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Nov 17, 2009 1:50 pm US/Eastern
Survey: 1 In 4 Teen Drivers Text While Driving
WASHINGTON (CBS4) ―
Teenagers and cell phones are turning into a controversial combination as many teens are getting caught texting while driving. In 2008, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reported 5,870 accidents involving 515,000 injuries due to distracted drivers. Now, a new Pew Research poll shows 1 in 4 teens aged 16-17 admit to texting while driving.
The survey found that 75 percent of all American kids between the ages of 12-17 own a cell phone, and 66 percent of those kids use their phones receive or text messages. 43 percent of all American teens aged 16-17 say they have talked on a cell phone while driving.
And it's not just the teens that are driving that could be impacted by texting. The survey found 48 percent of kids aged 12-17 have been in a car while the driver was texting. In addition 40 percent said they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.
Distracted drivers amongst younger drivers are an increasing concern to NHTSA because the highest incidence of distracted driving occurs in kids under 20-years-old. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute examined a variety of tasks that draws drivers' eye away from the road and suggested in a research paper that text messaging on a cell phone is associated with the highest risk of accidents among all cell phone related tasks for drivers.
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