Driving Laws Against Teenagers Text Messaging in Texas

Lucky for us here in the United States, freedom of speech is something we enjoy and protect as a right. Normally, I don't try to be political, especially if my blog is about traveling and living in Texas. But lately, Texas lawmakers have passed a bunch of new driving laws that got people all over the state clamoring. Some felt it was unjustified; others believe it's for the safety of everyone. I felt it I should share my own experience and opinion concerning these new Texas driving laws now in effect.

One spring night this year, we were awaken by a call from our son. He told us that he had a car accident and he was reporting it to the police. He's eighteen and was out with friends. He was driving when somebody sent him a text message. He tried to reply to the text message while driving and rear-ended his friend's car in the process.

Needless to say, we drove to the scene of the accident and found out nobody was hurt. Two teenage girls were driving the other car and they were a little shocked. We were freezing and had to stay in the car while the police was taking note of what happened. The SUV's bumper was smashed. Back then, there was still no "anti-texting while driving" law in Texas yet. If there was, the boy would have earned a ticket and got an early bad driving record. This, of course, would lead to a higher premium than regular teenagers already get if he planned on getting his own car. His punishment was to replace the bumper he wrecked, worth around three hundred dollars.

An author from Daily Skiff wrote an opinion concerning the new Texas driving laws. He was opposed, as I'm sure a lot of younger people are. Like I said, freedom of speech is something we can't take away from this country. And yet what about those who have gone through the stress and financial responsibility of teenagers causing car accidents due to negligence while driving? It's one thing to push a button to change the radio station channel and another thing to push buttons on the cellphone to send a text message. In fact, it's an entirely different story. Older people know better than to do this. If talking on the phone while driving is dangerous enough, texting makes it even worse. Take it from someone who has been through this situation.

Anyway, enough of the serious stuff. I believe we should respect this new Texas driving law since it's always better to be safe than sorry. As for the new law on seatbelt, I think it should apply only to driving in the countryside. In reality, most people that get caught not wearing their seatbelts while riding on the front seat are senior citizens. This is according to the police officers that I know. If you have an older person in your household, it would be wise to remind him to buckle up. Just because they are older does not mean they can break the law!