AAA Mid-Atlantic took a firm stand Wednesday on a bill to ban text messaging while driving in Virginia.

House Bill 1876, sponsored by Del. John Cosgrove, has already gained approval by the House of Delegates and is now in the hands of the Senate. It will be heard this Thursday by the Senate Transportation Committee.

“We believe that a law to ban text messaging while behind the wheel of moving vehicle is critical to the safety of motorists in Virginia,” says Martha M. Meade, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Text messaging on screens often no bigger than one inch squared with tiny keys that frequently must be pressed multiple times to secure the desired letter is an action which clearly demands detailed attention from the person creating such a message. It is simply not an activity which can be safely done while driving an automobile at speeds of up to 70 mph.”

Seven states now have laws on the books which ban text messaging while driving a motor vehicle. As of February 12, 34 states have legislation pending to ban text messaging for all drivers, regardless of age. Cosgrove hopes to add Virginia to the list of states which are addressing the issue.

“I believe that the practice of text messaging while driving is one of the most dangerous and irresponsible practices that one can perform while driving a vehicle on Virginia’s roads,” says Cosgrove. “A person needs to pay attention to their driving so they do not cause property damage, and more importantly, physical harm to themselves or another driver by causing an accident while driving and text messaging.”

The issue has been brought before lawmakers in past years; however, it seems to be gaining momentum this year having already passed the House of Delegates with a vote of 88 in favor and ten opposed.

Del. Jim Scott of Northern Virginia, who has also been intricately involved in the issue, also hopes to see the bill pass the Senate and become law.

“Text messaging and driving is a deadly stew, especially if the driver is under 20. HB 1876 should help reduce teen deaths on Virginia’s roads,” states Scott.

Virginia ranks sixth in the nation in text message volume, and it has been reported that as many as one-third of Virginians admit to text messaging while driving. (Survey commissioned by Vlingo, May 2008)

- Texting is only one of many factors that contribute to driver inattention. Some studies report that nearly 80 percent of crashes involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

- Younger adults are the heaviest users of text messaging with 32 percent admitting to sending text messages while driving and 43 percent admit to reading text messages while driving. (AAA Market Research, June of 2007) Teens are already at the greatest risk behind the wheel. Per mile driven, drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely to crash than older drivers. (IIHS 2005)

- Someone dies every 13 minutes on a road in America. Transportation safety advocates are working diligently to reduce that number and are convinced that texting while driving will increase it.

“A law to prohibit texting while driving a motor vehicle is a common sense law that should not require years of debate or study. Distracted driving has become a major problem in our society, and we need laws which will stop these preventable deaths,” concludes Meade.