Distracted Driving Not Adequately Addressed In Texas

On behalf of Lovett Law Firm posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, September 26, 2013.

As our readers know, distracted driving due to the indiscriminate use of cell phones is a big problem nationwide, and most states have taken steps to pass laws to curb the problem. States vary in their approaches.

At this time, there are no states that ban all cell phone use, but 37 states and the District of Columbia ban all cell phone use by novice drivers. Twelve states and the District of Columbia have banned all drivers from using hand-held cell phones. As far as text messaging, there are currently 41 states that ban it for all drivers. Another six states ban test messaging only for novice drivers.

In Texas, there are no bans on texting or general cell phone use for most drivers, though novice drivers and school bus drivers are banned from both. That said, there are roughly two dozen cities in the state that prohibit texting while driving. There hasn’t been much progress in passing a statewide ban, in part because there is not much evidence available to support such sweeping rules.

Truth be told, the number of drivers texting and talking while driving is great and the number of accidents in which cell phone use is a factor is significant. According to supporters of stricter distracted driving laws, the statistics available so far underestimate the dangers of distracted driving.

While those who engage in distracted driving may not face direct consequences for causing an accident, those who are injured by them certain have the opportunity to seek appropriate compensation.

Filing a personal injury lawsuit in connection with a distracted driving accident is not necessarily and easy thing to go through, and it pays to work with an experienced advocate.

Source: Dallas Morning News, “Texas supporters of texting ban say statistics underestimate dangers of distracted driving,” Scott K. Parks, September 13, 2013.