If 63 percent of young drivers are on the phone behind the wheel, who is driving?

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is scared, as he has been each time one of his four children turned 16. He explains why:

• Car crashes are the leading cause of teen deaths.
• Nearly 5,500 people died in the U.S. in distracted driving accidents in 2009.
• 63 percent of drivers under age 30 acknowledge using a cell phone while driving.

Commenting on these scary statistics, LaHood said at the headquarters of Consumer Reports magazine, "The safest way to get from one place to another is to hang up and drive."

Announcing a partnership aimed at raising the awareness of young drivers that using the phone and driving is an either / or situation, he gave details of the program. Most of it involves parents setting a good example and setting and enforcing ground rules. Fliers will be distributed to schools and volunteer groups, and announcements distributed to TV stations nationwide with videos played in retail stores.

In Louisiana, as in the rest of the country, distracted driving has become an epidemic, causing an ever increasing share of deadly accidents.

According to a WRAL report on the subject, a recent poll showed that only 30 percent of young drivers consider using a phone while driving dangerous.

Consumer Reports is better known for testing the safety of autos and has only recently been drawn into the distracted driving issue because, as Jim Guest puts it, "it's a critical auto safety issue that needs attention." Jim Guest is the president of Consumer Union, which publishes the magazine.

Curbing the appalling upward trend of distracted driving will save lives and prevent unspeakable misery. If you have been hurt in a Louisiana car accident caused by someone else, contact the attorneys of the Young Firm in New Orleans immediately for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.