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Cell Phones | School Zones | Dallas - Fort Worth Attorney | Texas Law

Posted on May 04, 2010

Lawmakers restricted drivers' cell phone use in the 2009 legislative session. These laws went into effect on September 1.

An important new driving safety law is HB 55, which makes it illegal to use a cell phone in a school zone. Hands free devices may be used, but hand-held cell phones, for calling or texting, are banned from use.

City officials will have to place new signs at the beginning of school zones to warn drivers about the ban if they want police to give out citations. You may have seen many of these signs already. If your vehicle is stopped, however, it is alright to use a cell phone; also, emergency calls are exempt from the ban.

Although there was a bill proposed to ban cell phones completely while driving, it did not become law this legislative session, and using a cell phone while driving is still legal when not in a school zone.