(Miami, FL)- At the strong urging of Chairman Joe Sanchez, the Miami Commission voted unanimously today to ban drivers from texting in school zones.

“This is about protecting our children,” Sanchez said. “While dropping my children off at school, I saw a driver so distracted by text messaging that he almost ran over a small child crossing the street to school.”

The Commission adopted the ban of texting in school zones on first reading today. If adopted on second reading, it is believed Miami would be the first city in Florida to prohibit drivers from texting in school zones.

A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has concluded that people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash.

In crashes or near crashes, texting takes a driver’s focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, which is enough time to travel the length of a football field at 55 miles an hour.

“People know they have to slow down in school zones, but instead of taking the time to be alert of children in the crosswalk, they take advantage of the slower speed to check and send text messages. That’s a recipe for disaster.” Sanchez said.

A test by Car and Driver Magazine found that in some cases, a person’s reaction time was harmed more by texting while driving than while driving under the influence of alcohol.