Truck Drivers and Smartphone Addiction

Texas. Are you addicted to your smartphone? How many hours do you spend on your phone a day? Do you look at your phone the moment you wake up? Do you fall asleep with your phone beside you? Smartphone addiction is starting to be taken much more seriously. In fact, some researchers and companies are looking for ways to help Americans curb their addictions to their devices. Smartphone addiction does much more than just suck up our time—it can kill. Every year, thousands of people die in distracted driving accidents. Truck drivers, who log the longest hours on the road are subject to some of the strictest smartphone driving laws, but they could also be the most dangerous on the road if they text and drive. After all, trucks carry much larger weights than cars do.

According to Time, we check our phones on average 47 times. This means we don’t go longer than 19 minutes in a day without looking at our phones. Unfortunately, there just isn’t much good research on how much smartphone use is too much. Researchers have found that our smartphones and the apps we use on them are a kind of persuasive technology, designed to keep us hooked. In fact, designers of applications purposefully try to create products that are addictive.

One writer for QZ, brilliantly modified WebMD’s criteria for addiction to help users determine whether their smartphone use qualifies as addictive behavior. Some of the criteria include, feeling weird without having one’s phone, having a hard time setting limits on phone use, or using dangerous machinery, like cars, while also using the phone.

Overuse of the smartphone and texting and driving are dangerous. So, what can truck drivers do to protect themselves from using while behind the wheel? Truck companies should certainly have stricter policies on their driver’s phone use, but it can’t stop there. Drivers might want to “dumb down” their phones by removing streaming video, music, and other temptations. Applications like Facebook or link aggregators could also be deleted. Another thing users can do is use their phone’s Do Not Disturb capacity to limit use. Professional drivers like truck drivers should set their phones to Do Not Disturb while driving. Finally, notifications while driving should also be limited. Truck drivers spend hours or days away from their families. Notifications from family and friends will, of course, be tempting to read or look at while behind the wheel. Some researchers have even gone as far as suggesting that cars become faraday cages, making it impossible for these vehicles to receive a signal. While this is unlikely to occur in the near future, it certainly highlights the problem.

The Cooper Law Firm are semi-truck accident lawyers in Texas who work with victims and families who have been injured due to distracted drivers. Distracted driving can be devastating to those affected. You may have rights under the law. Visit us at https://www.cooper-law-firm.com/ to learn more about how we may be able to help you seek damages for your medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

 

Cooper Law Firm

501 N Third St,

Longview, TX 75601

Telephone: (903) 297-0037