The Top 5 Cell Phone Laws for Teenage Drivers In Texas

We all do the best that we can to ensure that our teens have the best possible chance to succeed in life. What if you knew that your teen could be arrested for simply using their cell phone? Did you know that at least 10 bills addressing texting and driving were considered during 2011 by Texas lawmakers? Here are 5 cell phone laws that you and your teen need to be aware of before it’s too late.

Restricted Cell Phone Use

Teens under the age of 18 with a license are restricted from any wireless communications device use while driving in the state of Texas. Make sure that if your teen has a cell phone, they are aware of the consequences of using their phone while driving.

Learner’s Permit Restrictions

Teens with a learner’s permit are restricted from using any handheld cell phone during the first six months of driving.

School Crossing Zones

All drivers in the State of Texas are prohibited from using their cell phones in school crossing zones. This includes texting and talking on your cell phone.

Restrictions on Texting

Texting is now partially restricted for Texas drivers according to House Bill 243 that was passed in April of 2011. Although drivers are allowed to receive text messages while driving, they are no longer allowed to type or send messages of any kind. If caught texting while driving, you could be fined up to $200 dollars.

Teen Sexting Laws

Sexting is what occurs when cell phone users send each other sexually explicit messages on their wireless devices. Previously, anyone who transmits sexually explicit pictures of minors over wireless communications devices would be charged with a felony for trafficking or possessing child pornography. A new law would change the felony charge to a Class C misdemeanor charge for underage first-time violators.

It is difficult to always be aware of the new laws that are put into place. Unless you constantly monitor the news, you might not be aware that you could be doing something illegal. Teens are especially vulnerable to this because they are not experienced drivers and they can be easily overwhelmed with new rules and expectations placed on them.

What laws have your teens violated? What laws were new to you? Let us know!

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Astounding Results From High School Program on Teen Cell Phone Safety

Last Thursday I spoke to a group of Dallas high school juniors about the dangers of cell phone use, and the results surprised even me. Here are just a few of the unbelievable things that came out of the program:

• Of the roughly 150 teens present, only one teen was able to describe any real education given to her by her parents about cell phone use;
• Nearly every class could describe a personal driving accident involving a cell phone, some of which were fatal; and
• None of these teens truly understood the connection between sexting and child pornography.

Now take those facts, and compare them with the following:

• Approximately 20% of all teens have sent or received a sexually explicit images of themselves or their friends;
• The penalty for teen sexting is between 5 and 20 years for each count, if it rises to the level of child pornography; and
• Even without cell phones, driving is the number one cause of death for kids between the ages of 15 and 20.

With these results in mind, it’s time that we, as parents, understood these dangers and started talking to our kids about them. Even if you don’t have teens or kids, we all drive with them every day. Without this vital education, it harms all of us.

Please take a stand today, and forward this to as many parents as you know. It could save someone’s life, even your own.

Don’t Rely on Laws To Protect Your Teens

A recent article on MobileTechlaw.com shows the difficulty in enforcing teen cell phone laws. Click here for the link.

The article shows how the Utah state legislature recently ended discussion on banning teen cell phone use while driving. The reason that the bill died was that the legislators couldn’t decide on the appropriate penalty for a teen caught disregarding the ban.

This is a great example of how hard it is to enforce these cell phone bans, both for legislators making the laws and for enforcement officials enforcing the laws.

As we’ve mentioned on this site before, by the time that law enforcement has to step in, it could already be too late for your teen. That’s the reason that education and instruction are great tools to help your teen become safe with their cell phones.

No parent can keep their child completely and totally safe from all harm; it’s just not possible. That includes what teens do with cars, cell phones, and a combination of both. What you can do, though, is to help them understand the dangers of using cell phones and set up safeguards early on to help them know from Day 1 what to do and what not to do with their phones.

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COMING SOON – SPECIAL REPORT ON

TEEN CELL PHONE SAFETY

TeenCellSafety.org is about to launch its free Special Report on Teen Cell Phone Safety. Check back soon for details!

Cell Phone Actions Can Put Teens In Jail

We all realize that there are many ways that our kids can get in trouble using their cell phones. However, not many people realize exactly how serious some of these crimes can be or the severe repercussions to teenagers for their actions.

For example, one New York City Teen recently used his cell phone to create a debacle on the New Jersey Turnpike. Basically, he made a false 9-1-1 call on his cell phone alleging that his own van was being taken by armed gunmen. Police stopped the van, discovered the hoax, and after three months of investigations, arrested the teen for “creating a false public alarm,” which carries a maximum five-year sentence. Click here for the full story from http://www.nj.com.

Outside of pranks like the one above, there are startling statistics about the number of driving accidents caused by teens on cell phones. There are also significant child pornography issues for teens who take lewd pictures of each other or themselves and save them or send those photos using their phones.

All of the actions described above carry severe criminal penalties, and it is important for us, as parents, to realize and properly educate our teens about these dangers. In later posts, we will describe some methods and solutions for this education, but for now, it is important just to be aware of these issues and do your best to make your teens aware of them as well.

Do you have any stories to share in this regard? We want to hear them!

___________________________________________________________

COMING SOON – SPECIAL REPORT ON

TEEN CELL PHONE SAFETY

TeenCellSafety.org is about to launch its free Special Report on Teen Cell Phone Safety. Check back soon for details!

Should Cell Phone Companies Release Teen Cell Phone Data?

Many of us have heard the heart-wrenching plight of Missey and Greg Smith. After their teen daughter was abducted, they pleaded with Verizon Wireless to release the location of their daughter’s cell phone data (which can be tracked from its wireless signal) to aid authorities in their daughter’s search. Verizon Wireless required a subpoena before complying because of potential privacy liability. Reports state that the Smith’s daughter was found within about 45 minutes after the release of the data. Unfortunately, authorities were too late, and the Smith’s daughter was the victim of a homicide. You can read more at this link from http://www.kare11.com.

The Smiths have now helped sponser a bill named for their daughter that would require cell phone providers to comply with law enforcement authorities in any investigation of this sort. According to the above article,

The Kelsey Smith Act would require cell phone companies to provide tracking data to law enforcement agencies in a timely manner when a phone customer is in danger. The language in current federal law makes such help optional.

There’s no question that laws like the Kelsey Smith Act are indeed needed and beneficial. As the article states, sometimes minutes make the difference in these cases. However, there are some examples when providing this information to law enforcement without judicial supervision may actually be detrimental.

For instance, what if a teenager is fleeing abusive parents? In that situation, giving authorities the teen’s cell phone location may be detrimental. If legislation like this is not carefully written, it could open the door to unintended consequences of otherwise well intended laws.

For this reason, judicial oversight might need to be considered as a means to ensure that everyone’s rights are being properly represented.

We’re interested in your opinion. There’s a poll following this article. Please participate and give us your thoughts.

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COMING SOON – SPECIAL REPORT ON

TEEN CELL PHONE SAFETY

TeenCellSafety.org is about to launch its free Special Report on Teen Cell Phone Safety. Check back soon for details!