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Nearly 50 percent of teens admit to text messaging while driving -- an alarming statistic that now rivals driving and drinking in terms of danger and prevalence.
When it comes to teen driving, put the danger of text-messaging while driving right up there with drunken driving as Public Enemies No. 1 and 1A on the nation's roads.
According to SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, instant and text messaging while driving leads the list as the biggest distraction while driving.
The study, released in July 2007 and conducted with more than 900 teens from 26 high schools nationwide, revealed that text-messaging while driving is becoming as dangerous as drinking and driving, in terms of inhibiting a teen’s driving abilities.
Yet even while 37 percent of teens rated text messaging while driving as “extremely” or “very” distracting, they continue to send and receive text messaging in their moving vehicles anyway, the study reported.
Law Enforcement Concerns
Alarmingly, 46 percent of teens admitted that those who drive distracted are text-messaging, according to a AAA study which appeared in Seventeen magazine's August 2007 issue.
"Texting while driving is a serious public health issue," says Ed Smith, a senior analyst with the Delray Beach Police Department in Delray Beach, Florida, in an interview October 12, 2007. "Law enforcement is concerned about how to enforce bans on text-messaging in the car.
"Police are hard pressed to enforce seat beats. They're also concerned about taking those resources away from preventing and solving other serious crimes."
Meanwhile, the crash statistics surrounding distractions in vehicles, such as cellphone use, are growing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers account for almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of near-crashes in the United States. (April 20, 2006)
While most states have adopted or are adopting legislation around teen driving, the restrictions of teen driving laws vary from state to state.
Teen Driving Guidelines
Based on the extensive research over the past seven years, SADD and Liberty Mutual have set forth a number of guidelines for families – including preventing cell phone use in the car.
Interestingly, 52 percent of teens who say their parents are unlikely to follow through on punishment if they drive and text-message will continue to do -- compared to only 36 percent of teens who believe their parents would penalize them, according to the SADD/Liberty Mutual study.
Not surprisingly, the study also reports the biggest influence on how teens drive is their parents. Almost two-thirds of high school teens say their parents talk on a cell phone while driving; almost half say their parents speed; and almost a third say their parents don't wear a safety belt.
Cellphone Jamming a Solution?
“Certainly parents need to model good driving habits and states need to ban text-messaging if we’re going to prevent some of the horrific traffic accidents we’re seeing out there right now,” says Smith.
“But the most effective way to prevent many of these accidents from happening would be the installation of some kind of cellphone jamming technology in automobiles. Unfortunately, it’s illegal in the U.S. – although lawmakers may be forced to take another look at this if we're going to change the behavior of our teens.”
Related Articles
Distracted Driving A Real Danger
The copyright of the article Teen Driver Menace: Text-Messaging in Parenting Teens is owned by Steve Vogel. Permission to republish Teen Driver Menace: Text-Messaging in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
May 15, 2008 6:55 AM
Guest
:
if we were to put jammers in vehicles, what happens when your car breaks
down on the side of the road, get in an accident, or some other emergency
occurs? The cell phone, which despite its dangers as a distraction, is
extremely effective as a first line of communication in emergency
situations. When I'm not home, I want to know that I'm connected to my
family, friends, and my life outside of the cabin of my car.
Not
to mention the secondary interference that a jammer would cause to the cell
phones of bystanders. Just picture all of the cars driving though a major
metropolitan area, and think that every one of those cars has the ability
to drop your call. The advancements in signal coverage and reliability
would be nullified.
Honestly, as a 17 year old, it seems like
common sense to not text while the car is moving, sort of the same as why
one shouldn't stick metal into an electrical socket, or eat lead paint
chips. With the wealth of information available on the internet, it
shouldn't be especially hard to access information regarding how do disable
these devices. If you really think about it, almost ANYTHING is dangerous,
so that leaves us with a few options: either take the normal american route
and put up some warning labels on all of our shiny new phones and cars,
absolving everyone of legal responsibility and not fixing the problem, or
go to the source, and educate teens about safe driving habits. How hard is
it to wait until you get to a stoplight to look at your phone?
