A bill has been introduced in the Senate to ban texting while driving. The proposed law would prohibit any driver from sending text or email messages while driving a vehicle. This legislation follows the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s study of long-haul truck drivers, wherein it found texting truckers are 23 times as likely as their non-texting counterparts to be involved in a auto crash or near miss. Read my blog about 18-wheelers and texting here.
In order to get states to comply, the Federal Government is flexing its “money muscle”. States that do not enact text banning laws within 2 years of the Federal law could lose 25% of their federal highway funds. 14 states already have laws banning texting while driving. One of the senators who introduced the legislation stated that the law will send an important message to drivers across the country: Get your hands off the cell phone and back on the wheel. Drivers will also get their eyes back on the roadway.
