Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1952 )

GENEWAI;
December 22, 1952
Hon. Joseph C. Ternur bpinion no. v-1562.
County Attorney
San Patrlclo County Re: Cont3tltutlonalltydf
Slntoa, Texas SubbaectLonl(a), Section
a;Article a27a, v.P.c.,
relating to vehicle speed
limits when ‘specialhazards
Dear Sir: exl8t.
Pou have requested o? thlr office an o inion
concernin& the conrtitutionalltyof Subsection 1Pa) o?
Section a,Article 827a, Vernoa’8 Penal coqe, which
relates to motor vehicle.apeed lliiltsunder cfrcum-
stancerr~wherespecial harards exist. The provis,lon
In Quecrtlonreads a0 fqllows:
“Ho pereon shall drive a vehicle on a
highway at a apeed greater than is reaeonable
and prudent under the conditions then existing,
having regard to the actual and potential
hazards when ‘approaahlngand crossing an
inter#ectioaor & railway grade crossing; rhen
approaching and going around a curve, when
approaching a hill orem!, when traveling upon
any narrow or vlndlap roadway, or when special
hazard exist8 with respe.ct’to pedestrians or
other trafillcor by reaoon of weather or high-
swayconditiona;;and in every event, speed shall
be 80 controlled as may be necessary to av’old
collldlng with any pereon, vehicle, or other
conveyance on or entering the highway in com-
pliance with legal requirenentrland the duty
bf all persotisiibuse -due care.”
Section 8 of Article &‘?a, V.P.C., was re-enacted
and amended by the 52nndLegislature as H. B. 458, ch.
346, p. 589, and it appears to be the Leglslature~s,lnost
reoent expreeslon respecting the,regulatlonof highway
traffic. Apparently It ruperaedesSection 51 of Ar-
ticle 670ld, V.C.S., the Uniform Traffic Code prohibition
against reckless driving, a part of which was held un-
conetitutionalon the gound of uncertainty in Rx parte
. .
Hon. Joseph C. Ternua, page 2, (v-1562).
153 Tex. Crlm. 52, 217 S.W.2d 673 (1949).
kik9-Fa the nature of the problem with which we are
oonfrcgtedhere.
Although a penal law will be declared void
ii It la framed In such an obscure or Indefinitefashion
that it cannot be readily understood (Tex. Conat. Art.
I, Sec. 10; Art. 6, V.P.C.), the framera of the statute
may employ general terslinologyIf It Is lntellIgIbleto
peraona of ordinary Intelligence. Such a statute doea
not have to spell out all of the ways In wkilchthe
offense can be committed. Ex Da
Tex. Crlm. 636, 218 S'.W.1042 (1
143 Tex. Crlm. 9, 156:S.li.2d531
rule was stated thus:
I
"A pe'naiatatkte is aufflklentlycertain,
although,I$m&y use general terms, if the
offenre la 80 'definedas to 'conveyto a person
of ordlnaryIn~tellIgence an adequate deacriptlon
of th$ 'evilor mlechlef Intended to be prohibited.
. . .
Statutes vhlch~attempt'~~'deflne crltinal offenses
in connectionwith the ~operatlonof motor vehicle8 might
be said to'fall Into two general categolrlea.One type
sets forth a aort of blanket prohlbltIon,dealgn'ed to
cover numerous sltuatI?nsin which the exact nature of
the culpable conduct cannot be precisely deacrlbed be-
fore It occura, as, for example, "reckless driving."
Several Texas wenal statutes of this type have been
declared void ?or unceirtainty.Ruseeli-v. .State.88
Tex; cdm. 512, 228 s.w..566 (11)B): Ladd v. State, 115
Tex. Crlm. 355,:27 S.W.2d 1908 (l#Or % parte Chernoalq,
LIuprB.
