Obama Bans Federal Employees From Texting While Driving | DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, Esquire

Ashley Halsey III, of the Washington Post reports that “President Obama has banned federal employees from text messaging when they are behind the wheel of government vehicles and from texting in their own cars if they use government-issued phones or are on official business.” According to the report, “The ban, in the form of an executive order signed Wednesday night, was announced Thursday by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at the culmination of a two-day meeting on the issue of distracted driving.”

“It shows that the federal government is taking the lead,” LaHood said. “This is a big deal.”

The District and 18 states, including Maryland and Virginia, have banned texting while driving to different degrees.  It is great to learn that the President is taking this issue seriously and is beginning the process of making it a crime everywhere to drive while texting.  As I mentioned in a recent blog, texting while driving is increasing and is extremely dangerous.  If the federal and local governments don’t act quickly, lives will be lost and others will be seriously and permanently injured.

Please drive safely.

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a “Big Gun” and among the “top 1%” of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area.  The magazine also describes him as “one of Washington’s best–most honest and effective lawyers” who specializes in personal injury matters, including serious truck and car collisions. He has successfully litigated numerous cases against truck and bus companies, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and other automobile owners.  His law firm, in fact, has obtained the largest settlement ever in a personal injury case involving WMATA. Mr. Zambri has also been named a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyer magazine (March/April 2009)–a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.

Many Americans are killed or critically injured each year in vehicular collisions.  If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at [email protected] or call him at 202-822-1899.