Parents Are Just as Guilty of Driving and Texting as Teens

What parent hasn’t warned their teen about texting and driving? Well, according to a new study on the website Tech News Daily, it’s the kids who need to sit their parents down to have the “text talk.” Here are the details:

The Pew Research Center asked drivers of all ages about their phone use behind the wheel. More than one in four teens admitted to texting while driving, but their parents matched that number – even though there were fewer adults who owned phones that sent texts. When the data was analyzed, it turned out that adult drivers sent almost 50% more text messages than teens, and the adults were also more likely to chat on the phone while they were driving. What’s super-scary is that half of those surveyedsaid they’d been in a car while the driver actually read or received text messages.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood thinks this trend is so dangerous that he’s started a web site called “distraction.gov.” It’s loaded with statistics that will make you want to hang up and pay attention to the road. For example, in one study, drunk drivers outperformed people who were talking on a cell phone. Research done by the University of Utah shows that texting and driving increases the chances of hitting a pedestrian.

What’s this mean to you? If you’re driving, drive. If you’re a passenger in a car and the person behind the wheel starts texting, ask them to stop and pay attention to the road - even if they’re your mom or dad.