“Every ER doctor sees patients who have been in crashes due to distracted driving, and texting is often the culprit.”
“I recently saw a gentleman who came to the emergency room after being hit by someone who was texting and driv- ing. The patient said the person who hit him never even slowed down before the impact. He was minimally injured, but not everyone is so lucky. Every ER doctor sees patients who have been in crashes due to distracted driving, and texting is often the culprit,” he said.
Legislators focus on texting In 2011, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urged all states to ban the use of portable electronic de- vices while driving, including hand-held and hands-free devices. Texting while driving concerns sev- eral state legislators, who have filed the following bills to ban the practice:
House Bill 63, known collectively as the Alex Brown Memorial Act. Numerous state legislators have signed on as coau- thors. It is one of several TMA-supported texting and driving bills filed this session. “I’ve been involved in the worst days of people’s lives more than I want to re- member,” said Robert Greenberg, MD, a Temple emergency physician who spoke in support of the bills on behalf of the Texas Medical Association. The act honors 17-year-old Alex
Brown, of Lubbock, who died in a crash while texting and driving. It bans text- based communication except when using a GPS device, pressing a button to make a call, or using voice-operated technolo- gy. SB 28 exempts texting for emergency situations and by emergency responders. Dr. Greenberg said too often he must tell families of distracted driving victims that their loved ones will not make it or will survive but with serious brain injuries that will drastically alter their lives. “Tragedies are worse when they are avoidable. Texting while driving is avoidable. We need to pass this legisla- tion,” he said. Jeanne Brown, Alex Brown’s mother, tearfully appealed to legislators. “Having a texting and driving bill
doesn’t take any of our freedoms away,” Ms. Brown said. “I still have the right to text — at the appropriate time, not be- hind the wheel.”
38 TEXAS MEDICINE April 2013
The government sets boundaries on the road to keep people safe, she added.
“We have speed limits, we have school zones, and we have seat belts.” Concern for her constituents’ safety
inspired Senator Zaffirini to file SB 28. “While there are many forms of dis- tracted driving, perhaps no activity, be- sides driving under the influence, is recognized as more incompatible with operating a motor vehicle than texting while driving. I am delighted to author SB 28 and work with my House coun- terpart, Representative Craddick, to pass this important legislation,” she said. She appreciates TMA’s support of the
Alex Brown Memorial Act, adding the as- sociation’s members have a credible per- spective and care about the well-being of Texans. “Doctors can effectively articulate the message that texting while driving is a public health issue. It is my hope that Texas doctors and all who support safety on our roadways will not only contact their legislators and ask them to support this bill but also prioritize raising aware- ness of the dangers of texting while driving. Equally important, they should seek the support of Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Speaker Joe Straus,” Senator Zaffirini said. Dr. Greenberg says distracted driving is a public safety issue that warrants gov- ernment regulation.
• House Bill 27 by Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio) bans reading, writing, or sending a text message on a handheld device and establishes fines for offenders.
• House Bill 41 by Rep. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) prohibits wireless communication use — except hands- free devices — while driving and es- tablishes fines for offenders.
• House Bill 69 by Rep. Eddie Lucio III (D-Brownsville) outlaws text-based communications while driving.
• House Bill 108 by Rep. Patricia Har- less (R-Spring) has provisions similar to the Alex Brown Memorial Act.
Patrick Crocker, DO, director of emer- gency medicine at Dell Children’s Medi- cal Center in Austin, calls distracted driv- ing a serious public health concern. “I think we should regulate distracted driving because actions like texting and driving clearly put drivers at risk. I can’t drive down a major highway without seeing drivers on their phones or texting. Personally, I have no doubt everyone on the road would be safer if people didn’t text or use portable devices while driv- ing,” he said.
Besides saving countless lives, Texas physicians say, new legislation banning texting while driving could save Texas money. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports
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