Researchers warned of possible roadway “devastation” as a result.

One in five of the dog owners surveyed said that while driving they allowed pets to sit in their laps.

The AAA survey on pets said almost 60 percent of drivers who transport their dogs engaged in other distracted driving behaviors at the same time.

In a bizarre coincidence, an L.A. plastic surgeon died in Malibu not long after Tweeting and texting about about his dog, which was unrestrained in the doctor’s vehicle at the time of the crash. Frank Ryan’s Jeep plunged over a rocky embankment on the Pacific Coast Highway, killing him and pitching the dog into the ocean below. (The animal survived.)

The crash came days before AAA released its pet-owner survey.

The Los Angeles Times reported that crash investigators were trying to determine what role texting played in the accident, if any. The texting connection was widely reported.

The survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, backed by the pet product company Kurgo, found that more than half of the drivers petted their animals while on the road. (Kurgo sells restraint products.) A small percentage admitted to feeding their dogs or playing with them while driving.

“An unrestrained 10-pound dog in a crash at 50 mph will exert roughly 500 pounds of pressure, while an unrestrained 80-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert 2,400 pounds of pressure, said Jennifer Huebner-Davidson, AAA National’s Traffic Safety Programs manager. “Imagine the devastation that can cause to your pet and anyone in the vehicle in its path.”

AAA also listed its top vehicle choices for animal safety.

The survey covered 1,000 dog owners who had driven with their animals on board in the past year.

Ryan was known for his work on celebrities and for his charity efforts in removing tattoos from former L.A. gang members.

“The most common reason listed for a crash was driver inattention, a factor in 36% of pedestrian (killed or seriously injured) crashes,” the report by NYC transportation planners found.

The distracted driving accidents proved to be more than twice as deadly as those with other causes.

The study looked at more than 7,000 crashes in the city between 2002 and 2006. In the four years since that time, “electronic distracted driving has become more pressing as cellphones, computers and other portable devices further distract the driver,” the study noted.

Drivers are barred from using handheld cell phones in New York City, while taxi drivers are not allowed to use any cell phones. (Taxi drivers were involved in only 16 percent of the NYC accidents studied.) “In 2009, the NYPD issued on average 617 summonses a day to drivers using hand-held cell phones,” the transportation researchers said.

Overall, the city’s rate of traffic fatalities continues to decline, with 2009 the best on record.

“In a dense urban environment like New York City, the failure to pay attention to who (and what) is in the road is crucial,” the study concluded. “The streets are consistently populated by a wide range of users (pedestrians, bicyclists, buses, trucks, taxis) all competing for the same roadway space.”

The recommendations in the New York City Pedestrian Safety Study & Action Plan did not address distracted driving, however.

Senate Bill 1475 would have would more than doubled fines on the trio of distracted driving laws that the senator pushed through in recent years. The bill also would have applied the laws against text messaging and use of handheld cell phones to California’s bicyclists.

“The deadline for bills to pass the Appropriations Committee was Aug. 13, and since the cell phone bill did not pass the committee by the deadline, it died there,” said Phil Yost of Simitian’s office.

Simitian, D-Palo Alto, has said compliance with California’s distracted driving laws is good, but “there’s room for improvement.” He was seeking “a more significant deterrent” with the increased distracted driving fines.

California’s ban on text messaging while driving went into effect on Jan. 1, 2009. Fines start at $20 and go to $50 for repeat offenses. With fees, the cost of violating the state text messaging law easily tops $200.

Simitian’s bill for 2010 sought to add a point against driver’s licenses for distracted driving violations. He later amended the bill to make the point apply on the second offense.

Bicyclists groups created the early opposition to the bill, and its proposed fines were lowered in response (to $20/$50 with no points per the amendment of April 6).

California’s brutal budget crisis would have received some help from the doubled fines. The Assembly Committee on Appropriations estimated increased distracted driving fines under Senate Bill 1475 would bring in another $32 million annually.

DOT chief Ray LaHood sent out the call to transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, mobile phone and auto industry reps, safety researchers, and those whose lives have been shattered by distracted drivers. The event will be in Washington, D.C.

