Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous things that a person can do as he drives, since sending or reading a text require a full 4.6 seconds of focusing on the phone and not the road. Texting drivers cause thousands of accidents, deaths and injuries each year, and almost every state in the U.S. has put some type of ban or limitation into place restricting motorists from texting as they drive.
In some states, the laws banning texting are targeted specifically towards younger drivers, who many believe are the most likely to text. While it is true that people under age 39 are overall more likely to send and read text messages on their phone as they drive, it turns out that young teens are actually not the group most likely to engage in this dangerous behavior.
Texting and Driving Risks By Age
An experienced texting accident lawyer in Mobile knows that distracted driving is a problem among all age groups, with more than two out of every three drivers saying that they use their cell phones in some capacity as they drive despite knowing that it is dangerous to do so.
However, a recent AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study sheds more light on who the highest risk groups are when it comes to texting. According to this study:
- Among drivers aged 16-18, 31 percent said they had sent a text or an email when driving. Seven percent said that they did this regularly.
- Among drivers aged 19-24, 42 percent said they had sent a text or an email when driving. A total of 11 percent said that they did this regularly. People in this age group were the ones most likely to be texting.
- Among drivers aged 25-39, 45 percent said that they had sent a text or an email behind the wheel. Ten percent said that this occurred often.
- The percentage of drivers who reported sending a text or email on their phones while driving fell to 24 percent for those age 40-59. Just four percent of people in this age group regularly texted behind the wheel.
- Among drivers age 60 to 74, seven percent have sent a text or email while driving but only two percent do this regularly.
- Finally, only one percent of drivers aged 75 and up said that they either had sent a text or an email or said that they had done so regularly.
This data may suggest that new drivers who are young teens are less experienced and feel that they need to focus on the road more, thus resulting in a lower texting rate. By the time they have had their licenses for a few years, however, they could become bolder or more confident in their ability to drive and thus they start to send and receive texts more while driving because they no longer view this behavior as quite so risky. The younger demographic of teens may also have been exposed to more anti-distracted driving lessons that have been introduced into high schools in recent years, and thus may be more likely to recognize just how dangerous this behavior really is.
Car accident lawyers in Mobile can help if you have been injured in an Alabama traffic accident. Contact the Mike Slocumb Law Firm at 1-800-HURTLINE.