Texas is widely considered to be a place where independence and freedom are part of the state’s character. That might make some people think that this means that anything goes in Texas and that the laws aren’t vigorously enforced. Those people are in for a nasty surprise.
Not knowing driving rules can mean serious injuries will result. Additionally, ignoring Texas’s driving laws can make you liable for any injuries that result from the accident, which could mean civil or criminal charges.
However, an easy solution is to follow the rules; if you do end up in an accident, at the very least, you can be confident you won’t go into debt over your mistakes. As the saying suggests, you shouldn’t mess with Texas. But the same goes for its driving laws.
Specific Rules in Texas
All of Texas’s rules are important, but these are a few that are worth pointing out to every driver.
Seat belts: In Texas, all occupants in the front seat have to wear a seatbelt; backseat occupants 18 and over are allowed to choose whether or not to wear a seatbelt. Kids under the age of 9 need to be in an age- and size-appropriate booster seat or child safety seat.
Drunk driving: You can be arrested and convicted of drinking while driving if you’re driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or more. As part of your conviction-- even if it’s a first-time offense-- you’ll have to install an ignition interlock device (IID) in your car.
Open container laws: Open containers of alcohol aren’t allowed to be in the passenger area of a car. This means that the driver and passengers are both prohibited from possessing open containers, though this doesn’t mean that they couldn’t be stored in a trunk.
Distracted driving: Distracted driving laws are meant to deter people in engaging in behavior that will take their minds off the road. Texting while driving is a pervasive form of distracted driving, and to address this, Texas has banned it outright.
Distracted Driving and Your Texas Auto Accident
Texting while driving can put someone’s life in danger and cause serious injuries. A person may be looking down at their phone for just a moment, lose control of the car, and crash into you. The accident could leave you immobile and unable to work for awhile. How will you survive?
Filing a personal injury claim could be your best way of getting the funds you need to survive and recover. Texas is a tort state, meaning that you file for damages either via the other driver’s insurance or a personal injury claim.
It seems straightforward enough, especially if the driver was doing something as egregious as driving while drunk, but cases can get complicated, and keeping up with all the moving parts can become impossible.
Hiring a Personal injury Lawyer
The difficulty between managing a case and an injury gets at the heart of why you should hire a personal injury attorney for your case. Your body needs to be able to recover fully, and it’s impossible to do that while compiling a personal injury cases.
So don’t do it; ask for help. Find an experienced personal injury lawyer to serve as your advocate, and then, focus on yourself and your recovery.
