Distracted driving

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation is convening a "distracted driving" summit to address the issue of texting while driving.

Recent studies indicate that typing text messages while trying to drive at the same time makes a driver 30 times more likely to be involved in an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 16 percent of accidents involving drivers under the age of 20 had texting as an underlying cause. The NHTSA also said distracted driving -- not only because of texting -- was responsible for 6,000 traffic deaths and 500,000 injuries in 2008.

Many states have enacted laws banning the practice along with the use of cell phones -- unless they are hands-free -- while driving. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is looking for federal legislation to ban texting while driving.