Issuing a countrywide ban that forbids, with immediate effect, commercial truckers from texting while driving, the Department of Transportation said on Tuesday that civil and criminal penalties will be imposed on the truck drivers if they are caught texting on the road.

Saying that violators might have to pay up to $2,750 if caught texting while driving, FMSCA Administrator Anne Ferro added: “Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab. We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit.”

Pointing to studies that underscore the ‘texting while driving’ risk, FMCSA said statistics show that drivers engaged in texting have their eyes off the road for almost 4.6 seconds, out of every six seconds during the activity.

As such, with their vehicles moving at a speed of about 55 MPH, there is a 20-times increased risk of an accident for drivers who are texting, vis-à-vis those who do not engage in the activity while driving.

Terming the ban as an “important safety step,” US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the move has essentially been aimed at eliminating the threat of distracted driving; thereby ensuring that the truckers as well as other drivers are safe while on the road.