Ban on texting behind the wheel unlikely in AZ

Phoenix is the only city in the state with a ban on texting behind the wheel and a statewide ban appears unlikely to be on the books for the foreseeable future.

The head of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety said he would not support a statewide law unless officers could convince him that is could be enforced.

"Is a person talking on the phone, is a person dialing a phone number? How can you prove, from outside of a vehicle, if a person is text messaging or dialing a phone number," Alberto Gutier asked.

Officers would only have a few seconds to make that distinction, making it a very difficult law to enforce, Gutier said.

A law along the lines of California's all-out ban on cell phone use while driving is also not being considered, Gutier said.

Some experts compare texting and driving to drinking and driving.

While Arizona Department of Public Safety officer Carrick Cook declined to say whether or not he would support a ban of cell phone use while driving, but said he has seen some crazy things while on duty.

"Somebody was on two phones, at one time, driving with their knee. Both phones were on both ears and obviously driving behavior is going to be affected by that," Cook said, adding that he's seen drivers on everything from a cell phone to a laptop computer.

Cook said he would not be surprised if a texter was responsible for one minor or major accident a day on Valley roadways.

A survey conducted last year by the Behavior Research Center said that about 90 percent of Arizonans would support some form of a cell phone use ban for drivers.