Good news middle aged drivers! Today the Texas Legislature has passed HB 60, making it illegal to text and drive in Texas. The new legislation is headed to Governor Abbot’s desk, who is expected to sign the bill. Based on the language of the final bill that passed both houses, it is an affirmative defense to prosecution under the new law if the person is using the wireless device in conjunction with a hands-free device, to navigate using GPS, to report illegal activity, or (and this is really in the law) to activate a function that plays music.
So you cannot text while driving, but you can use Google Maps and Waze, and listen to Spotify. And no more honking at the car in front of you two milliseconds after the light turns green…