Texas legislature passes statewide ban on texting while driving

It absolutely should be illegal to txt and drive so a step in the right direction. I'm not sure how they enforce this but hopefully it'll deter someone.

 

good

 

Is one of the exceptions posting to clutchfans game thread while listening to the game driving your car.

What about if I need to be the first one to Like SofiaWhite's new pictures, so am incessantly checking out all her feeds on twitter, instagram, FB, etc.

Maybe it's just text messenging, and we can keep using other apps.

 

They have had this in San Antonio for over a year. Pretty much cant have your hands on your phone for any reason (looking at google maps, reading text, etc..). Must have hands free set up. I don't do these things anyways so i'm ok with it (sick brag).

 

One way to enforce this is by looking.

We've all seen other drivers with phones in their hand while driving.

The police will look and enforce.

Be safe.

 

Isn't that the much more strict cellphone ban, including no calls? (Except as you say, hands free calling.)

Are they the same?

I'm not sure what the San Antonio law is, but parts of California certainly have full-out phone bans, and this one doesn't appear to prevent talking on your phone, right? Pretty sure by reading the link in the OP, you can still have your phone in your hand talking, which isn't as strict as the California bans.

 

**** that

 

As others have mentioned, cell phone use by motorists is banned here in CA. If you're behind the wheel and your keys are in the ignition, you better be using a hands-free setup.

Make no mistake, CHPs and local cops have become quite adept at enforcing this ban.

 

i'll be sure to tell my driver about this new law.

 

Yeah nobody gets pulled over for this in Austin.

 

Does it apply if I'm flying a helicopter?

 

I don't understand why you would have a complete phone ban. At that point might as well have a "you must have 2 hands on the wheel at all times" law.

I can't hold a phone up to my ear, but I can eat a burrito or smoke a cig while driving? (both of which I enjoy doing) It just doesn't make sense.

 

I'm glad we're finally doing something on this. I expect the most impactful thing will not be enforcement in realtime, but will be the implications when it is found a driver involved in a wreck was on the phone illegally.

 

Comparing having a conversation via a mobile touchscreen device to holding a cig??
Okay.......

 

I would consider a phone call a pretty passive activity. Texting on the other hand, is extremely dangerous, I agree that should be outlawed. Maybe a complete phone ban is the only way to accomplish that.

 

I'm push button start, so I can still text dick pics to @Ziggy when he horny and I'm in traffic?

 

It seems the loophole would be to simply reverse the process to driving while texting. And then you're good. If you text far more than you drive, case closed.

Enforcement would likely be after your accident, when they access your phone records, and find a stream of texts and match it to the time of accident. Penalizing you to the nth degree on top of whatever shitstorm you are already in.

 

Surprised you can afford the NASA strength super-infinity-zoom-mega-pixel camera post-divorce.

 

Uh, I need my Google Maps to know where the hell I'm going a lot of the time. I look for a fraction of a second ever so often to make sure I'm on track. The reason I don't look longer? I don't want to crash. And as others have pointed out, there all sorts of other distracting things that are legal. Might as well ban food. Ban beverages. Ban radio. Ban passengers unless they're not talking.

Are they going to pull anyone over with a phone in their hand? People will just put it in their laps and take their eyes even farther off the road. I haven't had a wreck since I was 18, nearly half my life ago, and I didn't even have a cell phone back then. I'll just be ignoring this if it passes all the way and continuing to drive in my normal, wreck-free manner. They can ticket me if they want.