Drivers now are not just talking on cellphones — they’re texting, using apps to follow directions, even playing Pokemon Go. Stopping this epidemic of distracted driving, safety advocates say, will take a societal shift to render such behavior socially unacceptable. But for now, experts warn, the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. “That’s going to be really hard to enforce,” said Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics for the Safety Council, based in suburban Itasca. “The use of phones to the ear is decreasing somewhat, but drivers are more and more likely to do texting and social media and other apps. That is even more dangerous.” Traffic fatalities this year are on a pace to reach 40,000, which would be the highest total since 2007. That’s a vast improvement from about 55,000 deaths annually in the 1970s, but reverses years of declines that have been attributed to air bags, less drunken driving and more seat belt use.