New studies and disturbing public service announcement ads have most Americans convinced that it’s time to stop texting while driving. Now a bipartisan group of Idaho lawmakers are working together to enact legislation in 2010 that will raise awareness and save lives.

Senator Les Bock, a Boise Democrat who brought forth similar legislation during the 2009 session, will be the sponsor of two bills: one to prohibit texting and other similar messaging while driving and another to limit cell phone use without a hands-free device. Co-sponsors to the bills will include JoAn Wood, the Republican chair of the House Transportation & Defense Committee, along with Assistant Senate Minority Leader Elliot Werk and House Democrats Liz Chavez, Elfreda Higgins and Anne Pasley-Stuart.

“Public awareness of the dangers of texting while driving has increased exponentially this summer,” Bock said. “We now know that the longer we wait to act, the more lives will be lost.” 

In July, Virginia Tech released a study based of driver distraction and cell phone use based on more than 6 million miles of real‐world driving conditions. It found that texting commercial truck drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision than non-texters.

At the start of 2009, only a handful of states had laws banning texting while driving, but there are now at least 24 states plus the District of Columbia that have enacted some restrictions on texting while driving.

“This issue was a bit under the radar when we brought it up last winter,” Bock said. “But clearly, the time has come to enact legislation that will help drivers realize that it’s neither safe nor smart to text while driving.”