Here is some relevent legal news coming out of New York City which is also relevent for Houston as well: Lawmakers also suggesting a law to prevent composing, sending or even reading a text message while you are behind the wheel of an auto or motircycle. According to reports, this law is being strongly pushed as of late and has become a sort of personal issue ever since 5 Fairport High School students suffered fatal injury in a tragic auto accident in a high profile incident. In this particular accident it was determined that the mobile phone belonging to the driver had sent and received messages just prior to this tragic fatal injury.
Texas in general and Houston in particular was the first place to ban mobile phone use while behind the wheel. This despite the fact that a Zogby Poll concluded that more than sixty percent of young people send text messages while driving their vehicles, there is little in the way of other data on texting and driving, perhaps because few drivers, especially in the City, want to admit what they were doing just before an accident. It is difficult for authorities to prove since phone companies are not obliged to release these particular records, although an aggressive District Lawyer could try to demand them in certain cases, potentially.
Prior to New York State passing the seatbelt law, only 17 percent of drivers thought it was a good habit to wear a seatbelt, while 89 percent now believe in the practice. Lawmakers may have an easier time passing legislation in the wake of the widely reported commuter train crash in California due to it’s particularly high profile. If you hang your hat in Houston or nearby areas and you need a wonderful auto, motorcycle or perhaps even a personal injury lawyer then give these Law Offices a call for a consultation since they are among the most cutting edge Houston auto attorney working today for their part indeed.
In related news, The National Highway Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study in 2006 that found that 65 percent of “close calls”, and almost 80 percent of collisions, were caused, or in some part due, to some type of driver distraction within 3 seconds of impact. Many teens admit to text messaging while driving. Surprisingly, many– if not most– say they do believe there should be a law against it. Seems like it would be relatively easy for a good lawyer to defend against this charge since texting while driving is not especially obvious in the same way that putting a phone to your ear is.