Selena has vowed to hang up and drive — at least, when she gets her license.

“Don’t do a thousand things in your car!” Selena told People magazine. “In the car, just focus on what you need to be doing.” And that means driving.

Thanks, Selena. All Americans — not just fans of your Wizards of Waverly Place – need to hear that message. And they’ll also be hearing it from you in a State Farm Insurance public service announcement.

Selena’s on-screen pitch is showing in March on the Disney Channel and on State Farm’s website. In it, she also cautions teen drivers not to get distracted by too many people in the car, and she urges them to wear safety belts at all times.

But cell phone distractions are her big focus. Like many Americans, Selena has “almost been in wrecks” because of folks using cell phones to call or text while driving. “I’ll sit there and look at someone and go, ‘Gosh! She completely almost ran into us,’ ” Selena told People, “then look at her and see she’s on the phone. That’s the reason!”

Indeed. Driver distractions from cell phone calling, talking and texting cause an estimated 2,600 fatalities and 12,000 injuries on America’s roads and highways each year — and the number could mushroom as mobile devices proliferate.

Common sense dictates that driving is too important to devote precious time and attention to making routine, non-emergency calls while behind the wheel. Yet millions of Americans — perhaps lulled into a false sense of security since they haven’t had a cell phone accident yet — indulge while driving.

But Selena says she won’t. When she turns 17 in July and can get her license (she currently has a learner’s permit), she vows to “put my phone on silent” while driving.

“You can tell yourself, ‘I’m not going to get it,’ but once you hear it (the phone ring) you get tempted and distracted,” Selena told People. “I’ll put it on silent, put it in my purse and just drive.”

If everyone did that, thousands of Americans wouldn’t be killed or injured. And many teenagers would be among those saved.

Indeed, car accidents are the No. 1 cause of death in teens. In fact, auto accidents account for 36 per cent of all teen deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Too, while teens are 10 per cent of the population, they account for 12 per cent of all traffic fatalities.

Of course, turning off cell phones won’t halt all traffic accidents, which wreck lives by many other causes, from speeding and drunk drivers to 18-wheeler truck mishaps and general recklessness.

But cell phone distractions apply to almost everyone, since so many Americans call while driving. Up to 28 per cent even send text messages while driving, according to one report.

Needless to say, Selena won’t be texting, either, while making a left turn across traffic just as another driver runs a stop sign and a pedestrian slips in a crosswalk.

See? So many unexpected things can happen while driving, and they often demand our immediate attention and instant response as drivers. But instant response is far less likely when we’re busy texting, answering the phone or other multi-tasking, as if driving a car in heavy traffic isn’t enough to do.

So thanks, Selena. You’re a smart girl who offers sound advice. Now if only everyone would heed it.

If they don’t, and if you or a loved one are harmed by another driver’s cell phone distractions, alert a cell phone accident lawyer or car accident lawyer with Jim S. Adler & Associates. Like Selena, this established Texas personal injury law firm takes driving seriously. And while it may be too late to prevent your injury, it won’t be too late to seek the financial recovery you need after a cell phone accident caused by another driver’s negligence.

Submit the form on this page for a free case review. And perhaps all our efforts — including Selena’s — will spread the message that people need to hear: Hang up and drive. Your life — and others’ — may depend on it.