This topic is so important, and I’ve received so many fabulous resources, that I’m splitting this into several posts to get the word out.  A new survey commissioned by AT&T found that while virtually ALL (97%) of teens know that texting while driving is dangerous, almost HALF (43%) admit to sending a text while driving, and 75% say the practice is common among their friends.

Other highlights (or we should call them lowlights, this is so depressing…)

  • 70% of teens believe texting while stopped at a red light is dangerous, but 60% admit they do it.
  • Do what I say, not what I do…This comes up time and time again in parenting literature, and this topic is no exception.  According to 77% of teens surveyed, adults tell them not to text while driving, but adults do it all of the time themselves!
  • The poll also found that teens feel pressure to quickly respond to text messages, since it’s their #1 mode of communications.  On average, teens text FIVE TIMES MORE than a typical adult!  When this habit hits the road, drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be in an accident or near-accident.

Hats off to AT&T who developed a phone app “AT&T DriveMode TM” that customizes an auto reply message notifying friends the user is driving and will respond when it’s safe.  What are some more safety ideas?

–> Put your phone on silent and out of sight while driving

–> Give your kids the responsibility to read and respond to your texts while you drive (they’re probably faster at it anyhow 🙂 )

–> What ideas do you have?  Add a comment to this post – let’s keep the chat going!

AT&T put together this fabulous infographic on the topic: