Last updated April 12, 2019
A survey of 16 to 21 year olds across the United States by Consumer Reports has revealed that 48 per cent of them have witnessed one of their parents using their cell phones while driving a motor vehicle, while 15 per cent claim to have seen their mother or father texting while behind the wheel.
The Knowledge Networks 1049 surveyed young adults between 23 November and 13 December last year. Consumer Reports notes that although 63 percent of young drivers concur that accessing the internet, using smart-phone apps or texting while behind the wheel of a car is extremely dangerous, 29 percent still admitted to having texted while driving over the last month, with 47 percent admitting to have made a telephone call without the use of a hands-free headset. Almost 20 percent of respondents acknowledged that they knew someone who had been involved in an accident due to distracted driving.
On the plus side, the survey found that young drivers having peers in the vehicle actually discouraged them from using their new or old cell phones while driving. Almost 50 percent said that they were less likely to text or talk on a cell phone when they had friends as passengers, with 50 percent having been a passenger and asked the driver to stop using a cell phone while behind the wheel out of fear for their safety.