Fortunately, the federal government is contemplating taking up the issue. Safety advocates are pressuring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to enact broad rules banning the use of electronic devices by commercial truckers, which would be an important step, given that the risks of distraction are much greater when paired with large vehicles that are difficult to maneuver and cause massive damage in accidents. According to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a group petitioning for the change, commercial trucks make up 3 percent of registered vehicles but are involved in 12 percent of traffic fatalities. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is pushing for a wide-ranging inquiry into the safety of all electronic devices used by drivers, which could form the basis for a rational national policy.
The federal government has a clear role in regulating commercial trucks because of their use in interstate commerce, but it would have to take up dangerous practices in private vehicles more indirectly. Congress is also considering legislation that would strip federal highway funds from states that do not adopt bans on texting while driving in private cars, much in the same way that it ensures minimum standards for drunk-driving laws. Such an action would give drivers a uniform standard from coast to coast, but Congress must define electronic distractions broadly so that evolving technology doesn't outstrip the law.
