Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has a message for drivers across the state: put down the phone. A statewide ban on texting while driving goes into effect Sept. 1, but for some cities it could actually make enforcement harder.
Bedford is one of a handful of North Texas cities that already bans using your phone behind the wheel outright. There are signs all over town warning of a fine of up to $200 for a violation.
But the state law – which only bans texting, not using other mobile apps such as GPS – will override local ordinances such as in Bedford. That means police will have to prove not just that you're using a phone, but that you're using it illegally.
"She had her cell phone in her hand," said Bedford Police Officer Jereme Brown, flipping on his sirens and pulling out after a car.
As part of the traffic unit, it's become a big part of Brown's job to watch the eyes and hands of passing drivers.
"Going down toward their lap while they're driving," he said. "Their thumbs will be working very quickly."
"You see it so much that I would say at least half of the time I'm looking for that specifically," Brown added.
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Already this year, Brown has issued 55 tickets for drivers using their phones behind the wheel. Some folks admit it freely.
"I text and I talk. I see cars behind me honking when the light turns green," said Bedford driver Alicia Guinn.
But when a statewide texting ban takes effect, Brown says it'll actually make enforcement harder for him.
"Whereas in Bedford right now, our ordinance is a broad spectrum of texting, emailing, talking, anything that has to go with any kind of portable electronic device," Brown said. "We're going to have to decipher whether they're texting or inputting data legally."
Still, Brown is glad to see a full Texas texting ban.
"I just take it to heart," he said. "I have two teenagers who are driving, one that will be driving very soon, and I'm concerned for their safety, along with all their other friends."
Even those he meets on the side of the road admit it's time for a change.
"I'm not opposed or upset because if it was my child, I would have a problem with it," Guinn said.
Once the statewide ban goes into effect, police say they can't force you to hand over your phone to prove you were texting, rather than using it legally such as for GPS. But you'll still get a ticket, and if you want to fight it you'll have to bring your phone records to court to tell it to the judge.
