Feds Push National Texting-While-Driving Ban

Feds Push National Texting-While-Driving Ban

Using the often-played bargaining chip of federal highway funding, the U.S. Senate is pushing a bill for a nationwide ban on text messaging while driving.

Thirteen states and the District of Columbia already have such laws, but the bill proposes a two-year time frame for the remaining states to adopt similar laws and formulate a penalty structure.

Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute this week released the "duh" results of a study showing commercial truck drivers were 23 times more likely to crash or experience a near-miss accident if texting.

The federal pressure to adopt an anti-texting law comes in the form of reducing highway funding. The Senate bill proposes a 25 percent reduction in the critical monies for states that do not create an anti-texting law.

The probable argument will center on whether to make texting offenses a primary or secondary offense. Primary offenses mean drivers can be cited for the action itself; secondary offenses can be ticketed only if the driver is first stopped for another infraction. -- Bill Visnic

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.