Texting while driving a semi-truck is dangerous.

An 80,000 pound semi-truck weighs 20 times more than the average car with passengers. It has been demonstrated that trucks need a much longer distance — between 60 and 80 percent longer — than cars to come to a stop. That is, under dry conditions, with good tires and if all the brakes are well balanced and function properly.

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What it means is that no one should drive a truck in dense traffic and be distracted. Recent catastrophic truck crash events in Louisiana have shown the need to curb cell phone use, and particularly texting, which is the worst sort of distraction, as it takes a driver’s hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, and attention off of the task of driving.

An innovative study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), using elaborate cameras and instrumentation in the participants’ vehicles, has provided new insight and eliminated common misconceptions regarding cell phone use and texting while driving.

Both light vehicles, or cars, and heavy vehicles, or trucks, were studied, leading to the undeniable conclusion that, while talking or listening on the phone carries risks, dialing or texting is far more dangerous because it keeps the driver’s view away from the road.

How dangerous is texting while driving a heavy truck in Louisiana?

Heavy Vehicles / Trucks
Talking / listening to cell phone    1.0 times as high as non-distracted driving
Reaching for phone            6.7 times as high as non-distracted driving
Text messaging            23.2 times as high as non-distracted driving
(source VTTI)

Texting, according to the VTTI study, has the highest duration of eyes-off-road time, 4.6 seconds over a 6 second interval. This is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour with your eyes shut.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious car or truck accident in New Orleans, Lafayette, Shreveport, Baton Rouge or Alexandria, contact the attorneys of the Young Firm immediately for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.