Texas does not have a law against texting while driving, but some motorists wouldn’t mind if it became illegal. 

According to a recent survey from the Texas Transportation Institute, 53% of Texans would approve a ban on cell phone use while driving.  Most people are realizing the dangers of such activity.  More than a third of Texas drivers feel that the roads are less safe because of driving distractions such as texting while driving.  Moreover, 85% say texting or talking while driving is worse than it was 5 years ago.

A few cities so far have banned texting while driving in Texas.  The success of such ordinance cannot be measure with the number of tickets issued.  West University and Missouri City, for example, have only handed out 4 tickets each in the last year.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to spot that violation. The cell phones are small, the size of a hand and easy to hide from police and other passers-by,” West University Officer Phil Clark said.

For 2011, many Texas lawmakers will be proposing bans on cell phone or texting activity while driving.  Rep. Tom Craddick, for example, is coming up with a bill that would ban texting, instant messaging and e-mailing while driving.

Let’s hope Texas will become the 31^st state to ban texting while driving in 2011!

Source : Associated Press; December 1, 2010

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