School may have only just come back into session but parents are being reminded that school pick-up lines are not the time to be on your cell phone as kiddos are hurrying around to catch a ride home.
North Lamar ISD Police Department put out a reminder on their Facebook page after school officers noticed an alarming number of parents and guardians on their phones while in the pick-up lines on the first two days back to school.
“Thursday and Friday we saw numerous violations of cell phone usage on campus. Keep in mind cell phones are Prohibited While Driving Through a School Zone,” said North Lamar ISD PoliceCchief Mike Boaz.
Texas school zone law, under HB 347, prevents using a cell phone when driving through an active school crossing zone. This includes property of a public elementary, middle, or junior high school for which a local authority has designated a school crossing zone. Exempt from this law, are vehicles that are stopped, drivers using hands-free devices, or making a call to emergency services such as police, medical, fire or other first responders.
”I believe that we all understand that cell phones have become an important means of communication in all of our lives,” said Boaz, “police officers also understand that talking and/or texting on a phone while driving is a major distraction and contributes to motor vehicle accidents every day. We hope that parents, students and other relatives visiting our campus will help keep our students safe by obeying the laws set out by the State of Texas. Our student’s safety is our number one concern.”
TxDOT also states on their website, “One in five crashes involves driver distraction. Drivers who use cell phones in their vehicles have a higher risk of collision than drivers who don’t, whether holding the phone or using a hands-free device. In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed a statewide ban on using a wireless communications device for electronic messaging while operating a motor vehicle. Texting, as well as reading or writing email, is prohibited while driving in Texas.”
The best way you can protect yourself and others on the road, and in school zones, is to put your phone down while operating your vehicle and even placing the tones on silent to help not be distracted.
