ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. -- Oneida County legislators say texting should be considered the same as talking when cell phone users are behind the wheel.

"If it turns out that you were texting and you did cause an accident, you should be held accountable," said Oneida County legislator Ed Welsh.

They are proposing a county-wide ban on texting while driving. It would be treated the same way as the state law banning drivers from talking on cell phones.

"What we want to do is put a law on the books to countermand this and put it back into the thought process where a person says well, I probably shouldn't do this because it's against the law. Obviously it's against common sense, and I'd hate to try and legislate common sense," said Welsh.

But Welsh says that's what it has come down to because the number of accidents involving cell phones is just too high. According to the state traffic safety committee, distracted drivers were a factor in 663 accidents in 2006 in Oneida County. Additionally that same year, hand held cell phone usage contributed to nine accidents.

"Looking down trying to send a message is taking your eyes off the road. There's no way possible way that somebody can honestly say that they can text message and keep their eyes on the road," said defensive driving instructor Debbie Adamo.

It may not seem like a big deal, but taking your eyes off the road can mean the difference between life and death.

"Statistics show by the national safety council 25 percent of most accidents occur because of driver inattention and distraction," said Adamo.

"Anything we can do to try to cut those numbers down I think is a good way to help save lives and keep people from getting hurt on the road," said Welsh.

Welsh expects the full board of legislators to vote on this measure by the end of the year.

If this passes, Oneida would be one of the first counties in the state to ban texting while driving. Suffolk County passed a similar measure, but it's not effective yet.