The number of drivers talking on a cell phone at any given daylight moment continued to increase in 2005, according to the latest research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The number of cell phone uses behind the wheel is an estimated 1.5 million, with women and young people the most likely to be driving and talking.
About 10 percent of those on the road during the day are using cell phones, up from 8 percent last year, according to the data.
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia have passed laws against talking on hand-held cell phones while driving. The report is likely to intensify the debate over whether drivers should be limited in their use of cell phones on the nations highways.
As cell phones have become more common, safety advocates has pushed for laws to control them in automobiles, but the industry has resisted many of these controls. Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma and Oregon have laws that prevent local governments from restricting cell phone use in vehicles.
Industry officials say it's unfair to single out cell phones as an automotive distraction. They say drivers are just as likely to be distracted by eating food, pushing buttons on the radio, applying make up or engaging in conversation with other passengers in the vehicle.
NHTSA recommends that motorists use cell phones while driving only during an emergency.