LaHood, who has seen his personal brand soar with his campaigning on the distracted driving issue, says a new national summit is needed:

“We’ve learned a lot in the past year, but there is plenty of new information to share. … With 6,000 people being killed annually by distracted driving and more than half a million others being injured — we can’t afford to be satisfied,” LaHood wrote on his “Fast Lane” DOT blog.

“We’re not about to rest now,” LaHood wrote.

The DOT pointed to these accomplishments since the 2009 Distracted Driving Summit:

• Dozens of new state and local distracted driving laws and bills.
• The texting and driving ban for federal workers.
• Establishment of the Focus Driven advocacy group.
• The U.N. “Global Call” for an end to distracted driving.
• Pilot enforcement sweeps in Hartford and Syracuse (currently under way).

The would-be DRIVE Coalition withdrew its proposal for a corporate-backed campaign after the DOT’s Ray LaHood blasted the initiative at a press conference, dubbing it “a new effort to rile up corporate America and undermine the achievements of our campaign against distracted driving.”

A spokesman for DRIVE said it had achieved the goal of expanding the distracted driving debate beyond electronic devices. The lobbyists had called the tech and auto industries “collateral damage” in the national movement to rein in distracted drivers.

News of the proposal from the Seward Square Group made national headlines last week after an investigative web site posted the group’s recruitment pitch to wireless, tech, insurance and auto companies.

The media-conscious LaHood quickly scheduled a press conference for after the holiday break.

At Wednesday’s DOT press conference, LaHood revisited the dangers of telephoning while driving, saying 28 percent of wrecks were linked to cell phones. “To suggest (cell phone use is not dangerous) is to put your head in the sand. To spend considerable resources to suggest otherwise is a glaring waste.

“That’s why I was stunned to read that anyone would organize an effort to undercut road safety, much less declare that the ‘auto, tech, and insurance industries have become collateral damage.’ ”

Jim Hall, who headed the National Transportation Safety Board for the Clinton administration, attended the press conference to deny the DRIVE coalition’s claim that he would have spearheaded the campaign, saying his views were misrepresented. Hall, however, does work with the Seward Square Group.

Considering the publicity generated by the plan, it’s not surprising that Babak Zafarnia, the would-be coalition’s spokesman, declared a victory of sorts:

“We are pleased that the concept has met its goal of expanding dialogue on distracted driving, therefore the proposed coalition is no longer being pursued,” he said in a statement. “We commend Secretary LaHood for his leadership in bringing a comprehensive view to this complex issue.”

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. said it will add a “do not disturb” function to its Sync communications system. The intent is to block functions “that are not relevant to the task of driving while the vehicle is in motion,” Ford said.

That includes incoming phone calls and text messages, which are routed for later access.

The do not disturb button will be added to the carmaker’s controversial My Ford Touch system (an upgraded Sync), which includes a Web browser. Ford said drivers won’t be able to use its Internet functions while in motion. Typing on a keyboard and entering destination details on GPS also are blocked to drivers.

LaHood recently expressed concerns about the new media applications being added to motor vehicles in an effort to please the wired generations.

Georgia, Michigan, Iowa and Wyoming all saw their legislature’s distracted driving plans become effective July 1.

Across the states, drivers fretted over what was allowed and what was not, and law officers raised the usual concerns about enforcement.

In Michigan, a spokesman for the police chiefs association wasn’t happy: “It’s going to be very difficult for us,” he said.

But in Iowa, a Sioux City officer said, “We’ve all seen people driving and texting — it’s pretty obvious what they’re doing.”

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue also had his doubts about enforcing a ban on text messaging while behind the wheel. He signed the “Caleb Sorohan Act for Saving Lives by Preventing Texting While Driving” after raising the specter of a veto. (Sorohan was a teen killed in a texting-related crash.)

Safety advocates, lawmakers and students lobbied furiously in the final days of the legislative session for Perdue to sign the bill, which he did with no time to spare.

Texting and driving now merits a ticket in Georgia. Drivers under the age of 18 also are prohibited from using cell phones, regardless of whether a hands-free device is attached. Violations of the new distracted driving laws bring a $150 fine.

Join the debate over Georgia’s new texting and cell phone laws.

