With 19 states and the District of Columbia now making it illegal to text while driving, you wonder when Texas will wise up. So far, only municipalities have passed such laws, the biggest being Austin. And the only state law on the books protects only school children by making it illegal to text or use a cell phone while driving through a school zone.

But does this law truly protect kids? Not exactly. That’s because individual school districts still must pay for signs to be posted in school zones to warn drivers that such behavior is illegal. And if they don’t, the law doesn’t apply.

While some districts have managed this, including the Fort Worth and Waco Independent School Districts, the far larger Houston ISD hasn’t been able yet to afford posting the signs. Thus, it’s perfectly legal to, say, send a text message about what you had for breakfast while driving through a Houston school zone where little ones routinely scamper across the street.

Houstonians must hope and pray that no tragedies ensue, but that possibility certainly exists. So the question must be asked: How much value does a human life have? Is it more than the cost of traffic signs? And if so, why hasn’t some means been found to post them?

So far, cities where the law is enforced have had significant success. If the signs haven’t gotten drivers’ attention, then the fines of up to $200 certainly have.

Fort Worth police say they’ve issued more than 400 citations for talking or texting by cell phone while driving through school zones since the law took effect Sept. 1, 2009. Almost 90 citations have been issued to drivers in nearby Grapevine.

It cost Fort Worth $65,000 to install almost 500 signs throughout the city. Though the fines to date could cover that, even if they didn’t, a human life is certainly worth a $65,000 investment.

The price for signs in Arlington was even less, at $17,500.

The problem in Houston is that it would cost $1.4 million to erect signs in the city’s 8,000 school zones. So, though the law is on the books, it’s not being enforced — and it can’t be, until signs are posted.

Many new laws arise each year without signs being required for them to take effect. But for this law, that’s the rub. Could the cell phone industry‘s fingerprints be on Texas’ legislation? Many lawmakers in Austin receive lobbying support from that industry. You do the math.

Consistently, the cell phone industry has been heedless of the unconscionable damage it does by marketing its cell phones (once even called “car phones”) despite enormous evidence that their driving distractions are deadly. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates 6,000 or more Americans died last year due to such distracted drivers, who are as bad as drunk drivers, as much research shows.

Jim S. Adler & Associates urges all drivers everywhere to be cautious at all times, and especially when driving through busy school zones. That’s no time to add needless distractions when you must be alert to traffic and pedestrians. As school children themselves are taught, “Safety first.”

But if you or a loved one is harmed in an auto-pedestrian accident or any other form of traffic accident caused by a distracted or reckless driver, alert an Adler car accident lawyer to go to work for you. He or she will seek the fair and just financial compensation you are due for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Just because not all laws have enough teeth doesn’t mean justice still can’t be served.

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