Texas' Texting Ban Kicks in 9/1
"The new law will help reduce crashes, save lives, and make Texas roads safer for everyone," Kent Livesay, vice president and general manager of AAA Texas, wrote in his message to readers. "This new law will make travel safer for every Texan."
Texting while driving will be illegal in Texas as of Sept. 1, as a bill signed into law in June by Gov. Greg Abbott takes effect. Texas is the 47th state to pass a texting ban.
Authorities such as AAA say texting while driving is one of the most dangerous activities drivers can take while behind the wheel, and Kent Livesay, vice president and general manager of AAA Texas, wrote in the organization's September/October 2017 issue that research shows texting drivers are six times more likely to crash than other drivers are. Enacting a ban on texting while driving in Texas has been a AAA priority for a decade, he wrote.
"The new law will help reduce crashes, save lives, and make Texas roads safer for everyone," Livesay wrote in his message to readers. "AAA Texas favors all efforts to prohibit texting while driving, and we thank you for your support," he added. "This new law will make travel safer for every Texan."
His column included these tips for drivers:
- Stow the phone in the back seat or turn it off.
- Use a smartphone app that sends auto-reply texts while driving.
- Pull off the road to a safe location before sending or reading a text.