AT&T exec: Stop txtg while drvg

DETROIT, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Telecommunications giant AT&T has a straightforward message for its wireless users: Don't text and drive.

Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer, announced a campaign to discourage wireless users from text-messaging while driving during an appearance at the Detroit Economic Club, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.

"Texting has increasingly become the way to communicate for many people, and the urge to quickly read and respond -- even while driving -- can be tempting," Stephenson said Tuesday. "Our goal is to send a simple, yet vital, message to all wireless users: Don't text and drive."

The Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, representing 11 automakers, said it supports a ban on texting and phone calls using a handheld device while driving. Stephenson stopped short of endorsing an outright ban on texting while driving, the newspaper said.

Stephenson said AT&T would participate in a two-day summit on distracted driving that opened Wednesday in Washington. The event is being hosted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Department of Transportation.

Besides presenting research on the role distracted driving and texting play in traffic deaths, Lahood said he will unveil an action plan Thursday during the summit. He said he wanted the gathering to be a springboard for "finding ways to eliminate texting while driving."