The Small Community Of Coahoma Takes Action Against Distracted Driving
By: Matthew Farrell
Updated: October 31, 2012
COAHOMA -- More and more people are moving to West Texas, and the roadways are getting more congested.
With that spike in traffic, distracted driving, such as texting while driving is an increasingly deadly problem.
Now, the small community of Coahoma is taking action.
"When you're distracted by certain texting efforts, you can't have your full attention on where it needs to be, so everyone was unanimously in favor of that," Coahoma Mayor Warren Wallace told Big 2.
The Coahoma City Council recently unanimously passed an ordinance to ban texting and driving in their town.
The ban was a hot topic because of the experiences of the council members with distracted driving.
Mayor Wallace told us that one council member had a close call with a distracted driver, and another member lost a niece who was texting while driving.
Zach Johnson is a council member and a volunteer fire fighter.
He was driving through Coahoma one day when he had a run in with a distracted driver.
"I got up here to the service road, fixing to get on IH 20, and noticed a car coming. I slowed down because I noticed she wasn't going to stop and it was at the yield sign. She missed the yield sign," Johnson told us.
Yield signs, along with other road signs, are highly visible reminders of traffic and road conditions, but they're an easy thing to miss if you're not looking at the road as you drive by at 60 miles per hour.
Johnson said this wasn't his only experience with distracted driving.
"I had a friend who was killed in Midland in the oil fields because of distracted driving," Johnson said.
Mayor Wallace says it's up to the Howard County Sheriff's Office to enforce the ban.
If anyone is caught texting and driving, they will be pulled over and possibly ticketed.
Johnson just hopes this will put an end to the senseless destruction that distracted driving can cause.
With that spike in traffic, distracted driving, such as texting while driving is an increasingly deadly problem.
Now, the small community of Coahoma is taking action.
"When you're distracted by certain texting efforts, you can't have your full attention on where it needs to be, so everyone was unanimously in favor of that," Coahoma Mayor Warren Wallace told Big 2.
The Coahoma City Council recently unanimously passed an ordinance to ban texting and driving in their town.
The ban was a hot topic because of the experiences of the council members with distracted driving.
Mayor Wallace told us that one council member had a close call with a distracted driver, and another member lost a niece who was texting while driving.
Zach Johnson is a council member and a volunteer fire fighter.
He was driving through Coahoma one day when he had a run in with a distracted driver.
"I got up here to the service road, fixing to get on IH 20, and noticed a car coming. I slowed down because I noticed she wasn't going to stop and it was at the yield sign. She missed the yield sign," Johnson told us.
Yield signs, along with other road signs, are highly visible reminders of traffic and road conditions, but they're an easy thing to miss if you're not looking at the road as you drive by at 60 miles per hour.
Johnson said this wasn't his only experience with distracted driving.
"I had a friend who was killed in Midland in the oil fields because of distracted driving," Johnson said.
Mayor Wallace says it's up to the Howard County Sheriff's Office to enforce the ban.
If anyone is caught texting and driving, they will be pulled over and possibly ticketed.
Johnson just hopes this will put an end to the senseless destruction that distracted driving can cause.
