Texting while driving: Adults are just as bad as teens, study finds
Texting while driving is just as common among adults as it is among teens, a new study has found. What's more, adults are more likely to talk on the phone while driving.
Texting while driving is just as common among adults as it is among teens, a new study finds.
Newscom/File
A new study reveals that adults text as often while driving as teenagers and are actually more likely than teens to talk on the phone when behind the wheel.
The new survey from the Pew Research Center reported that more than one in four American adults said they have texted while driving — the same as driving-age teenagers.
So-called distracted driving – using a cell phone instead of focusing on the road – has been strongly implicated in vehicular accidents. Around a dozen states have outlawed cell phones on the road unless they are operated in a hands-free manner via earpieces or Bluetooth-enabled systems, for example.
“While previous research has shown that one in four teen drivers text at the wheel, this data suggests that adults are now just as likely to engage in this risky behavior,” said Mary Madden in a statement. Madden is a senior research specialist at the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and co-author of the report.
In addition, just over six in ten adults copped to having chatted on their phones while driving compared to 43 percent of new drivers aged 16 and 17 years old.
