In January 27, 2010 the United State government issued a hand-held “texting” ban on drivers of large commercial trucks and buses. Hailed by safety advocates, the ban carries fines of us to $2,750 per violation. This ban follows a similar ban issued in December for drivers of federal government vehicles.
Not surprisingly, research by trucking regulators has shown drivers take their eyes off the road for much of the time they send and receive text messages, and they are significantly more at risk of getting into an accident than someone who is not texting. In fact, the National Safety Council estimates that 200,000 crashes of all types on U.S. roads are caused by drivers who are texting.
Nearly two dozen U.S. states ban “texting” while driving for all motor vehicles, but Texas is not one of those states. We at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner urge the Texas Legislature to ban “texting” while driving on all motor vehicles in the next legislative session.