Adults text and drive just as much as teens

William Atkins
Sunday, 20 June 2010 23:11

Science - Health

A new survey called the Internet & American Life Project, by the Pew Research Center, found that U.S. adults send or read text messages while driving just as much as do teenagers. Actually, 1% more adults text and drive than do teens--27% versus 26%.

 

The Pew Research Center article Adults and cell phone distractions states that 'Adults are just as likely as teens to have texted while driving and are substantially more likely to have talked on the phone while driving.'

In addition, the study found that 17% of cell-owning adult pedestrians have gotten so engrossed while talking on a cell phone or while texting that they have actually 'physically bumped into another person or an object.' For the entire U.S. adult population, that percentage is 14%.

The Pew study looked at 2,252 U.S. adults, with 744 of them being interviewed on cell phones between April 29, 2010 and May 30, 2010.

Of this total number, 1,917 owned cell phones and 1,189 used text messaging.

The Pew study also looked at 800 teenagers (12-17 years of age), along with a parent or guardian, with respect to their driving habits with cell phones.

The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research International, between June 26, 2009 and September 24, 2009.

Page two details some of the major conclusions of the Pew Research Center study.