TALLAHASSEE -- An overwhelming majority of Florida voters — 71 percent — support prohibiting motorists from text messaging while driving, according to a new Times/Herald/Bay News 9 poll.

Florida is one of only 15 states without some kind of ban. A measure to enforce one is being considered by the Legislature during the current session, but lawmakers say it has a dim chance of passing. Many Republicans, including House Speaker Dean Cannon, say it would infringe on personal liberty and be difficult to enforce.

But the poll shows strong support statewide for a ban, with 27 percent opposing and 2 percent undecided.

“If I’m a legislator, this is a no-brainer for me to vote for,” said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, which conducted the poll. “There’s been very, very good public relations done nationwide, and even in Florida, that this is dangerous to do, and that’s obviously getting through.”

Across demographic groups, there was little disagreement:

Voters in southwest Florida seem most willing to embrace such a restriction, with 78 percent in support. The Tampa Bay region came in second at 72 percent favorable.

Democrats, at 78 percent, favor a proposal more than Republicans and Independents, with both parties at 66 percent.

Black voters polled at 81 percent in support, 11 percentage points higher than white voters and 13 points above Hispanics.

At 74 percent, women support the idea more than men by a margin of 5 percentage points.

At 62 percent, voters between the ages of 18 and 34 polled 9 percentage points below the statewide average in support of a ban. Support was much higher among adults 35 to 64, at 70 percent. Voters over 65, however, polled 6 points above the average at 77 percent.

The telephone survey of 800 registered Florida voters — all likely to vote in the general election — was conducted Jan. 24-26 for the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, Bay News 9 and Central Florida News 13. The poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon, a nonpartisan, Jacksonville-based company. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

Electronic devices caused 2,218 crashes in Florida in 2011 through October, state records show, with texting contributing to 145 crashes. The percentage is low, but police say it’s probably higher because culpable drivers may not admit they were using a cell phone.

In December, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called on Congress to enact a national ban against texting while driving. That was modest compared to a subsequent recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board that states ban the non-emergency use of cell phones and other electronic devices by drivers — a notion flatly rejected by Florida lawmakers.

Critics point to studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is funded by car insurance companies to research ways to reduce crashes, that show traffic safety has not improved in states with bans. They also suggest bans are difficult to enforce; what if the driver is reading a message, or searching for a number? Doesn’t that also take eyes off the road?

The state Senate is poised to pass a ban on texting while driving this session that would penalize the practice as a secondary offense. It’s Sen. Nancy Detert’s third time sponsoring the legislation.