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.
This answer adds an at-a-standstill exception the manual does not list; its only carve-outs are contacting law enforcement or handling an emergency. It 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.
This answer blends the texting ban with the under-18 hands-free rule; the messaging ban applies to every driver regardless of age. It 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.
This answer ties the ban to a speed threshold the manual never sets; the manual does not make the texting rule depend on road speed. It 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 Handbook, "Texting While Driving," p.54..
Related Texas questions
- Which behavior does the manual list as a sign of a possibly distracted driver ahead? →
- 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? →
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