The campaign to stop texting and driving is largely focused on young drivers. This isn’t because adults don’t text and drive, but because teens are more likely to and also because teens are more likely to be involved in car accidents. Perhaps it isn’t surprising, then, that insurance giant State Farm found teens to overstate their ability to avoid an accident when texting behind the wheel.
State Farm conducted a survey of 697 teens between the ages of 14 and 17. They found that 63% “strongly agree” that texting and driving could lead them to an accident. This is compared with 78% who believe drinking and driving could cause them to be involved in an accident.
Those who admit to texting behind the wheel are even more confident that they can avoid an accident. Of those who text and drive, only 52 percent think it could result in an accident.
Many teens think they have the driving skills needed to avoid an auto accident. Fifty-five percent think they will find themselves in situations where they will be able to narrowly avoid an accident while texting and driving. