Texting While Driving In Austin is Illegal | Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Effective January 1, 2010, texting while driving in Austin will be Illegal. The new law will still allow drivers to use their cell phone as a cell phone while driving, but not the texting and email functions that have become so popular. There will be a 30 day grace period for drivers to become accustomed to the new law. After that, a ticket will cost drivers up to $200. Unlike many other cities that have enacted bans on driving while texting, the Austin ordinance is not limited to school zones or to teenage drivers. This ban will be in effect for all drivers everywhere in the City.

The new city ordinance is due in part to the overwhelming research studies which continue to show that driving while texting or (DWT) can be just as dangerous as or even more dangerous than drinking and driving, and that drivers who text while driving are significantly distracted from their duties to operate a motor vehicle. Findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration blamed distracted drivers for 6,000 fatalities and half a million injuries in 2008. In December, 2009, the issue became a national issue when President Barack Obama signed an executive order stating that any government employee or its contractors that drive a government vehicle or using a government cellphone should not text while driving. The order blames texting while driving — henceforth to be referred to as a DWIt, or driving-while-intexticated — for everything from distracting drivers to causing deadly crashes. The executive order came as Congress wrapped up a two-day Distracted Driving Summit, in which distracted drivers were referred to as “a menace to society” and “an epidemic that seemed to be getting worse every year.”

In addition, the Austin city ordinance is also due in part to the fact that efforts by Texas legislature enacted some new laws that make it illegal to text while driving, but the Austin City Council saw a need to make the ban apply to more than just a limited number of situations.

As of September 1, 2009, for the first time, the Texas legislature imposed state-wide restrictions on the use of cell phones and pda’s. The new laws include:

• No handset talking or texting while driving are allowed when the school zone is active. Hands-free devices while driving and handset use WHILE STOPPED are allowed as are calls in certain emergency situations.
• Teenage drivers are prohibited from using wireless devices while driving. This includes a ban on talking on a cell phone, from sending or receiving text messaging and from sending or reading emailing while driving.
• Learners permit holders are prohibited from using handheld cell phones in the first six months of driving.
• School bus operators prohibited from using cell phones while driving if children are present.

The Montes Law Group, P.C. is a law firm with offices in Irving and Dallas Texas. We are experienced and qualified attorneys who dedicate our practice to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of car accidents and other cases where people are severely injured through the negligence and reckless conduct of others.

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