Texting and driving bill has yet to be heard by the Texas Senate

A bill that would ban texting and driving in Texas is waiting to be reviewed by a Senate committee and then voted on by state legislators.

In March of this year, according to NBC 4, the Texas House voted on and approved the Alex Brown Memorial Act. This bill, which is designed to put a state-wide ban on texting and driving, was then moved to the Senate. With six weeks left in the current legislative session, the bill is now waiting to be heard by the State Affairs Committee. As of yet, a hearing on this bill has not yet been conducted, and one must occur before it can be voted on by legislators in the Senate.

This is the third time a bill that would ban texting and driving in the state has been introduced to the Texas Legislature. When a bill of this nature made its way to Gov. Rick Perry’s desk in 2011, he vetoed it because he believed that banning this distracted driving activity would micromanage the behavior of adults.

Why is texting and driving so dangerous?

Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving because it combines all three types of driver distraction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these include the following:

• Cognitive – this form of distraction occurs when a driver is no longer mentally focused on driving.
• Manual – a driver becomes manually distracted when he or she takes his or her hands off of the steering wheel.
• Visual – when a driver no longer looks at the road in front of him or her, he or she is visually distracted.

Although texting and driving is hazardous, many other forms of distracted driving exist that can endanger the lives of others. The CDC defines distracted driving as any activity that takes a driver’s full attention away from operating a vehicle.

Distracted driving is a serious problem in Texas

Distracted driving activities, including texting and driving, cause many injurious and fatal motor vehicle accidents in Texas on a regular basis. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, approximately one out of every five car accidents that occurs in the state involves driver distraction. Additionally, in 2014, distracted driving was a factor in 100,825 car accidents in the state. These collisions resulted in 468 fatalities and 3,214 serious injuries.

Texas car accident victims who are injured in a collision caused by a driver who chose to become distracted may suffer from physical, emotional and financial harm. If you were recently injured in a motor vehicle collision, reach out to an attorney to determine what you can do to protect your rights to fair and proper compensation.

Keywords: distracted, driving, texting, accident, injury