May 7 (Reuters) – Most young American drivers agree that it
is dangerous to text while driving, but nearly a third admit
they do it anyway, a survey by Consumer Reports shows.
While eight in ten said they knew of the risks, about 29
percent of drivers 16 to 21 said they had used text messaging in
the past month, the survey found. And, 47 percent said they had
made a phone call while driving, without a headset or other
hands-free device.
The same survey showed that 48 percent said they had seen
one or both of their parents using a cell phone without a
hands-free device.
Nevertheless, last year there were the fewest traffic
fatalities in the United States in more than six decades.
The number would have been even lower if not for traffic
deaths caused by drivers who were distracted by using a mobile
phone or engaged in other types of attention-dividing tasks,
said Rebecca Lindland, director of automotive research for IHS
Inc.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said
that in 2010, some 3,092 were killed in “distracted-affected
crashes,” or 9.4 percent of all road deaths.
A NHTSA survey earlier this year showed that younger drivers
from ages 18 to 20 showed the highest level of phone involvement
in crashes or near-crashes. Drivers of this age are three times
more likely to read or send an email or text message while
driving than those 25 and older, the NHTSA survey found.
Reports of texting while driving drop sharply as age
increases, NHTSA said.
The Consumer Reports survey said that half the young drivers
survey said they are less likely to text while driving or use a
handheld phone while a friend is in the vehicle with them.
A NHTSA observational study found that in the latest two
years for which data was available, 2009 and 2010, 5 percent of
drivers were seen talking on handheld phones.
Thirty-seven of the 50 U.S. states have totally banned using
the keyboard – texting – on a mobile phone or other device while
driving, and 10 states have outlawed the use of handheld phones.
The states, along with the District of Columbia, that have
banned phone calls while driving – without using a hands-free
device – are California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, West
Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York and
Connecticut.
The Consumer Reports survey questioned 1,049 people ages 16
to 21 and the NHTSA survey from earlier this year questioned
6,000 people of driving age. Both surveys were of U.S. drivers.
(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Jackie Frank)
