DOT bans texting by bus and commercial truck drivers

10:46 AM

The U.S. Department of Transportation has banned drivers of buses and large commercial trucks from texting while driving or using handheld cell phones.

Violators can be fined up to $2,750.

"We're simply sending a message: when we advise drivers to share the road responsibly, we mean it," says DOT secretary Ray LaHood.

The National Safety Council estimates that at least 1.6 million crashes are caused annually by drivers using cell phones and texting.

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