Published: November 18, 2009 09:47 pm      

Road texting

Study shows extent of risky activity

A new study released by The Pew Research Center provides fresh evidence of the risks inherent to text messaging while driving and documents the degree of that dangerous practice among motorists today.

A survey of children 12 to 17 years old showed 48 percent of boys and girls in that age group have been in a car while the driver was texting and one in three texting teens admit to having done so while driving.

As many as 6,000 auto fatalities each year are the result of distracted driving, according to estimates by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Maryland and 17 other states and the District of Columbia have passed their own laws banning the potentially deadly habit, but legislative intervention hasn’t stopped people from texting behind the wheel. In the Free State, drivers face a fine of up to $500 if caught writing or sending a text message on the travel portion of a road.

The survey, conducted over the summer by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, asked 800 youths about their experiences with cell phone use in cars. They were asked about their experiences as passengers, and if they were age 16 or older and have a cell phone, they were also asked about their own actions behind the wheel including both talking and texting.

Additionally, the Pew Internet Project and the University of Michigan conducted nine focus groups with kids 12 to 18 between June and October in which the topic of driving and mobile phones was addressed. Among the findings:

• 75 percent of all Americans 12 to 17 own a cell phone, and 66 percent use their phones to send or receive text messages.

• Older teens are more likely than younger teens to have cell phones and use text messaging; 82 percent of teens ages 16 to 17 have a cell phone and 76 percent of them are cell phone texters.

• 40 percent say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.

In this age of constant communication, we urge drivers of all ages to DTRT (do the right thing) and keep their hands on the wheel instead of the buttons of a cell phone. It could SYL (save your life) or TLOAL1 (the life of a loved one).