Jose G. Landa

Staff writer

Texas House Bill 62 (No Texting While Driving) law is 19 days from being implemented and enforced throughout the entire state ,finally making texting and driving illegal statewide starting September 1.  

Distracted driving crashes in Texas up 3 percent in 2016 

LAREDO – An estimated 1 in 5 traffic crashes in Texas is caused by distracted driving, and the problem is getting worse. As part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, the Texas Department of Transportation is launching its “Talk, Text, Crash” campaign to remind drivers to stay focused on the road. 

HOUSTON (AP) — A witness says the driver of a pickup truck that collided with a church minibus in rural Texas, killing 13 people, acknowledged he had been texting while driving — highlighting the dangers of sending messages on smartphones while behind the wheel.

Staff reports

   The Kickapoo Traditional Tribal Council will be donating $5,000 to the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels after the tragic auto accident on Wednesday in Uvalde County.

After two incidents in which students were run over last year, EPPD Officer Humberto Torralba said the community is trying to do their best to keep students safe. 

During the school year extra vigilance by the police department, Maverick County Sheriff’s Department, and DPS will be taking place in order to prevent the use of cellphones while driving, and encourage drivers and passengers to wear their seat belts. 

“We are going to be enforcing the law that prohibits them to be using cellphones while in a school zone, and we are also going to be assisting EPISD PD with traffic control in the mornings to alleviate any jams near the school,” said Maverick County Chief Deputy Robert De Leon.

The average cost of a ticket for using a cellphone while driving is above $100, said Torralba, who admits it’s costly but is a good way to deter drivers from being careless.

Enforcement is the most difficult part of any law, said Torralba, but with the help of the community  several law enforcement entities he hopes they can prevent another accident from taking place.

$100 de multa por usar el celular

Jaclyn Guzmán

Staff Writer

 Después de dos incidentes que sucedieron  en los que  unos estudiantes fueron atropellados el año  escolar pasado, Oficial EPPD Humberto Torralba dijo que la comunidad está tratando de hacer todo lo posible para proteger a los estudiantes.

  Durante el año escolar se llevará a cabo mayor vigilancia por el departamento de policía, Departamento del Sheriff del Condado de Maverick, y DPS  con el fin de evitar el uso de teléfonos móviles durante la conducción, y animar a los conductores y pasajeros  que deben usar el cinturón de seguridad.

  "Vamos a enforzar la aplicación de la ley que les prohíbe el uso de teléfonos celulares  en una zona escolar, y también vamos a estar ayudando a EPISD PD con el control  en las mañanas para aliviar el trafico cerca de la escuela," dijo Robert De León.

  El costo medio de una multa para el uso de un teléfono celular mientras se conduce está por encima de $100, dijo Torralba, quien admite que es costoso, pero es una buena manera de disuadir a los conductores de ser descuidados.

  La aplicación es la parte más difícil de cualquier ley, dijo Torralba, pero con la ayuda de las varias personas de la ley de la comunidad se espera que puedan prevenir otro accidente .

Friday, July 1, Leonardo Torres was sentenced to seven years in prison after hitting an oncoming car and killing three of the four people in it.  

Torres was in the US Army at the time of the incident, awarded during his tour, and had been honorably discharged. He was on his way back to Fort Bliss after taking family leave, when texting while driving caused him to strike the car with Alex Alvarez, Liliana Valdez de Alvarez, Olga Valdez, and 3-year-old Alex Alvarez, Jr, who were returning from a trip to Del Rio.