After Distracted Driving Crashes Increase, Texas Amplifies ‘Talk, Text, Crash’

Brittney Martin reports on the ongoing campaign against distracted driving in Texas, where crashes caused by distracted driving “increased 4 percent from 2012 to 2013. Almost 95,000 crashes were due to distracted driving in 2013, and they resulted in 459 fatalities.”

In response, the Texas Department of Transportation will increase the presence (although the report lacks details about how much) of its “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign. “The agency is promoting the campaign through television, radio and online advertisements, as well as on billboards and at gas pumps,” writes Martin.

The state of Texas does not have a law prohibiting texting and driving. “In 2011, the Legislature approved a measure that would make it illegal to text and drive in Texas, but Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the bill, saying that other laws covered the offense and that it was a matter of personal responsibility.” A few cities in the state, however, including Austin and San Antonio, have banned texting and driving.