WASHINGTON — A widely publicized study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on the dangers of texting while driving has sparked a flurry of federal and state anti-texting legislation. 

For instance, a new federal bill, known as the Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers Act, or "ALERT Drivers" Act, is being sponsored by U.S. Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Mary Landrieu (D-L.A.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.).

The rule would mandate that states enforce the texting ban within the next two years or lose 25 percent of their federal highway funds per year.

"Studies have shown over and over that texting while driving is dangerous, and it’s time to take action to prevent the tragic accidents that result from this activity," said Schumer. "We have seen too many lives ruined due to drivers recklessly using their cell phones. With this new legislation, drivers will finally be held responsible for dangerous behavior that puts the public at risk."

The American Trucking Associations said it "strongly supports the safety objectives" of the legislation."

Truckers support texting bans, but there’s still
some work-related nuances to identify.

But as it’s being realized in Canadian jurisdictions that ban texting, the ATA wants to ensure the bill does not inadvertently outlaw the use of truck cab fleet management systems that provide cargo-related information to professional drivers. 

The Virginia Tech study set out to analyze driver distraction in commercial vehicle operations. Using in-cab video taken from about 200 truck drivers and about 3 million miles of driving, the institute analyzed and measured the impact of driver distraction on crashes and other performance errors by looking at the types of tasks drivers were doing and what their eyes were focused on.

The research found that text messaging and dialing on cell phones were key distraction tasks, and that drivers were 23 times more likely to get into an accident when texting. Out of a span of six seconds, drivers’ eyes were looking off of the forward roadway for about five seconds while texting in the middle of a critical event, the data showed.

"Fourteen states, including Louisiana, have already passed laws addressing this issue — it is time for the other 36 states to follow suit," said Landrieu. 

Actually, 16 states and the District of Columbia currently have laws banning all drivers from texting.

— with files from Truckinginfo.com