A study released Friday by The Pew Research Center's
Internet & American Life Project says adults and teenagers are equally
likely to have texted while driving. And adults are more likely to have chatted
on their phones while driving.
The study found that 47 percent of adults who text
reported sending or reading texts while behind the wheel. In a 2009 Pew study,
a lower number - 34 percent - of 16- and 17-year-olds who send texts said that
they did that while driving.
Because not everyone has a phone or sends texts, the
report said the findings indicate that 27 percent of all US adults have sent or
read texts while driving and 26 percent of all US 16- and 17-year-olds have
done so.
The study also found that adults are much more likely to
chat on their phones while driving: 75 percent of adults with mobile phones
said they talked and drove. Fifty-two percent of teenagers with cell phones
said they did so in last year's study.
That would translate into a finding that 61 percent of
all US adults talk on the phone while driving, while the 2009 study indicates
that 43 percent of all 16- and 17-year-olds do likewise.
Mary Madden, a senior research specialist for Pew and the
study's lead author, said that while many educational efforts that emphasize
the dangers of distracted driving have targeted teens, the findings show a need
to educate adults, too.
"I think all of us can identify with that temptation
to stay connected during those idle moments in the car. ... The reality is,
even if the car isn't moving, a delayed response to a green light or at a stop
sign can still result in an accident," she said.
The Pew study didn't take into account that some drivers
may be using handsfree devices such as Bluetooth headsets when they talk and
drive, but Madden pointed out that simply having a conversation can be a
distraction.
Even when not driving, adults are still engrossed in
their phones: The study said that 17 percent of adults who have cell phones
reported walking into other people or things because they were so busy using
their phones to text or chat.
The survey used telephone interviews with 2,252 adults
between April 29 and May 30. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4
percentage points.
