West Virginia may be next state to outlaw texting while driving

West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, veteran truck drivers in the state and the National Transportation Safety Board recently announced their support of the bill banning truckers and all other motorists from texting while driving, reported the Register-Herald Reporter.

"Distracted driving is a deadly thing on our highways," Clarence Jenkins, a UPS driver in the state, told the news source. "Banning (phones) for all motorists saves lives. That’s what we’re all interested in. The most important thing we can do is to make sure each and every day each one of us returns to our most important stop and that’s to our families."

According to the source, 37 states have outlawed texting while driving for motorists, and 34 of those have made texting behind the wheel a primary offense. The state wants to increase trucking safety, and Governor Tomblin told the news source he believes this ban will occur in the state.

MetroNews reported texting on roadways is likely to be outlawed in West Virginia, given that the bill was recently approved by the full Senate in a unanimous vote.

The source said if the bill is passed, people can be pulled over just for texting while driving, serving as a wake-up call to many motorists.

West Virginia may be next state to outlaw texting while driving

Thursday, February 9th, 2012