A new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project suggests that 27 percent of American adults have texted while driving, while a full 61 percent report having used a cell phone while behind the wheel. Of the American teens surveyed, some 26 percent texted while driving, while 43 percent reported making calls while behind the wheel. Several states have banned the use of cell phones while driving, after several studies demonstrated the inherent distractions in doing so.
According to the study, around 27 percent of American adults reported texting while driving, versus 26 percent of driving-age teenagers. Those numbers might represent a statistical dead heat, but the total number of surveyed adults who have used a cell phone while behind the wheel – 61 percent – greatly outpaced the 43 percent of all American teens who did so.
If the data is isolated to those adults who actually own cell phones, as opposed to the total survey sample, the numbers become even starker: some 75 percent of those report having talked on a cell phone while driving, as opposed to 52 percent of cell phone-owning teens between the ages of 16-17. Of adults who regularly send text messages, some 47 percent report having sent or read a text message while driving – versus 34 percent of teens who regularly text.
To read the original eWeek article, click here: Texting While Driving Common Among Adults, Says Study