UN bans employees from texting while driving

UNITED NATIONS - U.S. and UN officials hope to spur a worldwide campaign to urge people to stop texting, dialing, gaming and even talking on a phone while behind the wheel to help curb the thousands of deaths that occur each year because of distracted driving.

"Every year, more than 1.2 million people die on the roads around the world, and as many as 50 million others are injured," said UN Secretary general Ban Ki-moon, speaking at a news conference Wednesday at the United Nations. "Road accidents are now the top global killer of young people aged 15-29."

Flanked by UN Ambassador Susan Rice, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, whose country is also supporting the initiative, Ban announced that he was prohibiting the UN's 40,000 employees worldwide from sending texts while driving.

The directive follows President Barack Obama's executive order, issued last fall, banning federal employees from texting while operating government-owned cell phones or vehicles while on official business.

"We're here today to shine a spotlight on a problem that affects us all," said Rice. "Texting while driving isn't a harmless habit. It's a killer."

Rice and LaHood said that there were 6,000 deaths in the United States in 2008 that were caused by distracted driving. They cited a 2006 study by the National Highway Transportation Administration showing that a driver is four times more likely to crash while talking on a cell phone.

"Distracted driving isn't just a deadly epidemic in the U.S. - it's a threat around the world," LaHood said. "We believe our nations can do more to stop distracted driving if we work together."

They urged member states to increase public awareness and to adopt legislation. About 32 countries now have laws banning cell phone use.

Suffolk County in 2000 was the first county to ban the use of handheld phones. At least 19 states, including New York, have bans on texting.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) would require states to make texting while driving a primary offense and withhold federal funding from states that do not enact a texting while driving law.

Last October, the NHTSA said driver distraction was involved in 16 percent of all fatal accidents in 2008. Distracted driving includes texting, cell phone use, eating, drinking, daydreaming and arguing with a passenger.

Jennifer Smith, president of Focus Driven, a Texas-based advocacy group dedicated to curbing cell phone use while driving, said that her mother was killed by a young driver who ran a red light at an intersection in Oklahoma City in September 2008.

Smith said the driver was not texting or playing a game, but "having a simple conversation while driving," emphasizing how even the slightest distraction may cause a fatal accident.