British Trucker Gets Five Years for Mobile Phone-Related Crash
A British truck driver faces five years in prison after killing a man in a crash caused by the distraction of using a mobile phone
A British truck driver faces five years in prison after killing a man in a crash caused by the distraction of using a mobile phone.
Paul Browning admitted to causing death by dangerous driving in the June accident, but he had denied sending the text message on the mobile phone, saying blowing papers in the truck cab had distracted him and he had only glanced at his mobile phone to see if his girlfriend and sent him a message.
The judge, after hearing witnesses, decided that the trucker had indeed been keying in a text message while he was driving.
The victim, Paul Hammond, was standing next to his mother's car, speaking to her through the window, when Browning's truck veered off the roadway and hit the parked cars.
The text message found on Browning's telephone read, "Oh yes! A real scorcher! Well, just leaving Benfleet 4 West Thurrock job no 7 of 11. S***! Call you back." The prosecution claimed, and the judge agreed, that Browning had sent the last sentence of the message after the crash occurred and the truck had come to a stop.
British safety advocates are calling for officials to make it illegal to use a mobile phone while driving, even hands-free versions.
More Safety & Compliance

More Trailer Data Through the Same Seven-Way [Video]
Can trucking’s standard seven-way connector handle more cameras and trailer data? Grote’s Adam Slade shows HDT how the company is using new technology with its 4See trailer system, not only to add a new backup camera but also to expand other capabilities — without adding another connection.
Read More →
PrePass Intelligence Mines Fleet Bypass, Toll and Safety Data
PrePass Intelligence helps fleets measure bypass savings, flag potential toll overcharges, and spot suspicious transactions by combining data from separate systems.
Read More →
Fatal Crash Exposes Toll Plaza Risks
An NTSB investigation found that last-minute lane changes and large speed differences at an Ohio toll plaza created a hazard the truck driver couldn't avoid in time.
Read More →
When Language Stops the Truck: The Return of ELP Out-of-Service Orders
English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers aren’t new, but renewed out-of-service enforcement has raised the stakes. Here’s what carriers need to know before a driver reaches a roadside inspection.
Read More →
A Camera Isn't a Safety Program. Here's What Brokers Are Screening for Now
Footage alone may not be enough to pass broker vetting processes. Here's what counts as a defensible safety program now.
Read More →
Marijuana and Trucking’s Drug-Testing Dilemma
Marijuana is getting stronger, laws are changing, and drug tests still can’t reliably establish impairment. What does that mean for truck drivers and the fleets that employ them?
Read More →
PrePass, Kodiak Connect Driverless Trucks to Roadside Enforcement
The system will allow enforcement agencies to verify Enhanced Inspection information and decide whether Kodiak’s autonomous trucks can bypass roadside screening sites.
Read More →
From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers
After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.
Read More →
FMCSA Pauses Biennial-Update Enforcement Amid Motus Transition
Carriers whose updates were due on or after June 1 have more time, while FMCSA works to stabilize its new registration system and warns of phishing sites impersonating its new carrier registration system, Motus.
Read More →
ZF Expands Commercial Vehicle Push in North America
ZF is expanding its North American commercial-vehicle presence with new transmission applications, electrification, trailer technology and autonomous-driving systems.
Read More →

