A group of Democratic senators are pushing a bill that would require states to ban text messaging by drivers or risk losing 25 percent of their annual federal highway money.
Aimed at reducing driver distraction and highway deaths and injuries, the proposal came a day after a series of studies by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found that texting drivers were 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or a near miss.
It said while talking on a phone did not cause motorists to take their eyes off the road, the use of a keypad distracted drivers with disastrous consequences.
"Text messaging on a cell phone was associated with the highest risk of all cell phone related tasks," reported the VTTI. "The tasks that draw the driver's eyes away from the forward roadway were those with the highest risk."
The study also found that text messaging resulted in the longest duration of "eyes off road time" -- 4.6 seconds over a six-second interval.
"This equates to a driver traveling the length of a football field (100 yards/meters) at 55 miles per hour (88.5 kilometers per hour) without looking at the roadway," said the VTTI.
If the legislation passes, states would have two years to ban texting or emailing while operating a moving vehicle or lose 25 percent of their annual federal highway funding.
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have already passed driver-texting bans.
