While legislators appear divided about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving, there appears to be a strong consensus that texting is unacceptable.
"I think texting is completely different from cell phone use," said Del. James Malone, a Baltimore County Democrat who has been tapped to head the House work group handling such bills. "In my opinion, texting is more dangerous than cell phone use."
Surveys have found that driving while texting - known as DWT - is increasingly prevalent in this age of iPhones and BlackBerries. Lenett noted that a recent Zogby poll found that two-thirds of drivers ages 18-24 admitted to driving while texting.
But in some cases, it is younger people who are alerting their elders to the dangers.
David Nevins, co-chairman of the Maryland Highway Safety Foundation, confessed to senators that he formerly sent and received text messages while behind the wheel. The public relations executive said he kicked the habit after his 16-year-old daughter, who had been taught in driver's education class that the practice was dangerous, admonished him.
Nevins said the highway safety foundation supports a strong version of the bill. "It will help us educate people that this is a bad thing to do," he said.
Nathan Chai, 15, was one of a group of home-schooled students from Ellicott City who came to testify in favor of a texting ban after discovering the Hurd family's Web site. Nathan warned senators that the level of electronic distractions for young people in vehicles will only increase in future years.
"Can you imagine video-conferencing while they're driving? Well, I can and it's not pretty," he said.
The various cell phone and texting bills drew no opposition yesterday. Strong versions of the bills received support from physicians' groups, the Maryland State Police and the state Department of Transportation.
Versions of the cell phone ban have been a perennial loser in Annapolis for most of the past decade. But Frosh said he has noticed a gradual erosion of opposition to the legislation. When such bills were introduced in past years, he said, lobbyists for wireless phone companies would turn out in droves to oppose them. At yesterday's Senate hearing, not a single industry lobbyist spoke.
But Frosh said that doesn't mean such legislation will pass easily. "There's still opposition in the Senate. There's still opposition in this committee," he said.
Some of that opposition comes from lawmakers - including many Republicans - who don't want to create additional opportunities for police officers to pull over motorists.
Sen. Nancy Jacobs, a Harford County Republican who opposed last year's bill despite deep concerns about texting while driving, said that is her concern.
"I think it stands a better shot as a secondary offense, but it wouldn't surprise me if it passed as a primary offense," she said.
TEXTING BANS
Seven states prohibit any driver from text messaging:
* Alaska
* California
* Connecticut
* Louisiana
* Minnesota
* New Jersey
* Washington
Nine other states, including Maryland, ban novice drivers such as those with a provisional license or under age 18.
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
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