\/p>\n