The wreck near Garner State Park that ended with 13 people dead may be the spark that the state legislature needed to pass a bill that would ban texting while driving, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The driver who plowed into a church bus, west of San Antonio, was texting on his phone at the time, according to a witness who spoke with 1200 WOAI news on Friday.
Bruce Bugg, who is a Commissioner the Texas Department of Transportation, says the video is amazing.
"We saw the video clips of where he was across a double yellow line," he tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI. "That cannot happen."
Unfortunately, he says texting while driving has become a growing problem on the state's highways, and it’s mostly the fault of teenagers. He often drives between San Antonio and Austin and sees it all the time.
"I look over and, sure enough, they’re sitting there, one hand on the wheel, their head pointed down and they're texting. That should not happen on our Texas roadways."
Texas is one of four states that do not have a statewide ban on texting and driving, but that could soon be changing. State Rep. Tom Craddick (R-Midland) is the author of a bill that recently passed the state House.
Last session, it was scuttled by Republicans who were worried that it would open the door to unlawful searches by police.
Some believe this wreck could be a turning point in the debate.
TxDot cannot formally take a position on legislation, but Bugg says we're seeing the death counts escalate on state highways.
San Antonio is one of about three dozen Texas cities which have a texting-and-driving ban in place.