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Push On To Have Texting While Driving Banned

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: CMU Professor Marcel Just did a brain imaging study that shows your brain allocates much less activity to driving when you're distracted by just listening to someone talk on a cell phone.
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A new study finds that half of all teenagers text on their cell phone while behind the wheel, but it also shows that some adults do it too.

But there's now an effort underway to have it banned in Pennsylvania.

A psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University recently examined how distracting texting while driving may actually be.

Professor Marcel Just did a brain imaging study that shows your brain allocates much less activity to driving when you're distracted by just listening to someone talk on a cell phone.

"The dramatic finding is that the brain activity associated with driving decreases by 37 percent," he told KDKA. "Driving and texting has to be enormously more dangerous than driving and using a cell phone."

According to AAA, 18 states and the District of Columbia currently have laws that address text messaging by all drivers.

But now AAA is pushing for it to be banned in all 50 states.

Pitt student Stephanie Sutkowksi, who admits she used to text and drive, is among those who think that's a good idea.

"I think it should be," she says. "I definitely have had some close calls, I'm pretty sure."

Both the Pennsylvania State House and State Senate have discussed banning texting and driving but nothing has become law.

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