Texting while driving has replaced drunk driving as the top cause of teenage deaths on U.S. roads, according to a new study by a New York pediatric facility. Teens Texting While Driving
The study by Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York revealed that more than 3,000 teens die each year as a result of crashes caused by sending text messages while behind the wheel, and another 300,000 are injured. By comparison, 282,000 are injured and 2,700 teenagers are killed as a result of drinking and driving.
The study spotlights some alarming new numbers: 50 percent of students text while driving and half of high school kids who drive said they text behind the wheel. In fact, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found four in every nine high school students had sent or received texts while driving in the past month. Teen Driving Risks
Previous studies have shown that people sending text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to crash.
Experts say texting at the wheel is more dangerous than drunk driving because it is done with more frequency.
“The reality is kids aren’t drinking seven days per week — but they are carrying their phones and texting seven days per week, so you intuitively know this a more common occurrence,” Dr. Andrew Adesman, Chief of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Texting and driving kills more teens.
