Texas Needs a Statewide Ban on Distracted Driving, Agrees Waxahachie Personal Injury Lawyer

Waxahachie, TX (Law Firm Newswire) January 23, 2013 – Texas is looking at renewed legislative support to combat texting and driving.

There are now six separate bills that call for a Texas-wide ban on texting-while-driving pre-filed for the upcoming 2013 legislative session. While Texas lawmakers successfully ushered a no-texting bill through the House and Senate in 2011, it was vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry. Gov. Perry has stated that that he believes public education is the best way to deal with texting while driving a motor vehicle.

“Distracted driving is a serious danger for other drivers and pedestrians all across the country,” agreed Waxahachie personal injury attorney John Hale. “A state-wide focus to combat texting and driving is in the best interest of everyone on our roads.”

According to a Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll, more than 75 percent of the respondents believe that texting while driving would more than likely increase their risk of a motor vehicle accident. But more than 35 percent of respondents also admitted that they sometimes sent or received and read one or more text messages while driving. Almost 20 percent of those who responded admitted to regularly texting while behind the wheel.

Bans currently exist in Texas prohibiting the use of cell phones in certain situations. For example, Section 545.425 of the Texas Transportation Code prohibits passenger bus drivers from using a cell phone if a minor passenger is on board, except in the case of an emergency, or if the bus is at rest. Section 545.424 of the Code prohibits young drivers (below the age of 18) from using a cell phone while driving for the first six months following issuance of a Class A, B, or C driver’s license. State law also bans drivers from using a cell phone in an active school zone, unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used.

Cities across Texas are also taking action. Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, Galveston, El Paso, San Antonio, Missouri City, and Stephenville are just a few of the Texas cities that have enacted municipal distracted driving laws.

Currently, Texas does not have a ban on cell phone texting for drivers of all ages on all roads, but it looks like it is only a matter of time.

If an individual has been injured due to any type of car accident, including a texting-while-driving accident, they may wish to consult with an experienced Waxahachie personal injury attorney.

John Hale is a Waxahachie personal injury lawyer and Ellis County personal injury lawyer helping injury victims near Dallas, Texas. Learn more at The Hale Law Firm

The Hale Law Firm
100 Executive Court, Suite 3
Waxahachie, TX 75165
Call: 888.425.3911

• Calls From Concerned Citizens A Help In Combating Drunk Driving
  Calls from passing motorists can help Texas police locate drunk drivers and get them off the road. Many of the calls emergency dispatchers receive must be transferred to other jurisdictions and the 911 callers may not be present to see the driver they suspected of driving while inebriated, but both Texas dispatchers and police have stated that passing motorists are a great help. The director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Jeff Miracle, says that he speaks to someone approximately once a month who feels they called 911 to report a potentially drunk driver, only to have to eventually give up [...]
• Texas Highways Safer Than They Were, Still Potentially Dangerous For Drivers
  Though traffic fatality numbers have dropped over the past few years, Texas highways remain dangerous. Among the latest of traffic fatalities, the survivors of a man from East Texas who died have just filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful death. The suit alleges that a truck driver acted with negligence when he backed up his truck and an attached flat-bed trailer against oncoming traffic, which caused a fatal traffic accident. The accident happened in November 2012. According to the lawsuit, the driver of a Peterbilt truck which was hauling a flatbed trailer missed a turnoff in Franklin County. The driver continued [...]
• Drowsy Driving Is An Underreported Danger
  A study recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has shed new light on the number of “drowsy driving” incidents. “Drowsy driving,” or falling asleep behind the wheel is an underreported and dangerous issue on the roadways. Because there is no definitive test to determine sleepiness behind the wheel, state reporting relies on driver self-reporting and police estimates. The NHTSA looked at motor vehicle accidents which resulted in fatalities across the U.S. during 2011. There were 29,757 fatal accidents reported; approximately 707 were assumed to be caused at least in part by drowsy driving. The NHTSA estimates [...]

See other news sources publishing this article. BETA | Tags: Ellis County personal injury attorney, Ellis County personal injury lawyer, Waxahachie accident attorney, Waxahachie accident lawyer, Waxahachie personal injury attorney, Waxahachie personal injury lawyer