ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, SportsTexting while driving ban passes House 92-0

You may want to go ahead and rethink texting while driving. A statewide ban passed the House with no "nays."

If it passes the house, drivers would be fined 25 dollars for the first offense, 50 for the second and 75 for the third.

Law enforcement agencies are behind the ban saying texting while driving has surpassed driving under the influence as the number one killer of teenagers.

"Everyone, not just teenagers, need 100 percent concentration on the road with a two thousand pound weapon. That's what we call a vehicle," said Chief Deputy Randy Christian of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

A UAB professor also has a research study to back those statistics.

"You might notice on the real road- you are behind someone you think may be drunk. You go to pass them and realize they're texting. We saw some of those similarities in the swerving, crashes," said Dr. Despina Stavrinos, UAB University Transportation Center.

This bill has passed the House before only the die in the senate.

This year, Senator Jabo Waggoner, (R) Vestavia Hills, is co-sponsoring it.