There’s a joke that goes, “Is there anything more dangerous than an old person behind the wheel?” It’s a bit harsh, but perhaps the answer is yes. There is. Teenagers who are driving while texting on their phones are probably just as dangerous, if not more, than someone whose eyesight and reaction times aren’t quite what they used to be.
It’s not that voice calling is any safer, but it seems that text messaging has taken over for teens in a big way. According to research conducted by Lab 42, 71% of Americans aged 13 – 21 prefer text messaging over voice calls. Only 2% of respondents admitted to texting and driving, which seems remarkably low, but who are we to judge who’s lying and telling the truth in these social-networking surveys?
About 57% of respondents said they spend 1 to 30 minutes, on average, on the phone each week, which isn’t a great deal of time. In fact, what would be otherwise idle chatter over the phone is conducted via text messages, and making plans with friends comes in at a close second when it comes to what teens chat about via SMS.
Check out the infographic below to get all the details about teen texting and phone usage habits.