Statewide Prohibition To Finally Be Enacted By Legislature?
Two veteran Texas lawmakers are again introducing legislation to ban texting while driving statewide.
What should be a no-brainer bill has never been signed into law, even though it was passed in two different sessions before being vetoed by the governor.
State Representative Tom Craddick, a Republican from Midland, and State Senator Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat from Laredo, have each filed new bills in the state legislature that is meeting in Austin that would ban texting while driving.
Mr. Craddick believes that Governor Greg Abbott wants to see all cities in Texas enforcing a unified law and may not veto the law this time. The former Speaker of the House is passionate about this attempt: “I am committed to giving our Texas drivers safer roads; I am determined to be a voice for the distracted driving victims and families of victims; and I am extremely motivated to enact legislation that will prevent any loss of life.”
Mr. Craddick points to the almost 500 Texans who died last year due to drivers texting and explains other reasons why texting should be outlawed here.
Texas is one of only four states without a full texting ban, although we recognize how lethal it is by banning new drivers under the age of 18, all school bus drivers, and all drivers near schools from doing so.
As a result of the lack of state action, almost 100 cities have had to pass their own municipal ordinances banning texting while driving. It’s impossible to know as you drive around from one city to the next where it’s legal and where it’s not, so here’s a list that will help you.
Six North Texas cities that ban texting:
- Arlington
- Denton
- Farmers Branch
- Grand Prairie
- Rowlett
- White Settlement
- Stephenville and Maypearl (further south of DFW)
Seven North Texas cities that require hands-free devices:
- Argyle
- Bedford
- Denton
- Hurst
- Little Elm
- Midlothian
- Watauga
Texas Lawmakers Need To Take Action
We have way too many traffic collisions in North Texas and around the rest of the country. The number of people killed in them sadly was up by 7.1 percent in 2015 — the largest spike in 50 years –with almost 18,000 people dying in the U.S. just in the first half of last year.
However the state senate will again fight the proposed law. Many conservative lawmakers, led by Colleyville’s State Sen. Konni Burton, think that the solution lies in education. That approach clearly is not working.
It’s time for Texas to join almost every other state and implement this smart measure for our smart phones.
If you have been in a crash in North Texas, possibly by a texting while driving motorist, please contact us here. We’ll fight to get you the compensation you deserve.