Last updated April 12, 2019
Legislators in Texas in the United States have failed in their bid to make it illegal to use new or old cell phones while operating a motor vehicle after the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, vetoed the bill. More and more states in the US are passing laws to make using cell phones while driving a crime, and lawmakers in Texas tried to join the group by passing the same law, yet despite massive support, the attempt failed thanks to the intervention of Governor Perry.
Perry vetoed the bill because he believes such legislation is an unnecessary way of trying to “micromanage” the driving habits of the citizens of Texas. Instead of creating a new law, Perry wants more focus on education instead in order to make people more aware of the dangers inherent in all forms of distracted driving.
While the bill has now fallen by the wayside, the problem of cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle remains a major problem all over the United States, with figures estimating that around 20 percent of all traffic deaths in 2009 were caused by distracted drivers, more than double the figure recorded just four years earlier back in 2005, according to figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Caranddriver.com meanwhile, has conducted driving tests indicating that motorists distracted by cell phones have worse response times to changing traffic conditions that those who are considered to be legally drunk.