Gov. Charlie Crist wants to ban texting and driving, joining a movement already underway to force drivers to forgo messaging while they’re behind the wheel.

“I think it would provide some safety for our people,” Crist told Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Julie Jones.

Jones’ legislative proposals didn’t include the ban, already sought by several lawmakers who vow passage of a ban during next year’s legislative session.

She said she’d add it to her list along with a request to beef up the state’s aggressive driving laws which no carry no penalty.

Florida law now identifies “aggressive drivers” as those who break two laws simultaneously, for example tailgating while speeding.

But there’s no additional penalty for being an aggressive driver and there’s no special identifier tagging the miscreants.

Jones wants lawmakers to change that and also force the aggressive drivers to attend drivers’ school.

Some folks might not like that, observed Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.

“I bet your insurance company’s not going to like it either,” she said.

Florida lawmakers have jumped on the bandwagon to stop driving-while-texting in response to a national report that found that the high-tech distraction contributed to 6,000 deaths on the road last year.

State Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, filed a bill that would ban drivers from texting on cell phones and other hand-held devices while behind the wheel.

“Sending text messages or emails while driving places both the driver and those on the road around them in danger,” Altman said in a press release. “We need additional highway safety laws in place to address the growing use of mobile devices while driving.”

There’s nothing currently on the books to stop drivers from using cell phones while they’re behind the wheel. But Altman’s bill would ban reading, typing and sending e-mails or texts while driving. Eighteen other states already have similar laws in place and Congress is considering a similar ban.