Missouri Injury Lawyers Blog

As reported in our earlier blog Texting Causes Car Accidents, studies show that texting while driving is very dangerous. Missouri law makers have acted to curb this danger with new legislation. On August 28th, 2009, House Bill 62 will go into effect and it will become a criminal offense in Missouri for drivers under the age of 21 to text while driving. While the legislature should be commended for responding to this safety hazard, the law misses the mark. The legislation should have made it illegal for anyone to text while driving. Texting while driving is just as dangerous for people over 21 as it is for people under 21. The age constraint will also make it difficult for law enforcement to enforce, as they are unlikely to pull over drivers they see texting unless the obviously appear under 21. The legislature should move quickly to correct this deficiency. Full implementation of this law could prevent car accidents, personal injuries and save lives.