Oprah Takes Cell Phone Battle To ‘Today,’ ‘Good Morning America’

Oprah wants drivers to say no to mobile phones, declaring Friday ”National No Phone Zone Day.”

The TV mogul took her campaign to her own show as well as NBC’s “Today” show and CBS’ “Good Morning America” on Friday in her quest to spark a movement to halt texting and calling while driving.

According to the National Safety Council, 28 percent of all car accidents are now related to use of the devices – leading to thousands of deaths. Additionally, earlier this week, the Auto Club revealed that despite a ban, texting while driving is on the rise in California.

Mobile phone use on the road without a headset is illegal in some states, including California – getting even First Lady Maria Shriver in hot water – but Oprah says that’s not enough.

“I was struck by the fact that when I was a young reporter, I did so many drunk driving stories. I was reminded of Mothers Against Drunk Driving,” she told “Today’s” Meredith Vieira over the phone. “I’m trying to put as much focus on the issue – to get people to start thinking about it. I hope more people will think about this in a different kind of light – it’s senseless.”

On “Good Morning America,” Oprah said much the same.

“My plea is to recognize that really it is an addiction. Look, five years ago, 10 years ago we weren’t doing this. This isn’t what we did,” she said.

Oprah added that the story of the 2008 death of a 9-year-old girl, Erica, just outside her house was what struck her the hardest.

“To arrive home and see your daughter lying on the street dead when she was 15 pedals from the front door,” she said. “[It was] devastating and recognizing that it didn’t have to happen.”

Oprah has devoted time on her own daytime show to what she’s dubbed the “No Phone Zone,” asking viewers to sign a pledge on her Web site. On Friday, more than 230,000 people had signed the pledge.

CLICK HERE to sign Oprah’s pledge!