AT & T’s It Can Wait program can arguably be considered the foremost anti-distracted driving campaign in the entire country. The telecommunications company travels across the country holding events at local schools which stress to teens how dangerous texting at the wheel can be. Shocking videos are shown, simulators are set up to allow for firsthand experiences, and teens are encouraged to pledge never to text at the wheel again. There’s even an app from AT & T called DriveMode which can be activated by those looking to curb their texting behavior.
But a new study shows that although teens getting the brunt of the message, it’s parents that might need a serious behavior adjustment. A new USA Today article looks at the results of the AT & T study, which queried 1,011 people as to their driving behavior. 43% of teens admitted to texting, not exactly a great number.
However, 49% of adults that were asked about their texting admitted to the habit. 60% of respondents also explained that they would not have texted so just three years ago. Yet those same texters also largely identified the danger, with 98% of people saying that they recognize the act as hazardous.
Adults outnumber teenagers on the road 18 to 1, which means that there are far more adult drivers texting than there are teens at any given time.