Text messaging bans sweep nation

The year 2009 saw distracted driving become a national hot-button issue, with legislative activity focusing on text messaging behind the wheel.

The U.S. Department of Transportation made distracted driving a priority in the wake of highly publicized accidents linked to cell phone use and text messaging.

At the state level, bans on text messaging while behind the wheel took priority over the decade-long push for laws against handheld cell phone use.

Nineteen states now ban text messaging while driving. States enacting laws in 2009 include New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Illinois, Virginia, Utah and Tennessee.

Congress is now looking at several proposals seeking to effectively ban text messaging while driving nationwide. States that fail to act could lose billions in highway funding.

Based on prefilings for the 2010 legislative season, the emphasis once again will be on text messaging, with handheld cell phone bans a lower priority.

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