A rise in crashes on the railways is leading to public outcry for banning the use of cell phones and wireless devices by on duty rail engineers, conductors and brakemen. Recently, accidents in Texas and California have been linked to cell phone usage and/or texting. Any time a rail worker is not paying attention to the duty at hand(safe operation of the train) that operator is putting the public at risk. Please visit our site for more information about train accidents.

Some states have already banned the use of cell phones without the use of a headset while driving a vehicle. Some states are now considering banning of cell phones for all rail workers whether it be for texting or phone usage.   

How far will the reach of the government extend with the use of cell phones?

 

Is the use of a cell phone while operating a vehicle negligent, if used properly and only for talking? 

 

Most providers have headset devices that allow for cell phone usage without the need for holding the cell phone. 

 

Clearly, the use of a cell phone for texting purposes or email purposes while driving or operating a piece of heavy equipment or a car would pose a serious risk to the operator and the public in general as the operator of the vehicle is not looking at the road or tracks in front of them, but is rather looking at the face of the cell phone. 

 

Clearly something should be done to limit or restrict the usage of phones or PDA's for email or texting while operating any vehicle. Cell phones, if used properly and with a headset, can be risk free if just used for talking on the phone. Most people that do a great deal of travel for their job would suffer if not permitted to use a headset device for talking on the phone while driving. Without proper precautions such as a headset, serious accidents and injuries can occur from the use of a cell phone while operating a vehicle.   Please visit our website for more information on negligence and auto accidents.