Oprah's "No Phone Zone" Crusade

Almost everyone does it, but not everyone knows how deadly engaging in distracted driving can be. So, talk queen Oprah Winfrey is launching a campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of texting and talking-on-the-phone-while-driving.

Oprah called in to "The Early Show" from Chicago to discuss why she declared Friday "No Phone Zone Day."

Oprah told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez she's hoping "common sense will prevail."

Oprah said she's never really talked or texted in the car, but back when she bought a car 10 years ago, she did have a phone in it.

"It was sort of a cool thing to have the phone in the car, and I probably used that occasionally," she said. "But I was never -- like most people that I see now -- sort of, who are almost addicted to the use of the phone. But even when I used the phone in the car, it was irresponsible and not wise of me to do so. Now, I wouldn't dream of doing it."

Rodriguez observed that people still do it, though, because they don't think it's as bad as drinking and driving. But she added, "Isn't it kind of the same thing?"

Oprah replied, "It is doubly dangerous. There are many studies that show that it is compared to double the alcohol level when you are texting and driving at the same time. It's like being doubly drunk."

Oprah said what drew her to this issue was a story she did for her show back in January.

She explained, "(It was about) a young mother who was on the cell phone on the way home, gets to her street, realizes something has happened on the street, all the police, ambulances, cars, and says to her father -- she was talking to her father on the phone -- 'I've got to hang up. Something's happened on my street,' and my goodness..." It was the woman's daughter, who was almost home, had been struck down by a woman on her cell phone.

"It was something about that story. You know, there are some stories that hit a nerve with us, and it was something about the 15 bike pedals from the front door -- we all know what that means -- everyone has been on a bicycle, everyone knows how far 15 pedals are, and so, I thought, 'This doesn't have to happen." '

Oprah said when she was a reporter in Nashville and Baltimore, she would do stories on drunk drivers, and saw how stories reached the public's awareness.

"The longer I reported, the longer it took for a drunk driving story with one person killed to even be the lead for the news," she said. "And so, more and more, people had to get killed before anyone paid attention."

But Oprah's stepping in now, hoping her efforts may be an impetus for a difference.

"I feel like this is something we can change," she said. "You know, it's about all of us being disconnected from ourselves, really. Everybody -- even walking across the street, you notice when you stop for a red light? People just walk across the street texting, and nobody even looks both ways anymore."

Oprah urged "Early Show" co-anchors Rodriguez and Harry Smith to sign her "No Phone Zone" pledge. The pledge has three options: "I will not text while driving," "I will not text while driving and will use only handsfree calling if I need to speak on the phone while I am driving," and "I will not text or use my phone while I am driving. If I need to use my phone, I will pull over to a secure location."

Both Rodriguez and Smith signed the pledge on-air.

Oprah thanked "The Early Show" for helping her get the word out because, she said, "It kills people. It maims people. It leaves people injured. It destroys families. And this is something we can change."

Oprah is also launching a public service announcement to educate Americans about the deadly driving habits that kill nearly 6,000 people a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.