Study: Drivers Know the Risks, But Continue to Text While Driving

25 Nov Study: Drivers Know the Risks, But Continue to Text While Driving

Texting and driving continues to be a problem, and according to a recent survey sponsored by AT&T, nearly all of those who admit to texting while driving admit they know the dangers. Unfortunately, many of these same people also believe that "nothing will happen to me" while behind the wheel of a car.

Survey Overview

The survey of drivers who admit to texting and driving daily produced alarming results. For instance, 98 percent of those in the survey who admitted to texting daily stated they were aware of its dangers. In spite of this knowledge 75 percent of them admitted they engaged in texting while they were driving in spite of the fact the practice is against the law in some states. Even more alarming is the fact that two-thirds said they read text messages while they were stopped at either a traffic signal or stop sign and more than a third admitted they sent text while the car was in motion.

AT&T released the survey during the first week of November as part of a projected campaign against texting and driving, or (more likely) as a campaign for their new DriveMode app which automatically silences text message alerts when a person is moving at least 15 miles per hour.

Variations and Detailed Results

The study involved those who between the ages of 16 and 65 who owned cell phones, drove nearly every day, and engaged in text messaging at least once a day. The margin of error was estimated to be plus or minus 3.1 percent.

Since researchers conducted the survey with people on their cell phones, the results may have been different had they spoken to people on a landline. The results may also have been different amongst those who text less frequently. They eliminated a total of 343 people because their texting or driving habits failed to meet the criteria, and after exclusions, a total of 1,004 adults in the United States completed the survey.

Survey Findings

The survey discovered a wide range of reasons why drivers choose to engage in the dangerous practice of texting and driving. Forty-three percent of drivers who text and drive say they want to remain connected with friends, family and work while almost a third used the excuse that it was just a habit they had developed.

The survey uncovered several other reasons why people text and drive:

• Twenty-eight percent had concerns about missing something important by not checking their phones right away.
• More than twenty-five percent refused to believe texting affected their driving performance.
• More than twenty five percent were concerned that others had expectations for receiving a response immediately.
• Only six percent admitted to being addicted to texting in spite of the fact fourteen percent admitted they were anxious if they failed to respond to a text right away.

While some states have passed laws that forbid texting and driving, Texas has been unsuccessful in passing a statewide ban. However, many cities including Denton, San Antonio, Farmers Branch, Bedford and others have placed bans on the practice of texting and driving. Lawmakers are hopeful with a new governor in the state, they can finally implement a state-wide ban on the dangerous practice of texting and driving in order to reduce the number of car accidents in Texas.