New Braunfels Law Blog

You're likely quite familiar with the term "distracted driving" and may even have been a distracted driver yourself at some point in your driving career. In fact, most drivers become distracted from time to time, perhaps without even realizing it. The problem is that operating a motor vehicle in a distracted state can lead to collision, which can cause injuries, which can change lives, forever.  

It's one thing to say a driver appeared distracted, however, and another to understand the legal definition of the phrase. If another driver was driving distracted according to the laws of Texas, and you suffered injury because of it, there is no reason you should bear full responsibility for the financial expenses you incur because of the incident. If you're unsure what constitutes as distracted driving, you can speak to someone well-versed in personal injury law.  

"You've got to be very defensive. You've got to look as much in your rear-view window as your front windshield," says a partner at Permian Lodging, which builds and operates what are called "man camps" in the area. He says Route 285 in the Permian Basin might be the deadliest highway in the U.S.

The route is used to carry supplies to and from West Texas's oilfields. Last year, as the price of crude oil surged, crashes in the area surged as well. As many as 93 people were killed in truck accidents last year, just on the Texas side of the Permian Basin. That's a 43-percent jump from 2012 numbers.

We all know that driving while distracted is dangerous. When we think about distracted driving behavior, we usually think about activities that take our eyes off the road or our hands off the wheel. Therefore, two of the most commonly discussed distracted driving behaviors are texting and hand-held phone calls while driving.

In recent years, there have been state and nation-wide campaigns to curtail these behaviors. Texas recently passed a law banning any form of electronic messaging while driving. However, throughout this push to reduce distracted driving, hands-free calling has often been touted as a safe alternative to other communication methods. In actuality, this type of behavior poses significant safety risks. In today’s post, we discuss what makes hands-free calling so dangerous:

Having a child in his or her late teens or early 20s often means going through a major rite of passage: college. This time can act as a transformative period in your child's life, and you certainly want to make sure that those changes are for the better. Of course, you likely know that your child will want to gain some experiences that he or she could not while living at home.

While some of those experiences may involve joining clubs or taking trips, you may also worry that your child could start experimenting with drugs. You certainly do not want to overreact, but as a concerned parent, you likely also know that students can easily gain access to illegal substances on and off college campuses.