May 15, 2008 3:03 PM
Guest
:
texing and driving is bad
May 18, 2008 4:42 AM
Steve Vogel :
Imagine a jammer that emits a blocking signal at the base of a steering
wheel in a two-foot bubble. It initiates with the start-up of the car. I
think all your concerns would be eliminated. Plus, you have the option not
to buy it. steve
Aug 26, 2008 12:01 PM
Guest
:
i agree with steve. Something with a short range that doesn't interfere
with bystanders and won't keep you from calling if their is an accident. I
think most parents will buy that. That all depends on how much they will
be.
Sep 11, 2008 3:14 PM
Guest
:
I can't comment on jamming, but am interested in starting a
"designated texter" camapign- Keep your phone OUT OF REACH or, if
you have a passenger , let them make/take calls for you. It's what my
family does.
As to the comment below about common sense- if most
people and teens especially, had common sense, we wouldn't have almost 50%
texting while driving.
The real message has to get out that it is as
bad ( if not worse) than drunk driving! By the way- my 17 does not have a
cell phone and we manage just fine.
Sep 12, 2008 9:02 AM
Guest
:
Just don't drive and text......(don't drink and drive either, for it is the
same)
Sep 16, 2008 6:50 PM
Guest
:
We have solved the problem my company will be releaseing a software package
this year that allows parents to control teens use of cell phones while
driving.Our companies website is www.gts16.com we are currently looking for
beta testers.
Thanks Stephen Vowell
svowell@gts16.com
Sep 26, 2008 9:04 AM
Guest
:
sure its commen sense not to text and drive but you all need to get a life
Oct 9, 2008 9:07 AM
Guest
:
i am 17 years old, and there is no need to text while you drive. it just
takes a small effort to keep your phone in your purse/pocket while you
drive. personally, i refuse to talk to someone who calls/texts me if they
are driving. it is just common sense and if teens can't figure that out for
themselves...then whatever happens is their own fault. its not just teens
either. my mom is a text and driver...so yeah.
Oct 10, 2008 10:37 AM
Guest
:
Texting and driving is a very bad habit that teens get into and it is
becoming a very serious issue because many are loosing their lives due to
stupid mistakes. They can't put their phone aside for a few minutes to
drive and they think that it is not possible that they can be the person in
the wreak. They are wrong.
Oct 28, 2008 12:07 AM
Guest
:
My daughter was severly injured, in fact code red when she arrived at the
hospital, all due to the negligant part on Danilla Tobias whom was text
messaging while driving. My daughter will never be the same again and
Danilla walks the streets like no big deal.. All she got charged with was a
$75.00--failure to maintain a lane and here I am with a $250,000.00 doctor
bill that i have no idea how im going to Pay for it and Danilla got off
basically scotch free. Am i angered, very much so. My daughter went through
months of doctors, being in a wheel chair and living in the hospital and
then a nursing home and we get the nice debt because Danilla only had a
$25,000.00 liability poicy and my daughter was the victim.... Where is the
justice and where is the god that will help me with the debt. Oh sure,
Danilla recieved money for her little scratch she recieved on her back and
we get the debt and my daughter, Karly Robins, gets to live with the 48
scars all over her body and 8 rods and screws up the middle of her spine
while Danilla acted like she won the lottery. I don't understand how people
can be so cruel and inconsiderate. And to think that she even cared when
she almost killed my daughter. Oh that's right Danilla, she was dead when
she arrived at the hospital and she flat lined in surgery from having her
severed spleen removed. Thanks for having a party on you crashing the
truck because of text messaging DANILLA TOBIAS!!!! I totally believe in
karma and Danilla and her family will get theres. If you'd like to see the
story go to www.klewnews.com and put in Karly Robins under search and you
will get to see pictures of Karly at the time of the accident. Kristi
Robins in Idaho
Oct 28, 2008 10:06 AM
Guest
:
Text at red lights. . . . . duh!!!
