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Distracted Driving Awareness Month is Around the Corner

Posted on Mar 24, 2011

On March 24, 2011, the Unites States House of Representatives passed a bill making April the Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The legislation is part of a move to combat the ever growing problem of drivers operating vehicles while using handheld devices, such as cell phones.

Texas is also joining the effort by pushing a bill that would create a statewide ban on texting while driving. The bill, HB 242, would ban Texas drivers from text messaging, instant messaging and composing e-mails while behind the wheel.

The bill would enhance current Texas laws that prohibit drivers under the age of 18, and bus drivers in the presence of children, from texting. Texas also currently prohibits the use of handheld devices while in school zones.

Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Galveston, Missouri City and San Antonio already have laws similar to HB 242. Since February 2010, officers from the Austin Police Department have issued 156 citations for violating the use of handheld devices while driving.

The Texas Transportation Institute recently conducted a survey finding that 52 percent of Texas drivers support laws that would ban the use of cell phones while driving.

According to the Department of Transportation, approximately 5,500 people in America lost their lives in 2009 in accidents related to distracted driving. Nearly 500,000 were injured.

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