"Teens and Distracted Driving: Texting, talking and other uses of the cell phone behind the wheel"
The report examines teens, mobile phones and distracted driving. It finds that 1 in 4 American teens of driving age say they have texted while driving, and half of all teens ages 12 to 17 say they’ve been a passenger while a driver has texted behind the wheel. According to the study, boys and girls are equally likely to report texting behind the wheel, as well as riding with texting drivers. It also finds that as teens age, they are more likely to report riding with drivers who text.
The study, which was produced by The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, comes as the Senate considers a bill that would provide federal funding to states that pass laws banning all texting or talking with a handheld phone while driving -- a move that states are increasingly making. Findings are based on a telephone survey on teens' and parents’ use of mobile phones, as well as nine focus groups conducted in four U.S. cities between June and October 2009 with teens between the ages of 12 and 18.
