The picture of a teenage driver, talking with friends and texting instead of paying attention to safe driving would hardly surprise anyone. A recent study has shown that teens are not the biggest culprits of texting while driving, however. While distracted driving accidents are still dangerously high for both groups, nearly 50 percent of adults admitted to texting behind the wheel. For teenagers, that number was slightly lower at 43 percent. In both cases, drivers acknowledged that the practice was unsafe, even while regularly engaging in it.
In a survey conducted by AT&T, 98 percent of adults admitted that texting while driving was a dangerous practice. The survey gathered responses from 1,011 adult drivers as part of the It Can Wait campaign. A recent study from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 31 percent of all drivers admitted to texting while driving and 69 percent acknowledged using a cell phone while driving.
Texting and driving is illegal in 39 states. Florida is not one of those states, though a House panel recently cleared a statewide ban on the practice. The measure will soon be considered on the floor while a companion bill is debated in the Senate.
While many states have targeted teens as the source of the problem, and have incorporated texting and cell phone bans into graduated licensing programs, the problem appears to be widespread. It is never safe to text and drive. Despite knowing the dangers, half of adults have apparently chosen to engage in the conduct. The results of those decisions can be deadly.
Source: Yahoo News, “Adults text more than teens while driving,” by Eric Pfeiffer, 28 March 2013
