Create and pass a Texas law banning the use of hand held electronics while driving.
Create and pass a Texas law banning the use of hand held electronics while driving.
The Issue
In the evening of April 9th, 2016, an accident occurred in Denton that took the lives of two mothers and two daughters. It happened so quickly that neither mother had a chance to brake. The accident took the lives of 41 year old Emma Lourdes Shaffer, 12 year old Emma "Tita" Shaffer, 26 year old Ashley Morgan, and 4 year old Lorelei Cotter. Two sons were left without their mother. Two men lost the loves of their lives. Young friends of the daughters had to learn hard lessons about life and death. An entire community was plunged into the depths of grief, and countless lives were changed forever. What was the cause of such a horrific accident? Phone usage while driving. You can read the details of the accident in this Denton Record-Chronicle article.
The families and communities surrounding the Shaffers and the Morgan/Cotters are not alone in their grief. According to a report last year by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of eight people are killed and 1,161 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver EVERY SINGLE DAY. And the number of traffic fatalities is sharply rising according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recent announcement. You can read the details of those statistics in this Wall Street Journal article.
We are grateful that the Texas Legislature passed laws prohibiting phone use by novice drivers, by bus drivers, and for all drivers while in school zones. But that is not enough. According to distraction.gov, 46 states have a law that at least prohibits texting and driving. Texas is one of the four that does not. It's time for Texas to protect its citizens. It's time for Texas to prevent more lives from being lost. It's time for Texas to take a stand. It's time to create and pass a Texas law banning the use of hand held electronics while driving
This petition was created by the Champion Cheer Leadership Team in support of the Text Free for Tita campaign. The petition is being supported by the Cheer Athletics Icon program along with many other Texas cheerleading gyms who all felt the loss of Tita Shaffer from the All Star Cheerleading community.
The Issue
In the evening of April 9th, 2016, an accident occurred in Denton that took the lives of two mothers and two daughters. It happened so quickly that neither mother had a chance to brake. The accident took the lives of 41 year old Emma Lourdes Shaffer, 12 year old Emma "Tita" Shaffer, 26 year old Ashley Morgan, and 4 year old Lorelei Cotter. Two sons were left without their mother. Two men lost the loves of their lives. Young friends of the daughters had to learn hard lessons about life and death. An entire community was plunged into the depths of grief, and countless lives were changed forever. What was the cause of such a horrific accident? Phone usage while driving. You can read the details of the accident in this Denton Record-Chronicle article.
The families and communities surrounding the Shaffers and the Morgan/Cotters are not alone in their grief. According to a report last year by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of eight people are killed and 1,161 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver EVERY SINGLE DAY. And the number of traffic fatalities is sharply rising according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recent announcement. You can read the details of those statistics in this Wall Street Journal article.
We are grateful that the Texas Legislature passed laws prohibiting phone use by novice drivers, by bus drivers, and for all drivers while in school zones. But that is not enough. According to distraction.gov, 46 states have a law that at least prohibits texting and driving. Texas is one of the four that does not. It's time for Texas to protect its citizens. It's time for Texas to prevent more lives from being lost. It's time for Texas to take a stand. It's time to create and pass a Texas law banning the use of hand held electronics while driving
This petition was created by the Champion Cheer Leadership Team in support of the Text Free for Tita campaign. The petition is being supported by the Cheer Athletics Icon program along with many other Texas cheerleading gyms who all felt the loss of Tita Shaffer from the All Star Cheerleading community.
Petition Closed
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Petition created on October 22, 2016