SAN ANTONIO – Nearly 460 school zone violations last school year have sparked concerns along a busy stretch of road on San Antonio’s far north side, where local advocates are pushing for stricter distracted driving laws.
In August, KSAT reported on the number of school zone violations across the city of San Antonio. The school zones nearest to Tejeda Middle School and Johnson High School had some of the highest amounts of violations.
Melinda Cox, founder of Johnson High School’s SMART Driving Club, witnesses the daily hazards firsthand along Evans and Bulverde Roads.
“Without fail every single day, people are speeding,” Cox said during a morning traffic observation. “A lot of people are on their cell phones, but I would say the primary offense here is (driving) too fast.”
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The dangerous conditions are particularly evident during morning commute hours, with traffic backing up to TPC Parkway near Johnson High School. Even more alarming, Cox reported that drivers have been clocked at speeds approaching 80 miles per hour in the area during mid-morning hours.
“You know, 10 miles over the speed limit and you hit that, you’re going to flip into the grass,” Cox warned while driving on Evans, highlighting the risks to student safety. The concern is personal for the school community, which lost two students in a previous incident at a problematic intersection.
Cox, who founded the driving club in 2012 after observing dangerous driving behaviors while teaching her daughter to drive, has been advocating for stronger legislation to combat distracted driving.
“People are not going to stop driving distracted until it hits them in the pocketbook,” she said.
Legislative efforts
A proposed measure, Texas Senate Bill 47, aimed to expand current texting-while-driving restrictions by implementing a complete ban on handheld cell phone use while driving. The bill would have particularly affected drivers under 18 and school bus operators carrying minors.
“We want it to be hands-free. So, your phone is here. Regardless of what you’re doing, it can’t be in your hands,” Cox said. However, the bill failed to advance through the legislature this session.
Despite the setback, Cox remains committed to reintroducing the legislation in the next session.
Her motivation stems from the potentially devastating consequences of distracted driving.
“It just takes that one time,” she emphasized. “Someone’s kid doesn’t come home, and I know that sounds dramatic, but that’s what happens every day.”
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