Michigan’s governor gladly signed that state’s new distracted driving laws. Gov. Jennifer Granholm even enacted the no-texting-while driving bills into law on a “No Phone Zone” special on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

In Michigan, text messaging has been outlawed for all drivers. Fines are $100 (first offense) and then $200.

Read more about Michigan’s distracted driving laws.

In Iowa, violators are off the hook for a year, during a legislature-mandated education period. After that, fines begin at $30 and go up to $1,000 for those causing a serious accident while texting.

Iowa banned text messaging for all drivers and prohibited teens with restricted licenses from using all handheld electronic devices while behind the wheel.

Enforcement for adults is “secondary,” meaning police need another reason to stop violators before writing the citation. Teen offenders (14-18) can be pulled over and cited for violations without other cause, however. Mandating secondary enforcement generally is seen as watering down distracted driving laws.

Read about Iowa’s distracted driving laws.

In Wyoming, an effort to water down the new text messaging law was defeated in the legislative process. So as of July 1, distracted drivers face primary enforcement with fines of $75.

Sen. Floyd Esquibel, D-Cheyenne, said that while his newly minted law banning text messaging does apply to all drivers, it is aimed at the generation hooked on texting. The new law is “primarily for an age group that is already at high risk simply because of age,” he said after the measure was approved.

Latest news on Wyoming’s ban on text messaging.

“Adults may be the ones sounding the alarm on the dangers of distracted driving, but they don’t always set the best example themselves,” said Mary Madden of the Pew Research Center.

The finding contradicts the widely held belief that texting and driving is primarily a problem with teens. The Pew report on distracted driving does show, however, that young adults (ages 18 to 34) are the most likely to text and drive, by far (59 percent).

More than a quarter of U.S. adults (27 percent) admit to texting while behind the wheel, Pew reports. Texting teens posted almost identical numbers (26 percent).

Police say texting and driving is more dangerous for teens, who have far less experience behind the wheel than adults. At any age, texting and operating a motor vehicle has been found to dramatically increase the chances of an accident.

Adults who say then have driven while on a cell phone clearly outpace teenagers, the distracted driving poll found. 61 percent of adults said they used a mobile phone while driving, vs. 43 percent of teenagers (ages 16, 17).

Nine in 10 members of Generation X (34-45 years old) who own cell phones report that they talk and drive. Seniors come in at 50 percent.

Adults 18-33 are the most likely to admit they text while driving (59 percent) compared with age groups 34-45 (50 percent) and 46-64 (29 percent).

More findings from the Pew study:

• Almost half of all adults and teens say they have been passengers in a vehicle when the driver was text messaging.
• 44 percent of adults say they’ve been in a vehicle when the driver used a cell phone in a dangerous way. 40 percent of the teens said they had. This figure decreases dramatically with age.
• Pew says 14 percent of adult drivers have run into something or someone while talking or texting.
• Men are more likely than women to admit texting while behind the wheel (51 percent of men who use text messaging devices vs. 42 percent of women).
• 82 percent of adults have cell phones. 58% text message on their mobile phones.

Telephone interviews were conducted with 2,252 adult drivers in late May and early April. Numbers for teens came from earlier reports. Adults may be more reliable than teens in self-reporting their behaviors.

Another recent report found that states are increasingly fighting distracted driving.

Forty-three states are now collecting data on distraction as a factor in road and highway accidents. That compares with 17 in 2003, the Governors Highway Safety Association reports.

Twenty-seven states have written distracted driving provisions into their Strategic Highway Safety Plans. (That’s almost the same number of states that had adopted laws on texting and talking while behind the wheel.) The SHSPs reflect priorities and programs in departments of transportation and motor vehicles, as well as safety programs.

Thirty-seven states have launched public information campaigns to warn of the hazards of distracted driving.

On June 9, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation approved the driver safety legislation (SB 1938) from Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. It now goes to the full Senate.

The approval was no surprise since Rockefeller is chairman of the Senate committee and Hutchison is its senior member.

Hutchison noted that the Senate bill would not endanger existing highway funding. A rival plan, SB 1536, would cut existing grants to states that don’t ban texting while driving.

