Speaking at a national distracted driving summit, LaHood said "every time you take your eyes off the road or talk on the phone while you're driving -- even just for a few seconds -- you put your life in danger." LaHood citied National Transportation Safety Board research showing nearly 6,000 people died in crashes in 2008 that involved distracted or inattentive drivers. On any given day last year 800,000 vehicles had someone using a hand-held device at the wheel, the study showed.

Other speakers at the two-day conference included Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who urged the administration and auto and phone industry associations to endorse a bill he introduced in July that asks states to ban texting while driving or risk losing a quarter of their annual federal highway funding. He said texting is more dangerous than drunk driving. Read more about the conference here.