What does Texas law say about reading, writing, or sending messages on a cell phone while driving?
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A.
It is legal if the vehicle is stopped in traffic.
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B.
It is legal for drivers age 18 and older.
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C.
It is against the law, and violations are subject to fines. Correct
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D.
It is legal on roads posted under 30 mph.
The answer is "It is against the law, and violations are subject to fines."
Texas law forbids reading, writing, or sending messages on a cell phone or portable wireless device while driving, and convictions bring fines. The manual carves out only two uses: contacting law enforcement or handling an emergency. Drivers who pick the stopped-in-traffic option are carrying over an everyday red-light phone-glance habit that the manual's exceptions never include.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. It is legal if the vehicle is stopped in traffic.
Adds an at-a-standstill exception the manual does not list; its only carve-outs are contacting law enforcement or handling an emergency. This answer reads the driver's own habit of glancing at a phone while idling at a red light as if the manual had written that pause into the ban.
B. It is legal for drivers age 18 and older.
Blends the texting ban with the under-18 hands-free rule; the messaging ban applies to every driver regardless of age. This answer reads the under-18 hands-free rule printed nearby as if it were the only age line the manual draws.
D. It is legal on roads posted under 30 mph.
Ties the ban to a speed threshold the manual never sets; the manual does not make the texting rule depend on road speed. This answer applies a low-speed habit drivers use for glancing at a phone at a light to a rule the manual writes without any speed carve-out.
This question tests your knowledge of Distracted Driving in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Texting While Driving," p.54..
Related Texas questions
- You are 17 and driving in Texas. When may you legally use a cell phone? →
- Which activity does the manual specifically list as one that can distract a driver's attention? →
- Your cell phone rings while you are driving. What does the manual tell you to do? →
- The manual says that if you must make a cell phone call while driving, what should you do? →
- Which practice does the manual recommend before you begin driving to help avoid distraction? →
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