In 2015, Adults are Texting and Driving More Than Teens

It has been nearly a decade since the art of texting took off. Even before it became as popular as it is now, phones had been a distraction on the road, and texting made it even worse. Now, the first thing a responding officer or Provo area auto accident lawyer will ask at a crash site is whether the driver where texting.

In a Washington Post report, a survey found that 49 percent of adults, even in Provo, are texting and driving behind the wheel. According to the Huffington post, one out of four auto accidents involve a cell phone, and each day, nine people die from an auto accident involving distracted driving caused by texting or eating. These startling statistics have led up to a 2013 death toll of 341,000, many of which could have been prevented had someone simply put their phone down.

One of the more interesting statistics on texting and driving tells us that the culprit age group isn’t what most expected. Studies show that a person between the ages of 21 and 24 is the most likely to text and drive, contrary to the long held belief that teens are the ones in the most danger. In fact, the number of adults who admit to texting and driving has risen significantly in the last three years alone.

A survey done by AT&T found that, not only 49 percent of adults have sent a text behind the wheel in the last month, but 98 percent of them know its unsafe, and 60 percent never would have texted while driving three years ago. The same survey found that 22 percent of people who drive and text do it simply because they “like to say connected” and 18 percent do it because it makes them “more productive.” A Provo area auto accident lawyer would tell them that neither is a good enough reason to kill someone on the road.

Another scary statistic to think about is the number of teen drivers on the road compared to adults. While most anti-texting and driving campaigns are directed toward the 43 percent of teenage drivers who admit to texting and driving, the number of adults on the road is exponentially higher, and 49 percent of them are distracted.

As dangerous as being on the road with distracted drivers is, it is important to drive defensively, and to not contribute to the problem of distracted drivers. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an accident involving a cell phone, contact a Provo area auto accident lawyer or wrongful death lawyer immediately.

Ian Carry is a legal writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Robert J Debry. Follow on Twitter