This research aimed to reduce traffic crash fatalities and injuries caused by distracted driving. It also evaluated the effectiveness of the statewide texting and driving ban, as well as municipal and jurisdictional restrictions on cell phone use. The findings can inform legislative and policy decisions by identifying the effects of enforcement, laws, ordinances, and programs on driver behavior over time.
Benefits to Texas Transportation Safety
The findings of these observational surveys underscore the persistent challenge of distracted driving throughout Texas. The urban survey provides valuable insights into behavioral patterns, such as higher WCD use on secondary roads and during non-rush hours in several cities. It also highlights demographic trends, including equal usage rates between male and female drivers and significantly lower usage among seniors. These data help inform targeted interventions, enforcement strategies, and public awareness campaigns aimed at reducing distracted driving and improving roadway safety across Texas.
The benefits to traffic safety from the statewide survey are significant for providing reliable measures of cell phone use throughout the state, in urban and rural areas over time. By tracking trends in distracted driving from 2013 through 2025, the data help inform policy decisions, enforcement strategies, and public awareness campaigns. The consistent methodology allows for year-over-year comparisons, revealing that while overall MCD use has remained relatively stable, texting continues to be a persistent issue. These insights support targeted interventions, such as education for younger drivers and enforcement in high-use areas, ultimately contributing to safer roadways across Texas.
Project Need and Approach
Texas became the 47th state in the nation to pass a law banning texting while driving in September 2017, making it illegal to use a handheld device to read, write, or send an electronic message while operating a motor vehicle unless the vehicle is stopped, with several notable exceptions including GPS use, emergencies, and to activate music functions. Texas has no statewide cell phone use ban in passenger vehicles. There is a ban on cell phone use for novice drivers and bus drivers transporting passengers under age 18, and there are municipal bans with a variety of restrictions on cell phone use while driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts an annual cell phone survey as part of the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). The survey is a nationwide probability-based sample in which data are collected by observation. According to the most recent survey, hand-held cell phone use in the U.S. in 2023 was estimated at 2.1 percent, and texting was estimated at 3.0 percent. NHTSA estimated that 6.4 percent of U.S. drivers were visibly using cell phones, either hand-held or hands-free, during daylight hours.
A Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) survey has assessed the degree of distracted driving attributable to mobile communication device (MCD) use and tracked trends from 2013 through 2025. This year’s survey used the same observational survey method to track statewide trends in Texas. Additionally, a similar observation method was used to measure MCD use in urban areas throughout the state, as municipalities can have more restrictive bans in place. Urban surveys include general demographic variables to show characteristics of users.
Project Activities
2025
TTI has conducted 13 annual statewide surveys and 8 years of urban surveys. The 2025 urban survey was conducted in 18 Texas cities using a quota sample of 1,200 drivers per city, with observations from both primary and secondary intersection legs. Observers were trained to distinguish between actual device use and non-use, including nuanced behaviors like talking into headsets or holding devices without manipulation. Unlike the national survey, Texas included observations of moving vehicles, increasing the realism and relevance of the data. Observations included driver age, gender, race/ethnicity, vehicle type, time of day, and presence of passengers.
The urban survey included observations from 21,600 drivers at urban intersections during daylight hours. The overall urban MCD use rate was 9.4%, with texting (6.6%) being more prevalent than talking (2.9%). Houston had the highest observed rate at 12.7%, while Austin had the lowest at 6.2%. Eight cities reported double-digit usage rates, indicating that in those areas, roughly one in ten drivers was distracted by a device.
Across all cities, most drivers observed texting were doing so while moving (57.9%), despite Texas law allowing texting only when stopped. Very few drivers were observed talking exclusively while stopped.
MCD use was more common on secondary roads in 10 cities, suggesting that lower-volume streets may present higher distraction risks. Time-of-day analysis showed no consistent pattern, though some cities had higher usage during non-rush hours or afternoon peaks. Demographic analysis revealed similar usage rates between male and female drivers and between car and pickup drivers. Teens and adults under 65 used devices at similar rates (10.1%), while seniors had significantly lower usage (2.9%). Drivers using MCDs were less likely to have a front seat passenger.
The statewide MCD survey provides a more comprehensive analysis of distracted driving behaviors across the state. Using a probability-based sampling design modeled after the NOPUS survey, TTI observed over 32,000 vehicles at 190 intersections in 22 counties. The statewide MCD use rate was estimated at 8.9 percent, with 2.6 percent of drivers talking on a cell phone and 5.7 percent texting or manipulating a device. Notably, texting was observed statewide at more than twice the rate of talking, despite the law banning texting while driving unless the vehicle is stopped. The survey also found that MCD use was more prevalent among drivers without passengers, females, and adults aged 20–60, with underrepresentation among senior and White drivers.
2024
The survey was modeled after NHTSA’s National Occupant Protection Use Survey, which includes an electronic device use component. The objective of the Texas statewide MCD use survey was to estimate the percentage of drivers using MCDs while driving, using a probability-based sampling approach. The survey was conducted in randomly selected counties, on randomly selected roadways, during daylight hours, and on randomly assigned days of the week. The sample included 190 intersections across 22 counties.
To measure MCD use in urbanized areas of Texas, TTI conducted observational surveys of MCD use in the same 18 Texas cities where occupant protection surveys are conducted annually for the Texas Department of Transportation.
Project Title: Statewide and Urban Area Mobile Communication Device Use Surveys
Project Start and End Dates: October 1, 2022 – Present
Author List: Katie Womack
Sponsor/Funding Source: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)