It's time for Texas to join the majority by passing a law to ban all drivers from texting while driving. As of February 2016, 46 states and the District of Columbia have laws banning text messaging for all drivers. Of the four remaining states two have no ban and two have a partial ban. One of those states is Texas; therefore, the state lawmakers understand there is a need to manage texting and driving.  

One in five accidents are caused by distracted drivers.  This is not infringing on civil liberties.  It is regulating the actions of persons unwilling to police themselves in order to protect the health and safety of other drivers and their passengers. In spite of Governor Perry's 2011 veto of a bill that would ban texting and driving and the Texas Senate failing to pass a ban on texting for all Texas drivers in 2015, 40 cities in Texas have passed ordinances to ban texting while driving. Some cities, like Houston, claim that the laws are difficult to enforce. 

However, they could use El Paso as a success model to implement in cities with difficulties.  El Paso officers wrote 15,000 citations in less than two years following the city’s ban on texting and driving. The partial ban in Texas is a start.  It consists of four parts.

1. Drivers under 18 are prohibited from using wireless communication devices.  

2. Those with learner’s permits cannot use handheld cell phones for the first 6 months of driving. 

3. School bus operators cannot use cell phones while driving if children are present.  

4. All drivers are prohibited from using handheld devices in areas marked as school crossing zones. 

I urge Rep. Tom Craddick to continue on with his efforts to sponsor a bill to ban driving and typing on a hand-held device for the purpose of sending an electronic message, because this would cover social media site as well as traditional texts.