It's now against the law in Nacogdoches to send text messages while driving everywhere in the city limits, not just in school zones.

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The Nacogdoches City Council has passed a city ordinance that prohibits the use of electronic messaging devices while driving.

The ordinance prohibits sending text messages, emails, and the use of other applications that are used for electronic messaging. Violators can be fined up to $500.

The reason for this action is spelled out in the ordinance, to wit "...the safety of citizens of Nacogdoches is of utmost importance, and distracted drivers are a danger to the safety of citizens."

City Manager Jim Jeffers says the ordinance will go into effect after signs are posted on all state highways coming into Nacogdoches.  That work should begin in the next several weeks.

A ban on texting while driving is going to be hard to enforce in a town with 13 thousand college students, most of whom live off campus and drive cars to and from school.  That's almost half the population.

Then there are the hundreds of high school age teenagers with cell phones and cars.  Like we said, stopping texting while driving is a tall order.  Good luck with that.

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