Oct 31, 2008 7:18 AM
Guest
:
DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nov 12, 2008 7:09 PM
Guest
:
i abosolutly hate driving and texting it is a danger to everyone and you
take your focus off of the road and onto the cell phone and that is one of
the reasons people are dieing in car crashes one texting and the other is
drunk driving.
Nov 19, 2008 8:56 AM
Guest
:
keep your phone on silent and when at red lights and such check it and text
something short back or sinmply tell that person your driving and will text
them later. if u really need to talk to them pull over that's what my
parents teach me
Nov 29, 2008 6:23 AM
Guest
:
We all need to go back to old school.......do you really need a cell phone
while driving? Parent need to teach their kids ..... Call the person you
are meeting before leaving the house. This morning I was driving my boys
to church a young girl driving a red sports - between 17-20 made a left
turn quickly as I was making a right turn on a main boulevard, after she
made her turn, she got on her phone ... TEXTING.......as she continue to
drive as I was near her side, I slowed down and continue to keep my eyes on
her car as her car goes to the left, to the right slightly without she
knowing. I honk my horn and only to find she flips me off .... and road
rage begins as I drive behind her, she breaks, so I pass her and go in
front of her and I stop my car, she's behind me. I get out of my car and
she tells me to get back in my car, so I tell her to stay off her phone
"f" while driving. I take her license plate number down, wanting
to report this incident, but then again I would have been harrassing her -
go figure. Some kids are so stupid these days. I only hope that someday,
she will learn her lesson ... the hard way and we won't feel one bit of
sorrow.
Nov 30, 2008 2:32 PM
Guest
:
It could take a few mins too type something and send it. A red light is
only one minute so it is still danerous to send a text message during a red
light and it is still not safe for many other reasons. It's such a silly
issue to debate over. It's dangerous and you all know it so stop before
your the one who causes a life threathing accident!
Dec 8, 2008 8:18 AM
Guest
:
WOMEN SHOULD NOT DRIVE ON PHONES
Dec 11, 2008 8:01 PM
Guest
:
hi Im christine wilkinson and i was in the car wreck with karly robbins and
danilla tobias and you know text messaging caused the wreck becauce danilla
didnt care about anyone but herself...
Jan 7, 2009 4:14 PM
Guest
:
I completely agree that texting and driving is not a smart way to go, but
the number of teens that text and drive is NOT 46%. that is a complete
misrepresentation. the survey says that OF 60% who drive distractedly, 46%
text.
Jan 9, 2009 12:27 PM
Guest
:
What people don't know is when when your reaction time is even slower when
you are texting than if you where drunk and high.
Jan 27, 2009 12:43 PM
Guest
:
Textecution™ is a user-friendly application that completely disables
texting while driving. Textecution™ is designed for parents to install on
their teenage driver's phone so they know their child is safer behind the
wheel of the vehicle. Add immediate peace of mind, security, and safety
today with Textecution™. Please visit http://www.textecution.com for more
information.
Jan 29, 2009 6:04 AM
Guest
:
The jammer sounds like the best way to help protect people on the road. As
a Student that does text i know how destracting that can be walking let
alone drive. So if you realy care put jammers in cars and lets see how much
the rate of crashes goes down. And some people said about the "what if
there is a crash then make the tecnology that is only lets a 911 call out
and come in to help out on that.
Feb 19, 2009 11:42 AM
Guest
:
Obviously it's bad to text or even answer your phone while your driving. I
am a teen driver and feel that people should be more considerate of others
while they are at the wheel. Gosh, when will people learn... oh yeah when
they themselves are involved in an awful car accident which of course
could have been prevented. Lesson learned leave your phones alone!
24 Comments
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