Distracted driving targeted in new PSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Ad Council are targeting texting-while-driving in a new public awareness campaign launched Thursday.

The ads, titled "Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks,” show the length of time a driver takes his or her eyes off the road to read and respond to a text, leading in the commercials to an accident.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he hopes the campaign "will send a strong message to teens that putting away cellphones and other distractions while you're driving is not just common-sense safe behavior, it can save your life."

The campaign is largely targeted at young adult drivers. The groups said 82 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds have said in a recent poll that they have read a text message while they were driving.

"Distracted driving is dangerous, and tragically, teen drivers are the most at risk of being involved in a fatal distracted-driving crash," LaHood said in a statement.

The campaign is also being sponsored by the organization for state attorneys general.

“Every second matters when you’re behind the wheel,” Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, the president of the National Association of Attorneys General, said in a statement. “The nation’s attorneys general join the Ad Council, consumer protection agencies and NHTSA in reminding young drivers to stop texts and stop wrecks. No text, Tweet or Facebook update is worth your life.”

The commercials can be viewed below:

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