Today starts a two-day summit in Washington, D.C., to address the dangers of driving while texting and other distractions behind the wheel. The event coordinated by the Department of Transportation will bring together government officials, educators, researchers, technology experts, and law enforcement officers to address the issues and risks and determine what type of action is needed to help combat this growing safety problem.

Driving while texting has become an increasingly important topic as recent data found that texting is significantly more risky than using a cell phone while driving. So far, 18 states plus the District of Columbia have banned text messaging while driving. In addition, new drivers are banned from texting in nine states (Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and West Virginia) and school bus drivers are banned from text messaging in the state of Texas. The Cars blog will be monitoring the summit and will bring you the latest information as it becomes available.

For more information on distracted driving see our related reports:

Automakers agree to ban
Anti-texting video to scare drivers straight
Using wireless communication devices while driving
Cell phone use and driving laws
Dangers of cell phones while driving
Should cell phone use by drivers be illegal?
Texting while driving
Talking in the slow lane

—Liza Barth