CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING BAN IN TWO TEXAS CITIES BEGIN JANUARY 1ST

  

Texans who plan on driving in San Antonio or Austin in the new year are being reminded of the new ban on hand-held devices in those cities.

Police say they won’t begin issuing fines until February.

The fines in San Antonio will start in February at $200, and Austin violators will be fined up to $500.

Driving with a hand-held device is illegal in 14 states and the District of Columbia, but all but a few states have banned texting while driving.

Texas is one of the states that has still not banned texting while driving, but some cities have their own ban on the practice.

The Texas Department of Transportation reports that distracted driving caused more than 459 deaths and 18,500 injuries on Texas roadways in 2013, although cell phones only contribute to 5 to 7 percent of all crashes.

TXDOT says that texting is far more of a distraction since it requires a driver to take his eyes off the road more often.