Ban on texting while driving heads to Perry's desk
Posted:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Sending or reading text messages while driving would be outlawed in Texas under a bill passed by legislature and headed for Gov. Rick Perry's desk.
Lawmakers late Sunday approved the ban on texting while driving as a midnight deadline approached. Drivers caught texting or emailing on their phones can be fined upward of $200.
Republican Rep. Tom Craddick sold the proposal as a public-safety measure, but the bill triggered more than a half-hour of debate on the House floor. Opponents said the bill would amount to criminalizing drivers simply for receiving a text message while driving.
San Antonio and El Paso already have laws forbidding texting while driving, and at least 30 other states have enacted similar statewide bans.
Today's Local News HeadlinesToday's Local NewsMore>>
OKLAHOMA CITY - A mile-wide tornado churned through the Oklahoma City suburbs, destroying homes for the second day in a row.
OKLAHOMA CITY - A mile-wide tornado churned through the Oklahoma City suburbs, destroying homes for the second day in a row Monday, as part of a severe weather outbreak that was expected to spread in other parts of the Plains and Midwest.
In Amarillo, TxDOT construction crews will be out again starting Monday, fixing up a few roadways around town, which means there are a few lane closures drivers will want to know about.
In Amarillo, TxDOT construction crews will be out again starting Monday, fixing up a few roadways around town, which means there are a few lane closures drivers will want to know about.
Authorities say tornadoes have touched down in Wichita, Kan., and a suburb of Oklahoma City but there are no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage.
Tornadoes ravaged portions of central Oklahoma on Sunday, reducing portions of a mobile home park to rubble and killing a 79-year-old man whose body was found out in the open.
All content © Copyright 2000-2011 WorldNow and KFDA. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
