Most people would agree that a driving habit which makes you 23 more times likely to become involved in a traffic crash is inherently extremely dangerous.  Common sense would tell you to avoid at all costs any activity that puts you at such serious risk.  Yet only 38 U.S. states have so far taken steps to address the problem.

I’m referring, of course, to texting while driving.

In Missouri, our administration, led by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, has taken an interesting approach to combating this dangerous habit – one that we hope more states will follow. First, we banned all texting while operating a motor vehicle for drivers 21 and under. This is the age group responsible for the largest proportion of distracted driving-related fatalities.

Second, we developed a special “No Driving While Texting” graphic, which we are giving out as a “window cling” decal to motorists, schools and business around the state. It’s a visible reminder to put down your PDA and focus 100% on the task of driving.

Third, we launched a public service campaign, introducing the “no texting” logo with a formal kickoff event in St. Louis, our largest city, on July 16. The message: we want every motorist – regardless of age – to stop texting while driving. To help promote the message, Con-way Freight and Roush Fenway Racing joined us in the cause, prominently displaying our “no texting” logo on the hood of the No. 16 Con-way Freight Ford Fusion race car driven by Colin Braun at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway July 17. Colin had his best finish of the year at that race, and we like to think the new logo brought him luck.

Missouri’s motto is the “Show Me” state, but we hope in this case we’re providing an example that other states will embrace. Cell phone usage while driving contributed to more than 1,780 traffic crashes in Missouri in 2009, more than any other form of distracted driving. In the first half of 2010, there were 791 traffic crashes related to the use of cell phones behind the wheel, resulting in eight fatalities and 239 injuries. Additionally, in this same time period, there were 17,535 crashes where distracted driving was cited as a contributing cause.

Too often our troopers witness the tragic end-results of distracted driving. Of all the actions that cause traffic crashes, this is one area where a simple decision by every motorist can immediately make our highways safer. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, nearly 6,000 people died in accidents caused by distracted driving during 2008. How many is too many?

We would like to invite every other state highway patrol organization in the U.S. to join us in this important public safety campaign. Start your own campaign to encourage all your state’s motorists to put down their phones while driving. We’ve got the template in place and we’re happy to share, and I’m sure our partners Con-way Freight and Roush Fenway Racing would lend their support to you as they did to the citizens of Missouri.

Highway Patrol and local police vehicles get a lot of visibility out on the roads, and simply displaying the message is an effort worth making. If even one person sees the logo and stops texting even one time, our highways will be a little bit safer that day.

Col. Ron Replogle is Superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. He has been a state trooper in Missouri for nearly 27 years.