New laws went into effect: here’s how they affect you.
Key Takeaway:
On September 1, 2025, 835 new Texas laws went into effect. Most won’t affect your daily commute—but six do. From rental car refunds to tougher DWI penalties, here’s what Texas drivers and families need to know.
New law requires Texas school buses to add seatbelts by 2029.
Key Takeaway:
Yes. Under Senate Bill 546, every Texas school bus must be equipped with a three-point seat belt for every passenger and the driver by September 1, 2029. The law phases in gradually, giving school districts time to plan and report their progress.
Knowing when to stop for a school bus is essential to keep kids safe and avoid penalties.
Key Takeaway:
In Texas, drivers must stop when a school bus has flashing red lights and its stop arm extended—or face steep fines, license suspension, and even possible jail time.
School zone accidents can be complicated.
Key Takeaway:
You can seek compensation for injuries in a Texas school zone accident—even if a public school bus or employee was involved—because certain cases waive government immunity under the Texas Tort Claims Act.
Who’s to blame when your child is injured in a school zone?
As another school year begins in Texas, safety—not school supplies—should be the top priority. The start of the year brings an increase in students walking, biking, and boarding buses. Unfortunately, it also brings a higher risk of school zone crashes. In 2024, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) recorded 781 school zone traffic crashes statewide, prompting calls for extra caution from drivers, parents, and the community.
Know your legal options if your child is injured on a school bus.
Millions of children across Texas rely on the school bus to get them to and from school every day. While children are rarely injured on school buses, injuries do happen, and recent, scary accidents have parents concerned for their child’s safety.
Remind yourself of important school bus laws for back to school.
Back to school is right around the corner for Texas. As we enter the school year, drivers will once again be sharing the roads with school buses and increased child pedestrian traffic.
Kids Across San Antonio are Heading Back-to-School
(August 25, 2022) San Antonio is officially back to school this week. Back to school means busy parents are rushing to drop off their kids before work, and school buses are adding to the already congested construction traffic areas. It’s important during this time that drivers brush up on their back-to-school safe driving techniques. In this article, we’ll look at crash statistics and cover tips for safe driving practices during the school season, as well as what to do if your child has been injured in a school transportation accident.
Did you know?
How do you know if you have a personal injury claim? You can suffer personal injuries when injured physically, psychologically, or emotionally usually due to negligence, carelessness, or wrongful conduct of another individual. It’s typically the case that when an individual files a personal injury claim, they or someone they love sustained injuries due to another’s negligent actions.
Because personal injury law covers a vast amount of different situations, it’s extremely important for you to consult with an experienced lawyer if you believe you have a personal injury claim. For instance, you are potentially at risk of suffering personal injuries in situations such as automobile accidents, trucking accidents, dog bites, motorcycle accidents, and many others.
Given this information, you need to seek professional legal advice from an experienced lawyer to know if you have a personal injury claim. A personal injury attorney will aim to determine who is responsible for the injury or death. They then evaluate the legal issues applicable in a particular situation and determine which course of action is best for their clients. If required, they will file a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of those injured. They take these steps in order to protect the injured party’s rights and ensure proper compensation is received.
For some people, a daily commute is an escape before the demands of the day. For others, it can be stressful. For those who rely on public transportation to get around on a daily basis, there is a reasonable expectation of safety while they are on board a bus or train. Indeed, no one expects to be injured while on public transit. However, when these injuries occur, those responsible may be held accountable for their actions through a Texas personal injury lawsuit.
For example, in a recent Texas Supreme Court opinion, a plaintiff was injured while riding a bus supplied through a public transit authority. The plaintiff boarded a bus and grabbed onto a hanging strap. The bus was operated and driven by a new employee who was still in training, with his supervisor standing behind him. As the driver pulled away from the stop, another passenger shouted, “Back door!” to notify the driver that a passenger was still trying to exit from the vehicle’s rear door. Although the bus was only traveling less than five miles per hour, the driver made an abrupt stop, causing the plaintiff to fall forward into the partition behind the driver’s seat. The plaintiff suffered injuries to his neck and shoulder. After several months of treatment, the plaintiff underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck.
The plaintiff sued the transit authority, claiming it was negligent and responsible for his injuries. Because the defendant was a common carrier, the plaintiff argued, they owed him a duty to exercise “a high degree of care.” In Texas, common carriers are people or entities that are in the business of carrying passengers or goods and are hire-able by the public. To qualify as a common carrier, the entity must provide transportation services to the general public, as opposed to services for particular individuals or specific groups.
Texas Injury Lawyers Blog