( CNN ) -- Illinois will become the 17th state on Thursday to ban texting while driving , a safety worry that has caught the attention of the federal government . Texting poses a greater risk than talking or dialing while driving , a study says . Gov . Pat Quinn will sign an amendment to the Illinois Vehicle Code that prohibits writing , sending or receiving text messages while driving , said the governor 's spokeswoman , Marlena Jentz . The bill does make texting exceptions for drivers who pull over to text or shift their car into park or neutral to message while stopped in traffic . Illinois will join a growing list of states looking to curb accidents linked to texting . Oregon and New Hampshire banned texting drivers in July , and Alaska , Arkansas , California , Colorado , Connecticut , Louisiana , Maryland , Minnesota , New Jersey , North Carolina , Tennessee , Utah , Virginia , Washington and the District of Columbia already have laws in place . Four U.S. senators announced their plan to push for a federal ban on July 29 . U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Obama administration will convene a summit to discuss how it can end accidents caused by distracted drivers . Despite the ongoing efforts to address the dangers of texting while driving , studies have not shown whether the laws affect accident rates , said Jonathan Adkins , communications director at the Governor 's Highway Safety Association . The nonprofit association comprised of appointees from each state 's governor 's office has closely followed the texting while driving saga . But Adkins said that because of several factors that potentially play a role in an accident , to know whether texting caused an accident would require a subpoena or an admission by the driver . In New York and New Jersey , the impact has been measured by an increase in driving tickets , but too few states track that data , Adkins said . `` With drunk driving it was important to pass tough laws , but the laws wo n't really have any effect unless they 're enforced and the public knows about it and it 's properly adjudicated , '' said Barbara Harsha the association executive director . `` So passing a law is n't the solution , it 's only part of it . '' Studies have shown that those who text while driving have an exponentially greater risk of an accident or near accident . A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study found that truck drivers who texted while driving were 23 times more likely to crash or nearly get into wrecks than undistracted drivers . Compared with dialing , talking , listening or reaching for an electronic device , texting posed the greatest accident risk , the study found -- most likely due to the almost five seconds researchers found the drivers ' eyes were off the roadway while texting , said Rich Hanowski , the director of the Center for Truck and Bus Safety at the transportation institute . The focus on texting while driving comes after a some high-profile accidents . In September , a California commuter train engineer missed a stop signal while trading text messages with a friend , leading to a collision with a freight train that killed 25 people , according to federal investigators . A mass-transit accident in Boston , Massachusetts , injured 62 people in May . The operator of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trolley was later charged with gross negligence after he admitted he had been texting seconds before the collision with another trolley , according to the Suffolk County district attorney and a National Transportation Safety Board official .
16 other states , District of Columbia ban texting while driving . Studies show text while driving increases risk of an accident or near accident . It is difficult to measure success of no - text laws , experts say . Senators say they support federal ban on text while driving .