Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) recently signed legislation making texting while driving a primary offense.
Under the law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, texting while the vehicle is moving will be a misdemeanor offense. First time offenders will be fined between $25 and $99. Repeat offenders will see this increase to $200.
A special session of the Texas legislature will be held in July to ensure no local law can override the state one.
The move was applauded by the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), which said the law will save lives.
In 2016, 455 people died and 3,000 were injured in Texas because of distracted driving. Nationally, 4.6 million people were injured and accidents increased 14 percent since 2014.
“The recent spike in the number of auto accidents resulting from distracted driving comes at a time when repair, labor, medical and other costs associated with accidents are also rising,” PCI said. “We need to change driver behavior, and we believe that toughening the distracted driving laws will save lives by encouraging people to think twice about picking up the phone while driving.”
Once the law goes into effect, only seven states will either have no texting law or have secondary enforcement.