EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) partnered with El Paso law enforcement agencies in October to assist in bringing awareness to distracted driving laws, the department said in a news release.
The enforcement operation took place from Oct. 16 through Oct. 18 with the El Paso Police Department, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the El Paso County Constable’s Office, DPS said.
The focused areas of the operation were to reduce crashes in school zones, along with major roads and in total, the participating officers issued 63 cell phone violations and 30 “Move Over or Slow Down” violations, DPS said.
According to DPS, the “Move Over or Slow Down” law requires drivers to change lanes or slow down when approaching a vehicle with emergency lights including law enforcement, fire, EMS, the Texas Department of Transportation, tow trucks and other vehicles.
DPS is reminding drivers that when slowing down, you should be going 20 mph below the posted speed limit and only move lanes when it’s safe and legal.
People who violate the “Move Over or Slow Down” law can face fines up to $1,250 for first offenses. Violaters who cause bodily injury can possibly face jail time and a $4,000 fine, according to DPS.
According to TxDOT, nearly 1 in 6 crashes on Texas roads were caused by distracted drivers in 2023. Of those crashes, 399 people died and over 2,790 people were seriously injured as a result.
Texting while driving is illegal and phone usage is prohibited in a school zone, according to DPS.
Violaters who use cell phones while driving can face fines up to $200 plus court costs, DPS said.
If you need to use your cell phone or mobile device, pull off the road entirely and come to a complete stop.
DPS said at least one person on Texas roads has died every day since Nov. 7, 2000.
DPS is currently partnering with TxDOT to help hand out safety fliers to drivers who received warnings when pulled over by a DPS trooper.
For more on the safety effort, you can visit TxDOT’s website here.
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