RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina became the 14th U.S. state to ban all drivers from text messaging while driving.

In the first six months of 2009, seven states passed broad texting while driving bans, bringing the total in the U.S. to 14, plus the District of Columbia, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

As of December 2008, only seven states plus D.C. had enacted similar legislation.

2009 was the year of the cell phone and text ban in parts of Canada as well. Ontario and Quebec joined New Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in banning cell phone and other hand-held telematic devices while driving. Some western provinces are also considering following suit.

The Governors Highway Safety Association expects the number in the U.S. to grow — the 2009 state legislative season has already seen more than 200 proposed distracted driving regulations, according to GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha,

"There’s a tremendous amount of interest in state legislatures and the highway safety community in the distracted driving issue. Regardless of the law, texting and driving should not mix," she said.

A list of U.S. states that ban cell phone and text messaging as well as a variety of distracted driving background can be found at: www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.