Congress is considering federal legislation that would prevent truckers from texting while driving.  And the trucking industry wants the truckers’ computers exempted.  Yes, that’s right – their computers.

According to the New York Times, the trucking industry has invested a considerable amount of resources into technology that enable companies to track drivers, send new orders, and distribute company-wide messages as well as transmit training exercises. Of course, drivers can also use the technology to send and receive e-mail and browse the Internet – all while traveling down the highway covering the length of a football field in less time than it takes to glance at that e-mail message.

Researches at Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute produced a recent study that looked at truckers’ use of texting devices as well as on-board computers.  The Institute found found that truck drivers who used texting devices had a 23 times greater risk of crashing, nearly crashing or wandering from their lane than truckers who did not use those devices.  And truckers that used on-board computers faced a 10 times greater risk of crashing or wandering as compared with drivers that simply focused on the road.  However, as reported by the New York Times, the Virginia researchers stated that truckers tend to use on-board computers more often than texting.

Despite advances in safety features, fatalities caused by large trucks continue to rise.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, large trucks caused 4,808 deaths or 12 percent of all driving-related fatalities in 2007, which is up from 4,777, or 11 percent in 1997.

Congress should do all it can to ensure that the roads our families use every day are safe.  Preventing trucker’s from using on-board computers while driving seems like a simple step in that direction.