“I think it is most appropriate for the states to handle this issue and devise laws that best meet their particular needs,” Hutchison said of her plan. “Our legislation does not threaten states with lost highway funds if they elect not to enact a distracted driving law.”

The plan would establish an incentive grant fund that would be shared with states that adopt laws in line with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s guidelines. Funding would come from other government auto safety programs.

In order to get a share of the $94 million distracted-driving-law incentives, states would have to ban texting and use of handheld cell phones for those operating a motor vehicle.

Enforcement must be primary, meaning police can pull over and cite motorists for these offenses alone. Some states have watered-down laws and legislation that require another offense such as speeding before a driver can be cited.

Senators wondered if the incentives were necessary since more than half of the states already have adopted bans on texting and driving.

“It’s not as if the states are ignoring this issue and need this financial push from Congress,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said.

In Georgia, it was drama on deadline for the text messaging and cell phone bills approved by the Legislature. The governor threatened vetoes, citing enforcement issues. “None of this business is black and white,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said.

Safety advocates, lawmakers and students lobbied furiously in the final days of the legislative session for Perdue to sign the bills, which he did with no time to spare.

Georgia’s new distracted driving laws take effect July 1. Text messaging will be banned for all drivers. Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using cell phones, regardless of whether a hands-free device is attached. Young drivers also are banned from using laptop computers and portable games. Violations will cost motorists $150.

No such problems in Connecticut, where Gov. Jodie Rell approved her own plan to toughen existing distracted driving laws. This ends the previous law’s policy of forgiveness for some first-time offenders.

Connecticut had already outlawed text messaging while driving, handheld cell phone use by adults and all cell phone use by teenage drivers. Fines for violations now increase to $100 (first offense), then $150 and $200 instead of the current $100. Also, the law’s wording specifically bans texting while driving, reportedly not clear before.

In Vermont, Gov. James Douglas signed into law a ban on text messaging and on cell phone use for drivers under 18. Fines start out at $100 for first offenders and then escalate to $250. The laws are effective immediately.

In Kansas, a ban on text messaging while driving has been signed into law by Gov. Mark Parkinson. The ban goes into effect Jan. 1.

On the local front, Clemson, S.C.; Missouri City, Texas; and Belpre, Ohio, are the latest cities to ban texting.

Nationwide Insurance reports that about 40 percent of drivers who admit to texting while behind the wheel say they do it less frequently than they did a year ago.

Of the 47 percent of drivers who say they engage in phone conversations while on the road, 30 percent reported that they do it less than last year.

While the time spent on these distracted driving behaviors apparently is down, the percentage of people who admit to texting and talking while behind the wheel held steady.

“This is the first survey we’ve seen showing drivers making positive changes in their behavior, but there are still too many drivers who either don’t realize just how dangerous distractions behind the wheel are, or are willing to take that risk,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide’s associate vice president of Consumer Safety.

Nationwide has done a number of studies on distracted driving behaviors. In this survey, Harris Interactive spoke with 1,005 drivers, enough to provide a representative sample for the nation.

The survey relies on self-reporting, always a problem with illegal or dangerous behaviors. “The stigma now associated with distracted driving may also have fewer people willing to admit they do it,” Windsor says.

Hands-free devices are used by about half of the drivers in the West, where California and Washington are among the states that require their use for motorists using cell phones. In the Midwest, the percentage of drivers who said they used hands-free frequently was only 13 percent.

Overall, 65 percent of the drivers said they rarely or never used hands-free attachments for cell phones.

Other finding in the distracted driving survey:

• Drivers who made more than $100,000 a year were more than twice as likely to use hands-free devices than those who made less.
• Two-thirds of those who use hands-free accessories say they feel safer while driving and talking.
• Drivers with touch-screen cell phones are more likely to talk and text. 40 percent of them say it makes text messaging and dialing easier than with conventional cell phones.
• Curiously, 18 percent say they have programmed a GPS device while driving, almost the same percent who report that they look for radio stations while behind the wheel.
• Putting on makeup — often cited as a danger by foes of distracted driving bills — registered with only 3 percent of drivers.

The survey of adults 18 and over was conducted between April 20 and 27.