After his grandson was killed in an accident caused by a distracted driver, a Texas grandfather is working to ban texting and driving state-wide.

Nearly two years ago, a six-year-old boy in Texas was hit and killed by a distracted driver, states Fox 29. The boy was waiting on his bike for the ice cream truck when a teenage driver dropped his cellphone and ran off of the road. Now, the boy’s grandfather wants to make driving while texting illegal throughout all of Texas to prevent other families from experiencing the pain of losing one of their loved ones in a distracted driving accident.

The specific bill the grandfather is supporting is known as Texas House Bill 80, or the Alex Brown Memorial Act. This particular bill honors a teen who was killed because of texting and driving and would making texting and driving illegal in Texas. If this bill is passed, the grandfather then plans on continuing his efforts and working to instate a nationwide texting and driving ban.

A texting and driving ban may not be the answer
Although banning texting and driving may reduce the number of accidents caused by a distracted driver on the roads in Texas, research indicates that bans like these are not always effective. In a study produced by the Highway Loss Data Institute, researchers analyzed the number of collision claims filed before and after a texting ban was enacted in Washington, Louisiana, California and Minnesota. Instead of reducing the number of collision claims filed, in three of the four states, crashes actually increased after texting while driving became an illegal activity.

There are several reasons why texting and driving bans may be ineffective. First, they only focus on banning one type of distracted driving when countless other forms exist. Second, these bans ignore other types of distraction. Lastly, texting and driving bans rely on only banning one type of distraction in an effort to solve the entire distracted driving problem.

Many are injured or killed every day
Distracted driving, including texting and driving, is a serious issue that contributes to many fatalities and injuries in Texas each year. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, there were 94,943 motor vehicle accidents involving driver distraction in Texas during 2013. These collisions resulted in 459 deaths and 18,576 serious injuries.

When drivers, passengers or pedestrians sustain serious injuries in a distracted driving-related accident in Texas, they may be unable to go back to work, school or function independently. If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by a distracted driver, speak with an attorney in your area to determine what you can do to assert your legal rights and hold the other driver responsible for his or her negligent actions.

Keywords: distracted, driving, texting, accident