Back to School in Texas Leads to More Traffic Tickets and Accidents

September 22, 2012

In Austin and throughout the state, school is back in session and with that comes homework, new clothes, backpacks and traffic tickets and accidents. Traffic tickets and car accidents may seem like a strange item on that list, but according to state accident records, the state of Texas has seen more tickets and accidents during the first week of school than other weeks for the past three years.

Back to School Means More People on the Road

With summer over and everyone getting back into their routines, more drivers are on the road. People are dropping off and picking up their kids at school and traveling to and from after school activities. Also, more teens are driving when school is in session and children who do not drive are walking or riding their bikes to school.

The Texas Department of Transportation is trying to stop this trend by urging drivers to be attentive on the roads. One big problem leading to car crashes is distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 15 people die per day because of distracted driving crashes.

The campaign put on by TxDOT is called "Drive Friendly, Drive Safe." As a result of the program, Amarillo, Texas alone has seen a decline in accidents with 56 fewer accidents than the first week of school than last year. Officials say that part of this decline is due to the campaign, but that it is also because of new cell phone restrictions in all school zones in the area.

Dangers for Children and Teens

Some of the danger comes from young and inexperienced teen drivers who are on the road more during the school year. Their inexperience can put students who do not drive and who walk or take their bicycle to school at risk. However, drivers, both teens and adults, need to be aware that there is more pedestrian activity during the school year and adjust their driving habits accordingly.

Through various safety campaigns, Texas is trying to combat distracted driving among all drivers and make drivers more aware of the danger it presents to pedestrians. Cell phones, whether used for texting or talking are the major contributors to distracted driving. When a driver receives a phone call, they have to look away from the road to find their phone and then inevitably look at the phone to see who is calling. This is like driving with a blindfold on and makes the driver oblivious to pedestrians crossing the road or other cars pulling into traffic.

People injured in car crashes suffer physically and financially. There are medical bills, damage to vehicles and even time off from school and work to heal. A personal injury attorney can help those struggling with an injury from a car accident to recover all compensation due to them under the law and help ease the financial worry that inevitably accompanies car accidents.

Article provided by Leonard B. Gabbay, P.C.
Visit us at www.lbglaw.com