{"id":13008,"date":"2017-08-26T06:18:10","date_gmt":"2017-08-26T11:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/?p=13008"},"modified":"2024-02-28T15:40:27","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T21:40:27","slug":"blogsnew-texting-while-driving-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/blogs\/new-texting-while-driving-law","title":{"rendered":"New Texting While Driving Law in Texas: &#8220;It Can Wait&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\tTexting while driving is a dangerous distraction \u2013 and as of September 1, 2017, it will be illegal in Texas.<\/p><div id=\"glm-mobile-toc-box\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/div>\n<p>In May, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a measure that bans driver texting and emailing while the vehicle is moving. This law expands the current law that prohibits texting in school zones.<\/p>\n<p>Texting while driving worries officials more than any other driving distraction because this activity involves 3 types of distraction:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><u>Manual<\/u> distraction &#8211; because your hands are off the wheel,<\/li>\n<li><u>Visual<\/u> distraction &#8211; as you look at your smartphone screen, and<\/li>\n<li><u>Cognitive<\/u> distraction &#8211; when you think about the text you read\/write.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In fact, when you consider that the average text takes 5 seconds to send, texting while driving at 55 miles per hour is equivalent to driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed!<\/p>\n<h2>&#8220;It Can Wait&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>The name of the new law &#8211; &#8220;It Can Wait&#8221; &#8211; precisely conveys the message that lawmakers want Texas drivers to understand. There is no text message so important that it cannot wait until the driver has stopped the vehicle in a safe place.<\/p>\n<p>The number of people killed or injured in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/houston-car-accident-lawyer\/distracted-driver-accident-lawyer\">distracted driving accidents<\/a> is growing every day. In 2015, 3,477 people died in the U.S. in accidents involving a distracted driver. That&#8217;s an average of almost 10 every day. (Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/risky-driving\/distracted-driving\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>The potential for distracted driving accidents is huge with 660,000 drivers using cellphones every daylight hour! Not surprisingly, teens are the largest age group involved in these fatal crashes.<\/p>\n<h2>Texas Establishes Stiff Penalties for Violating Texting While Driving Law<\/h2>\n<p>Under the new law, first time texting while driving offenders risk a fine of between $25-$99, while repeat offenders will be fined between $100-$200.<\/p>\n<p>If an accident caused by texting and driving results in a fatality or serious bodily injury of another person, the driver can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. This charge comes with a fine not to exceed $4,000 <strong><em>and<\/em><\/strong> a jail term not to exceed one year.<\/p>\n<p>For more information especially on how to discuss this subject with your teen driver, visit the NHTSA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/risky-driving\/distracted-driving#view-campaign\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Distracted Driving<\/a> website.<\/p>\n<p>If you or a loved one has been injured by a careless or distracted driver, contact the experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/houston-car-accident-lawyer\">auto accident attorneys<\/a> at the accident and injury law office of Terry Bryant to learn more about your legal options. We have been helping clients in Texas for more than three decades get the compensation they deserve. Contact us today by filling out our online contact form or giving us a call at 1 (800) 444-5000 or locally in the Houston area at (713) 973-8888.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texting while driving is a dangerous distraction \u2013 and as of September 1, 2017, it will be illegal in Texas. In May, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a measure that bans driver texting and emailing while the vehicle is moving. This law expands the current law that prohibits texting in school zones. Texting while [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vehicle-wrecks","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Houston Distracted Driving Laws | Terry Bryant Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you have been in a vehicle accident caused by texting and driving in Texas. contact a personal injury attorney at the accident and injury law office of Terry Bryant.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/blogs\/new-texting-while-driving-law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Houston Distracted Driving Laws | Terry Bryant Law Firm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you have been in a vehicle accident caused by texting and driving in Texas. contact a personal injury attorney at the accident and injury law office of Terry Bryant.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/blogs\/new-texting-while-driving-law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Terry Bryant Accident &amp; 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