Scaring young drivers into putting down their cell phones

The last time 19-year-old Liz Marks texted while driving she almost died.

"I slammed into a flatbed tow truck that was fully stopped in my lane," Marks said.

"Yes, I was texting and driving," Marks said.

She suffered a traumatic brain injury, a fractured skull and a collapsed lung.

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx is launching a campaign to combat a growing trend.

But why now and has it taken too long?

"It's because people think they can take a second or two off the road," he said. "And what we have to do is constantly remind people."

In 43 states and the District of Columbia, texting while driving is against the law.

The last text Marks received before her accident came from her mother, Betty.

"And it was me," she said. "That was the last text that was open. She was reading my text. I almost lost my little girl over a stupid text."

The national campaign will cost about $ 9 million. The Department of Transportation found that when ads were coupled with enforcement, cell phone use while driving dropped by about one-third.