Margay Schee was 13 when she was burned to death after a truck driver on a cell phone rear ended her school bus.  Julie Davis, grandmother of 13, was walking with a friend on an unseasonably warm day when a distracted driver struck and killed her at 70 miles-per-hour.  16 year-old Ashley Johnson was on her way to work as a tutor when she was killed after swerving head-on into a truck as she was receiving a text message.

These are the stories U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wants people to hear to make them think twice about using their cell phones when they’re behind the wheel.  The Department of Transportation launched a web video series today, featuring emotional accounts of fatal accidents caused by distracted driving.

LaHood says you can cite all sorts of statistics, like the 5,500 people who were killed last year by distracted driving or the half a million who were injured, but it is the faces of the victims and the suffering of the survivors that have the most impact.

“When you look into the eyes of these people and you hear their voices and you hear the emotion in their voices, you know that this is an epidemic in America.  It has to be corrected and we at DOT are just on a rampage to try and correct very dangerous behavior,” says LaHood.

Amos Johnson, describes his daughter Ashley as a “real good kid” who spent a lot of time with her friends.  He says it was “unreal” when the investigating officer told him she was texting when she was killed because he’d warned her repeatedly about the dangers of cell phone use and driving.  He didn’t think she would do it.

Elissa Schee tears up as she says a part of her died along with her daughter Margay.  Her daughter was just starting eighth grade, loved animals and wanted to be a pilot.

“It’s completely changed my outlook on life,” Schee says, “My son struggles, very hard with it.  It’s just taking your world full of color and then all of a sudden everything is gray.  I can’t even say it’s black and white, it’s gray.  It’s ugly”

Julie Davis’ daughter Laurie Hevier says what happened to her family was 100% preventable.  The 19-year-old driver who hit her mother was cited for inattentive driving and fined $173.40.  Laurie’s message to drivers is that the consequences of cell phone use and driving are too huge to risk.

“I would not want to be responsible for causing this amount of pain to someone I loved or to someone else who has people that love them it’s not worth it,” she says.

The “Faces of Distracted Driving” campaign is one part of a multi-faceted effort to curb the use of cell phones on the road.  30 states have now passed laws dealing with cell phones and driving, up from only 18 last year.  The Department of Transportation is working with Congress on a federal law and with local authorities on enforcement in states with existing laws.

“With good laws and good enforcement and really giving people tickets for distracted driving, we believe we will get cell phones and blackberries and texting devices out of people’s hands while they’re driving.  Part of it has to be personal responsibility though,” says LaHood.

He urges all drivers to put their cell phones and other electronic devices in the glove compartment before hitting the road.

The web videos are available at www.distraction.gov/faces.