Texting while driving is now the leading cause of death among teenagers – surpassing drinking and driving, according to a study by Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Disturbing statistics from the report include:

·  More than 3,000 teens die each year in crashes caused by texting while driving

·  Approximately 2,700 teens are killed in drunk driving accidents

·  More than 50 percent of teens admit to texting while driving

There are three types of driving distractions:

·         Visual: taking your eyes off the road;

·         Manual: taking your hands off the wheel; and

·         Cognitive: taking your mind off of driving

Facts about texting or emailing while driving

·         31% of U.S. drivers ages 18-64 reported that they had read or sent text messages or email messages while driving at least once within the 30 days before they were surveyed.

Risks

·         Some activities—such as texting—take the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods than other distractions
 
·         Younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 may be at increased risk; they have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes
 
·         According to last year's AT&T Teen Driver Survey, 97 percent of fifteen- to nineteen-year-olds understand the dangers, but 43 percent do it anyway

What can you do?

·         Talk to your kids about distracted driving

·         Download an app for your phone that disables text messages and calls when a phone is in motion

Sources
*Federal Communication Commission

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

*National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

*Halsey III, Ashley. "Teen Drivers Are Texting, Just like Their Parents."Washington Post. The Washington Post, 14 May 2012. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

*Ricks, Delthia. "Study: Texting While Driving Now Leading Cause of Death for Teen Drivers."Newsday. Newsday, 8 May 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.

*Shin Park, Jane. "The Real Risks of Texting and Driving."Teen Vogue. N.p., May 2013. Web. 

*TRW Automotive