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When driving, a moment's distraction can be fatal. Yet millions of Americans are distracted drivers, hooked on texting or cell-calling at the expense of road safety. Their distracted driving has caused thousands of car crashes with fatalities and injuries. Now public opinion, government action and common sense are turning the tide.

This week in Washington, D.C., Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is hosting a national summit on distracted driving.
Spurred by horrendous wrecks in which many passengers were killed by a texting driver, it also will probe the dangers of bus and truck drivers calling or texting while driving.

"This is a huge problem in America," Secretary LaHood said of distracted driving.

18 states ban texting while driving

Meanwhile, a bill pending in Congress would cut federal highway funds by 25 per cent from states which refuse to pass laws banning texting while driving. So far, 18 states and the District of Columbia have such laws.

Already, the National Safety Council has urged a complete ban on using cell phones to call or text while driving -- including hands-free cell phones, which some believe are just as distracting as hand-held devices. Also, the Governors Highway Safety Association, which once resisted texting bans for drivers, now supports them.

Meanwhile, public opinion has mushroomed for laws against texting while driving. In fact, a September 2009 CBS News/New York Times poll shows that 90 per cent of Americans favor a legal ban on texting while driving. That poll cuts across all demographics, with at least 80 per cent of each group favoring a ban on texting while driving.

Similarly, an American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety poll last spring found that 87 per cent believe drivers who text or email at the wheel are a "very serious threat." That's almost as high as the 90 per cent who feel threatened by drunk drivers -- an apt comparison.

Distracted driving is like drunk driving

Indeed, distracted drivers seem so drunk that a new word has been coined: "intextication." Like intoxication, texting while driving slows reaction times enough to be the equivalent of drunk driving. You've probably seen it yourself, when a car drifts out of lanes and you notice its driver is on a phone.

The AAA says such distracted drivers contribute to 8,000 car crashes in America. And that's not every month or year. That's every day.

Even the wireless industry, which has balked at restricting cell use by drivers in the past, now supports a texting ban (though it's still neutral on curbing drivers' cell use). The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers goes full bore, supporting a ban of both texting and cell calling by all drivers in the USA.

Truckers think they've above texting laws

Despite this groundswell of support and justification for banning texting while driving, America's truckers want to operate computer keyboards and look at screens while they drive. They think they're special and shouldn't have to keep their eyes constantly on the road like everyone else -- even though the size and weight of their vehicle makes it even harder to stop and makes reaction time even more crucial.

It seems many truckers stay in touch with their dispatchers via fancy computers now mounted in their cabs. Such devices also can browse the Internet and send emails.

Though trucking rules specify they should pull over before using them, it's believed that most truckers use the computers while they're driving. One wonders, though, how many times a trucker needs to communicate with dispatchers -- and how often they're sending needless messages, as most texters do.

Regardless, a recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of truckers showed that those using such computers have a 10 times greater risk of wandering from their lane, crashing or nearly crashing, compared to truckers who did not. Truckers who text have an even greater risk of an accident -- 23 times greater, in fact.

AAA's Heads Up Driving Week looms

At any rate, the car crash death toll from distracted drivers has finally provided the wake-up call America needed, and actions are curtailing this dangerous practice. Just how dangerous is texting while driving? View our video on this page and find out. Meanwhile, have a safe drive -- please.

To do so, you might consider the AAA's week of voluntary "unplugging while driving." Called Heads Up Driving Week, it runs from Oct. 5-11. Those who participate are asked not to use any form of telecommunications device while driving during that week.

Perhaps one message they'll receive while driving that week is this: They are far safer when they don't phone, text or use a computer while driving. That's why AAA promotes the week with this slogan: "Try it for a week, do it for life."

Can no law stop texting while driving? It worked with seat belts

Some say laws banning texting while driving would be hard to enforce and thus shouldn't be passed. The same thing was said when the United States adopted laws requiring drivers and passengers to wear seat belts -- laws which undoubtedly have saved many thousands of lives.

Besides, by probing electronic records of calls, texts and tweets, law officials can pinpoint if a driver was sending such communications at the time of an accident. Causing an accident would remain the major offense, but driving while texting would add to it.

Regardless of how much laws are enforceable, it's vital to send a clear message to all drivers that texting and cell calls are dangerous and can cause catastrophic car wreck accidents. Then, to a large extent, the public must police itself, curb those calls and "hang up and drive."

Jim S. Adler & Associates supports Safe Kids, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other safe driving campaigns. If you or a loved one is harmed by a distracted driver -- or any driver -- alert a car accident lawyer or attorney with Adler & Associates for the legal help you need. Fill out the free case review form on this page and launch the process of your financial recovery.