State-wide texting while driving ban goes to Texas Senate

On April 13 the Texas House of Representatives voted 114-32 to pass legislation that will ban all texting while driving in the state of Texas. State Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, author of the texting while driving ban, House Bill 62 will bring the bill before the senate.

“Should the bill be passed by the House and the Senate, and is enacted into law, the bill will take effect on Sept. 1, 2017,” Craddick said.

Despite failed attempts in the past, lawmakers are confident the state-wide ban will be passed with HB62.

“Legislation to ban texting while driving statewide is a function of safety and saving people’s

lives,” Craddick said. “I am confident in our Texas law enforcement officers’ ability to do their job and enforce our state’s laws. If this law, education and enforcement efforts help to save one life, it is worth it. No text message or e-mail is important enough to risk injury or death on the road.”

Currently, Texas state law prohibits texting while driving if the driver is under 18. Bus drivers are restricted from texting and driving if they are carrying passengers under the age of 17. Texas has also banned the use of hand-held phones and texting while in school zones. Certain cities in Texas have more

strict texting and driving laws; Houston is not one of those cities.

If the state-wide texting while driving bill is passed, Texas will become the 47th state to have one. Had the bill been passed the first time it was presented in 2011, Texas would have been the ninth

state to have a law like this in place. However, the bill was vetoed by then Gov. Rick Perry, stating the bill would “micromanage the behavior of adults.”

“The ban is pointless because all the police will still have laptops and phones,” said local commuter Paul Martinez. “No one is monitoring the cops while they are distracted. If they are going to take away one distraction they should take away all of the distractions. They might as well take down all the billboards too.”

There are several other distractions considered dangerous while driving, such as eating, drinking, talking on the phone, and messing with navigation systems or the radio, however texting seems to be the main concern.

“Although there are other distractions on the road, texting and driving is far more dangerous because it requires so much more attention,” said local paramedic Kevin Lattner. “It’s not as simple as pushing a button on the radio.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 3,477 people were killed due to distracted driving in 2015 391,000 people were injured in vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers. The National Safety Council reported that there is a 1 in 4 chance that a motor vehicle crash will involve usage of a cell phone.

In a survey by AT&T, researchers found 49 percent of commuters self-reported texting while driving, despite knowing the risk. Ninety-eight percent of participants said they knew texting or sending an email while driving is not safe.

Craddick said the goal of HB62 is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities.

“I believe that a statewide ban on texting while driving is a critical step in the overall effort to keep our roads safe,” Craddick said. “It is not just the texter whose life is at risk. Like drunk driving,

texting in the driver’s seat endangers everyone in the vehicle and on or near the road. The Texas Legislature has a responsibility to give our law enforcement officers the tools they need to make our roadways safer. It is time for Texas to join the other 46 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands to ban this dangerous behavior for all drivers.”