8 In 10 Young Drivers Say Texting Behind The Wheel Is Dangerous, Yet Nearly A Third Admit To Doing It

While the vast majority of young drivers aged 16-21 agree that texting, using smart-phone apps, or accessing the Internet while driving is very dangerous, nearly a third (twenty-nine percent) admitted in a Consumer Reports survey that they had, in fact, texted while behind the wheel in the past month. Forty-seven percent reported that they had made a phone call without a headset while behind the wheel, even though nearly two-thirds (sixty-three percent) acknowledged that the behavior was perilous.

When Consumer Reports asked the young respondents why they had reduced or stopped distracted driving, sixty-one percent said it was because they had heard about the dangers of it. Other important reasons were laws banning cell phone use and/or texting in cars (forty percent) and family members urging respondents to stop (twenty-eight percent). Nearly twenty percent knew someone who had been in a crash caused by distracted driving.

The survey also revealed that having peers in the car may help curb distracted driving. Almost half who have driven with friends said they were less likely to talk on a handheld cell phone or text when friends were passengers. The findings notes that one reason for this may be that many young people are speaking up; almost fifty percent said they had asked a driver to stop using a phone in the car because they feared for their safety.

"Our survey showed that while far too many young people are driving while distracted, they are less likely to do so when their parents, friends, or siblings set a good example," said Rik Paul, Consumer Reports Auto Editor. "We encourage everyone to stop the car in a safe place if they need to use a cell phone. And if they're riding with a driver using a handheld phone, ask him or her to put it down and stop gambling with their safety."

Additional findings from the Consumer Reports survey of sixteen-to-twenty-one-year-olds include:

84 percent saw other young people talking on a handheld phone while driving
71 percent saw a peer texting while behind the wheel
48 percent witnessed their mom or dad talking on a handheld phone while driving
15 percent witnessed their mom or dad texting while behind the wheel
8 percent operated smart phone apps while driving in the last thirty days
7 percent used e-mail or social media while behind the wheel in the last thirty days

The questionnaire was fielded online by Knowledge Networks from November 23, 2011 to December 13, 2011. Knowledge Networks selects households for its panels using address based sampling methods. Analyses were conducted with the sample weighted to reflect national demographics. A total of 1,049 surveys were completed by adults aged sixteen to twenty-one years. Knowledge Networks received parental or legal guardian consent for all panelists aged seventeen or younger. The margin of error is +/- 3.03 percentage points at a ninety-five percent confidence level.