CTIA isn't the only group calling for more focus on education when it comes to texting while driving.

Common Sense Media says it, too, supports proposed federal and state action to ban texting while driving, but a law is not enough. What's needed is a coordinated strategy to educate drivers, especially new drivers, about the dangers of texting while driving, the group says.

One place where Common Sense has incorporated messages about texting and driving is in its Common Sense School program, which is designed to help parents and teachers navigate the 24/7 media world.

For its part, CTIA is working on a public service announcement with the hope that local TV stations will give it some airtime. There again, the intent is to educate not just teens but parents as well.

CTIA formed its position about a year and a half ago to support bans on manual texting while driving, but it is neutral in terms of the use of hands-free devices or methods that might allow a driver to use his or her voice to send a text, according to a CTIA spokesman.

Early this week, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) threw its support behind states' efforts to ban texting behind the wheel for all drivers, referencing a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute report that shows a driver who is texting increases his or her crash or near-crash risk by 23 times.

In July, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation that would require states to prohibit texting while driving or risk losing 25 percent of the highway money the state gets. The bill would give states two years to enact a ban.