Austin closer to no texting and driving

AUSTIN (KXAN) - On a 7-0 vote Thursday, the Austin City Council moved closer to banning text messaging while driving in Austin.

The Austin City Council  preliminarily moved to ban the popular practice at its meeting Thursday.

Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Martinez, Council Member Chris Riley, and Mayor Lee Leffingwell sponsored a resolution to create an ordinance that would ban e-mails, texts, or internet use in the car.

"It's probably the most dangerous thing you can do while driving," Martinez said at the council meeting. "In some cases there are some people who have experienced some near misses and actual accidents."

The proposal came with a bit of trepidation from other council members, and members of the community. Some worried whether it would be too hard to enforce.

In another part of the resolution, drivers would also have to keep a three-foot distance while following "vulnerable road users," including pedestrians, bicyclists, and those in wheelchairs.

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

Martinez has floated 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 said he would put the item back on the agenda.

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.

 The city's legal department now has a few months to prepare ordinances to finally put the measure into city ordinance codes after another council vote.

Drivers would most likely face a misdemeanor fine, Martinez said, which could have penalties up to $500.

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 goes into effect on Sept. 1.