Survey: Many Teens Text While Driving

Almost half of older U.S. teens text while driving, a new survey shows. And those who text while driving are also more likely to do other dangerous things. Researchers used results from a national survey on youth behavior. They focused on answers given by 8,500 teens who were age 16 or older. Nearly 45% said they had texted or e-mailed while driving during the last 30 days. They were 5 times as likely to drive after drinking alcohol as teens who didn’t text while driving. About 25% of the teens texted while driving every day. Teens in this group were 40% less likely to wear seat belts than teens who just texted while driving once or twice in the last month. Older students and males were the most likely to text while driving. The journal Pediatrics published the study online. USA Today and HealthDay News wrote about it April 13.