Distracted Driving in Texas: Teens Call For Stricter Laws

Students in Texas recently gathered 1,100 pledges in favor of a local distracted driving ban.

2012-11-30

November 30, 2012 (Press-News.org) After a person is injured in a motor vehicle accident, the first task is to secure medical treatment for immediately apparent injuries and diagnose the full extent of other problems such as back injuries and head injuries. Next, an injury victim may benefit from discussing the wreck with a personal injury lawyer to assess the reasons why the car accident happened.

One cause of car and truck accidents that has received increasing attention over the past decade is distracted driving. While Texas has lagged somewhat behind other states in passing statewide cell phone and texting bans, a group of Texas high school students recently received attention for promoting a municipal texting ban.

Texas law bans cell phone use and texting by school bus drivers who transport passengers who are under 17 years old, as well as novice drivers under 18 who carry an intermediate license. Texas also forbids use of handheld phones and texting by all drivers in school zones with marked crossings.

A handful of Texas cities have passed stricter local ordinances, including Austin, Brownsville, Galveston, Amarillo, El Paso, San Antonio, Missouri City, Stephenville and Nacogdoches. Dallas was one of the first, though its school zone ban was superseded when it became state law.

Students in the Rio Grande Valley community of Edinburg recently gathered 1,100 pledges in favor of a texting ban after a history class discussion about elections that focused on ways they could be involved despite being too young to vote. These young Texans turned that support into a proposed city ordinance, which recently received unanimous approval from the city council.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, one of every four traffic crashes and fatalities are caused by distracted driving. Statistics for 2011 indicate that 81,000 Texas auto wrecks involved driver distraction due to inattention, cell phone use and other problems, including 361 fatal vehicle accidents.

Concerns among young people are particularly welcome, given that a high percentage of fatal wrecks involving teenagers can be blamed on distracted driving, and vehicle wrecks are the primary cause of death of American teens.

Identifying the cause of a serious or fatal car accident

Whether a car, truck or motorcycle accident leads to serious head or spinal injuries or a wrongful death, a clear assessment of what went wrong is crucial to helping plaintiffs pursue full compensation. An auto accident lawyer can help a client understand potential sources of liability they may not have considered, from all forms of driver negligence to defective vehicles or trucking company malfeasance.

Article provided by The Law Office Of Vern D. Richards
Visit us at www.pilawyerfrisco.com

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Distracted Driving in Texas: Teens Call For Stricter Laws

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