With the outcry over talking and texting while driving growing, the National Transportation Safety Board is ready to take a bold step toward curtailing the trend nationwide.

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And, in our area, one Montgomery County parent knows the pain that can come from careless driving all too well.

On Tuesday, the NTSB unanimously recommended that all use of cell phones be banned behind the wheel, a move that significantly exceeds any currently passed restriction by any state or city.

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The board simply insists that texting, emailing and using any cell phone, hands free or not, is simply too dangerous.

Montgomery County Police Capt. Thomas Didone knows something has to be done. In 2008, Didone lost his 15-year-old son, Ryan, in a car accident in which the driver was distracted.

"We need to do something to make a difference," Didone says.

The NTSB says that more than 3,000 car accident deaths in 2010 were linked to distracted driving.

"Accidents happen in the blink of an eye," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman says. "You never know what call, text or post could be your last if you're doing it behind the wheel."