New Study Reveals More Adults Text and Drive than Teens | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What happened:

A new study has revealed a surprising – and dangerous – result.  Adults text and drive more than teenagers do. That’s according to a new survey conducted by AT&T. The company survey 1011 adults and 49 percent of them admitted texting while behind the wheel. When teens were asked that question, 43 percent admitted to texting while driving.

Ninety-eight percent of those adults admit they know it’s wrong and 60 percent of them say three years ago, they never texted while driving. And that’s one of the most shocking results of the survey – that despite an extensive national campaign against distracted driving and all the dangers it poses, more adults than ever are doing it.

The reasons respondents gave were varied. Forty-three percent said it was a habit, twenty-two percent said they like to “stay connected”, and eighteen percent said it enabled them to be more productive.

There are all kinds of statistics that highlight the perils of texting and driving. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), each day, an average of more than nine people are killed and more than 1,060 injured in crashes caused by distracted driving. Researchers at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds — about as long as it takes to drive the length of a football field at 55 mph. And even more disturbing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research has concluded that texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving drunk.

 

The North Carolina Lawyer’s Perspective:

Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving for all drivers. Five states prohibit the practice for new drivers. A spokesperson for the National Safety Council said in a statement stressed the seriousness of the results of this survey by pointing out that there are 10 million teenage drivers on the road, but about 180 million adult drivers on the road.

If you have been injured in a car accident caused by driver who was texting, or otherwise not paying attention, contact a North Carolina personal injury lawyer to find out what civil liabilities for your injuries that driver may have. Our firm has successfully represented many clients who were injured by accidents caused by distracted drivers.

 

New survey reveals more adults than teens text and drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potentially Helpful Info: 

Our firm published an in-depth legal guide on what to do when you’re seriously injured in a car wreck in North Carolina. Read it here.

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