Monday, October 03, 2011 NAFA Urges Restrictions on Mobile Devices
 NAFA Fleet Management Association is urging the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to address the use of mobile devices by commercial drivers.
The two agencies have been asked by the National Transportation Safety Board to prohibit the use of both handheld and hands-free cellular telephones by all commercial drivers, except in emergencies.
The NTSB made the recommendation, 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 11 people.
Investigators determined that the driver used his mobile phone for calls and text messages a total of 69 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 60-foot-wide median, struck and overrode a cable barrier system, entered the northbound travel lanes, and struck a 15-passenger van.
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