Other euch regulatory measures attempt to
describe the epeclflc acts which are Intended to be
prohibited,and atatutee of thle type have been more
favorably received by the courts than those described
In the preceding paragraph. The,proviaIonunder consldera-
tlon here appetia to.fall Into this latter category. A
eimIlar statute prohlbltltig motorlats from driving In
excess of 5 reasonable and proper:speed, "having regard
to $he width, traffic a@ uae~of .thehighways and the
Hon. Joseph C.~Te&aii:page 3~, (V-1562,). '
clalo~a"~wh~ch;:q~~d~e~~
the salldlty'of::AFt.~~f~.aL27a,
~Sectlon8, V.p;C'.."ae 'it retids:‘$&fa~.. ‘Bowt,3&i '&$lcEJe
794; V*P';C.,~.Bbr6iwita.r&pa&l'Bj'~~e.iprovuaian.rifrder,~
conslde$~~$~n~h~ce;:bl+z!i$ng "al~.~otor,a~'ic2ee",ga~,a-
lng each other"~.fo.'redi~e"thei+ speed-to,f9 %eg&'&les
per hour, wallupheld over the objection that the quoted
Taken as a whole, Article 8i7a,'&&iOn'8,'
V.P.C.) Is an attempt to establish various maximum epeed
limit8 for motor vehicles oper&tIng under all coricelvable
driving conditions. Subaactlon l(a), with which we are
speclflcallyconcerned here, '&ale with the operation of
vehlclea under clrcumetanceewhere special hazards exist,
and the speoI+,~~ga~s vh$@thq framare of the Act
had in mlnd,are,apel~~&-opt:j& detail;‘ The speeg llmlts
in thlb-partld~~~~"~~ba~ctlo~'~~~,not I+$ forth in term
of miles per 'ho& i&i rathek-'by 'the stUdard.'of'what
la reasonable and prudent under the clrcninstaaeea.
However, subsection l(b) prescribes deflnlte mll~e per
hour speed llmlta for different types of vehIC&es opera-
ting under normal conditions, "where no epeclal hazard
exists that re uires lower speed for compliance with
subsectionl(a7 of this section." In other words, aub-
section l(b) authorizes a motorist to drive his automobile
at the rate of sixty miles per hour on an open highway
. . -
Hon. Joseph C . Ternua, page.,
~4,,(V;l2@)..
under normal daylight,operating .oudltloqs,, but subsection
l(a) requires that he reduce. ~hle ?$eed In ajreagonable
and prudent manner.~when he approaches,a;hataid :nuchan
a curve,,‘the crest of ‘a hill, qr;aii..Intereet&on,,.
_:/-‘I
~’
xt is dirriqult to p~Bdict:‘ir~at.-:8~tl~~‘thi
appellate courts. :will~
take with .,r6@ecli'
to any given
penal statute which has ‘been~attached a@ vague,.and
IndeflalteF~ Such lava are frequeri%ly &all,enged on”
this ground, an\f.‘eachcase a&ems,to;,Y,&adl:‘on
Its own
merits. However, It lr Important’ to ‘note that’the
nature of the offense created Is always of vita& lm-
j=iai&
sufficiently, defInlte:& ‘I&rlod of lf;e,,,.
peraopr or average’lnteP1Igence of,++e‘Ii.,,$ible: aetq”
it creates; If~:.jjrovIde .a..
somewhat
,J ., ~. ; ‘fIeqlb~i.,sfiazju$@~
but fin ‘the field’of’tr fig regulation,abgolute~’ and
lnflexlble +?+aa~~ds, are”not.alirayapq#aIble:and ecld
pratitlcable anddealrabIe. -ft.‘ls th@@fi$*e our oplni
that Article 827a. Section a, .SubaectIob’~l(a), v2.c:
.~T,‘,‘.
.-.:
W.idi 827;; ‘seotioq.;J8;&&&&&.
l(k), Y.P.C., ekitablIf+hlng:~ f.1ta;‘rbr
epeebl..lI
motor vehldleq ope~atlng.underi%@d ,tiona:
,, j_-,
_A..,, .,! ,.~ : ” -,
..‘I.,~ /
/. ,’
I:.
‘_ :’
‘I ‘. ::’
i: AL
Bon. Joseph C. Temua, page 5, (v-1562).
where special hazards exist, describes
with sufficient certainty'the,orfensethat
It Is intended to prohibit and therefore 1,s
constltutlonal.
Yours very truly,
APPROVED:
PRICE DAHIEL
Wllllam S. Lott 'AttorneyQeneral
&ate Affairs Division
Mary Kate Wall caL+ B&.4&3&.
heviewing AsslQtant BY.
Calvin ~B.Garwood, Jr.
Charles Di Xathewa .’ Asslatant
&rat Assistant
,~
cbg/mlh