Chicago may ban text-messaging on roads

CHICAGO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Drivers in Chicago may soon be unable to text-message while operating a vehicle due to safety considerations, public officials say.

Mayor Richard M. Daley said the Chicago City Council is considering a proposal that would forbid any driver in the city limits from either text messaging or surfing the Internet while driving, the Chicago Tribune said Thursday.

Daley said individuals who attempt such technological distractions while operating a vehicle pose a safety risk to those around them.

"Using one hand is very dangerous," the mayor said at a City Council meeting Wednesday.

The Chicago Sun-Times said the proposal was the brainchild of Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke, who was also behind the city's ban on cell phone use by drivers.

Burke said while banning text messaging and Internet browsing by drivers had been discussed in 2005, it had been temporarily tabled to focus on cell phone usage.

"It's time for us to revisit the issue," Burke said. "It's as much a part of educating the public as anything else. Maybe people (who) are driving and texting don't realize the kind of hazard that's created."