Motorists across Texas will see a new safety message today on highway signs around the state -- a message that encourages citizens to pay attention and eliminate distractions while driving.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will use statewide signs to encourage drivers to give up texting or talking on cell phones while driving. Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) across Texas will read, “Make Your Vehicle a No Phone Zone,” or “Drive Now. Text or Talk Later.”

TxDOT is joining other national partners to promote Oprah Winfrey’s “No Phone Zone” Day, taking place today.

Other transportation partners include the US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Governors’ Highway Safety Association, National Organizations for Youth Safety, FocusDriven, Students Against Destructive Decisions, RADD, and the entertainment industry’s Voice for Road Safety.

Today’s event will place special focus on texting and driving. Motorists who use hand-held devices are four times more likely to be involved in a vehicle crash than those who drive without them.

Distracted driving resulted in 103,526 crashes in Texas in 2008. Motorists are considered distracted when the driver is talking or texting on a cell phone, conversing with passengers, eating, smoking, manipulating dashboard controls or reaching for something inside the vehicle.

According to a 2008 NHTSA report, the under-20 age group had the highest number of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes -- 16 percent -- with the 20-29 year-old group posting the next highest numbers at 12 percent.