California Senate bans DWT

SACRAMENTO, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- The California Senate has given final legislative approval to a bill that would ban texting while driving, allowing drivers who do so to be ticketed and fined.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not said whether he will sign the bill, the Los Angeles Times reported. The measure passed the Senate 25-14, with most Republicans opposing it.

A survey last year found that 89 percent of U.S. residents think sending or reading electronic mail behind the wheel is dangerous. But 57 percent of those surveyed admitted sending messages and 66 percent said they had read them while driving.

"Texting while driving is so obviously unsafe that it's hard to believe anyone would attempt it, yet everyday observation suggests there are an awful lot of folks who do," said state Sen. Joe Simitian, a Palo Alto Democrat who wrote the bill.

Republican state Sen. George Runner said laws already on the books about distracted driving cover texting without the need of additional legislation.

In a law that took effect this summer, California banned cell-phone use while driving, unless a driver is using hands-free technology.