Lawmakers Push For Nationwide Ban On Texting-While-Driving

Democratic senators are pushing for legislation that would require states to ban texting while driving or risk losing highway funds.

The proposed legislation to ban sending text messages while behind the wheel comes on the heels of a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) study that found that in some cases texting while driving can increase the chance of a crash by more than 23 times.

The proposal is aimed at reducing driver distraction and highway deaths and injuries, according to The Associated Press.

Currently, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that make texting while driving illegal. The Democratic senators' proposal seeks banning texting behind the wheel in every state.

The legislation is expected to be unveiled sometime today.

"The federal government ought to pass a law banning this dangerous and growing practice to protect the millions of Americans on our nation's roads. It is a matter of public safety," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) told the AP. Schumer is expected to unveil the legislation Wednesday along with Democrats Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Kay Hagan of North Carolina.

Reports indicate the legislation would require states to ban texting or e-mailing while operating a moving vehicle or risk losing 25 percent of their annual federal highway funding. Under the legislation, the transportation secretary would be required to issue guidelines within six months of the measure being signed into law. From there, states would have two years to approve the bans on texting while driving. States could recover highway funds by passing the legislation after the two-year period.

The bill would only aim at banning texting in a moving vehicle, the AP reported. Drivers would not be barred from texting or e-mailing while in a parked or stopped car.

According to the VTTI study that was released earlier this week, people operating light vehicles or trucks face a high risk of being in a crash while manually manipulating a cell phone. The biggest risk for a crash, however, comes from truck drivers who send text messages while operating a vehicle. Those drivers posed a risk 23.2 times higher than nondistracted drivers of being involved in a collision. In addition, reaching for an object or electronic device makes truck drivers 6.7 times as likely to cause a crash, while light vehicle drivers boost their chances by 1.4 times.

The VTTI study also found that dialing a cell phone increases all drivers' risk of being in a crash, with light vehicle drivers' chances of crashing increased 2.8 times and truck drivers' risk of crash increased 5.9 times.

"A real key to significantly improving safety is keeping your eyes on the road," the VTTI study concluded.