ABC’s Chris Cuomo vows to curb his distracted driving habits

Chris Cuomo, co-anchor of ABC News’ “20/20,” admits it: He’s been a distracted driver. But he has vowed to stop that behavior, driven in large part by his three young children.

Chris Cuomo, co-anchor of ABC News’ “20/20.”

In a report about distracted driving that aired April 22, 2011, Cuomo told the “sad, ugly truth” – he’s regularly used his BlackBerry while driving. He characterized himself as an “email violator” behind the wheel.

“We know it’s wrong. You know it’s wrong. I certainly know it’s wrong,” Cuomo told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts.

“I have three kids under the age of 10 in my car, and I do it anyway. Why? Because I believe this lie that I can multitask. And so do you,” Cuomo added. “But guess what? Only 2 percent of us can. Distracted driving is one of the most ignored problems. It’s the only traffic safety problem that’s getting worse.”

A GfK poll commissioned by InsuranceQuotes.com found that 93 percent of American drivers have engaged in some form of distracted driving. The poll was conducted in October 2010.

On “20/20,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called distracted driving an “epidemic.”

In 2009, distracted driving resulted in nearly 5,500 traffic deaths and nearly 450,000 traffic injuries in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.