Austin bans texting while driving

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austinites now have to put that text message on hold if they are behind the wheel.

The Austin City Council voted unanimously Thursday to ban texting while driving.

If caught, drivers would face a $500 fine. The ban is effective on Jan. 2, 2010. 

"The severity is going to make people think twice about it and voluntarily comply," said Austin Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez

The city's Public Safety Task Force passed a resolution in support of the proposed ordinance in November 2008.

Martinez has rallied the measure around City Hall for more than year, putting the item off during the legislative session.

When the Legislature failed to enact further restrictions, Martinez put the item back on the agenda.

Drivers could still use text messaging, Internet, or e-mail while stopped.

They could talk on their cell phones, use GPS systems, or make emergency calls.

City leaders point to various studies that show the dangers of texting while driving.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute revealed released a study that shows of all the things you can do behind the wheel, texting or typing an e-mail is by far the most dangerous.

The research showed that text messaging makes a driver 23 times more likely to crash than not using a phone and it has the highest duration of eyes off the road time. Out of every six seconds, drivers were not looking at the road for 4.6 seconds. That equates to traveling the length of a football field at 55 mph without even seeing where you're going.

Drivers would most likely face a misdemeanor fine.

Bans on the use of cell phones or mobile devices while driving are becoming more widespread. A new Texas law that bans talking on cell phones while driving in a school zone went into effect on Sept. 1.