Teens Express Views on Texting While Driving

November 2009

A new study has found that approximately half of teens ages 16 and 17 who own cell phones have talked on the phone while driving. About one-third of those same teens have texted behind the wheel.

These statistics were found by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project, which interviewed 800 teens last summer. During focus groups it was found that some teens wouldn't acknowledge the danger of using a cell phone while driving. Others said they thought it was unsafe and that their parents engage in the practice most often.

Some teens said that a desire to stay connected with friends prompts them to use their cell phones when they drive. To reduce the danger, however, they said they have a passenger text for them, only text at red lights, or hold the phone up high so they can keep their eyes on the road.