Despite Texas lawmakers passing a ban on texting while driving in 2017, officials with the Texas Department of Transportation say distracted driving is still an issue in the state.

According to a press release on Tuesday, TxDOT claims 1 in 5 crashes in Texas involves distracted driving. Officials with TxDOT say the ban could be helping with data showing a 6% decline in distracted driving crashes when comparing year to year.

In response to distracted driving being a problem in Texas, TxDOT will team up with AT&T to drive awareness to the issue according to Tuesday's press release.

The statewide texting while driving ban could be helping a little. According to recent data, the number of crashes involving distracted driving in Texas decreased by 6% when comparing the 12-month periods before and after the statewide texting-while-driving ban took effect on Sept. 1, 2017. Then in 2018, TxDOT introduced the “Heads up, Texas” to address the new law with a new call to action.

The 2019 campaign will kick off June 4 in San Antonio with the return of a 12-city, virtual reality experience tour in collaboration with AT&T It Can Wait to educate Texans about the dangers of driving while being distracted.

The campaign is part of a larger effort of #EndTheStreakTX which seeks to encourage drivers to make safer choices behind the wheel.

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