NU Online News Service, Dec. 14, 12:26 p.m.EST

After reviewing a fatal accident that occurred more than a yearago, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling fora nationwide ban on the non-emergency use of personal-electronicdevices while driving.

Leigh Ann Pusey, president and chief executive officer of theAmerican Insurance Association (AIA) called distracteddriving—specifically texting-while-driving—a “major epidemic in ourcountry.”

The AIA, a long-time outspoken proponent of curbing distracteddriving, is in support of the NTSB's recommendation.

“When you consider that driving is the most dangerous dailyactivity for the typical American, few issues are more importantthat our actions behind the wheel,” Pusey says in a statement.“This crisis [distracted driving] is the newest challenge to thesafety of everyone sharing our roads and highways.”

The NTSB says it first investigated a distracted drivingaccident in 2002 (which resulted in five deaths) and has since seenthe “deadliness of distracted driving across all modes oftransportation.”

But it appears that its latest investigation, of an accident onAug. 5, 2010, was the proverbial last straw.

Two people died in an accident involving a pickup truck, a Volvo“truck-tractor,” and two schools buses. The driver of the pickupand a person in one of the school buses died. Nearly 40 people wereinjured.

The NTSB says the driver of the pickup probably caused theaccident because he or she was involved in a text-messagingconversation and was distracted.

The last text of 11 sent over a span of 11 minutes, was sentmoments before the accident, says the NTSB.

“According to the [National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration], more than 3,000 people lost their lives last yearin distraction-related accidents,” says Deborah A.P. Hersman,chairman of the NTSB. “It is time for all of us to stand up forsafety by turning off electronic devices while driving.”

State Farm has also released new research related to distracteddriving. The largest car insurer in the U.S. says while textingremains a concern, other mobile web services accessed by drivers—ofall ages—is a concern.

Accessing the internet on cell phones while driving hasincreased nearly 14 percent from 2009 for drivers ages 18 to 29,according to a survey.

State Farm says it surveyed about 900 motorists.

Reading social-media networks while driving is up to 37 percentin 2011 and 33 percent admit to updating these sites whiledriving.

“The mobile web is a growing issue for safety advocatesconcerned about distractions while driving,” says David Beigie,State Farm spokesman. “While the focus has been on young people,the data indicates that motorists of all ages are increasing theiruse of the mobile web while driving.”

Of all drivers surveyed, 18 percent say they access the interneton a cell phone while driving.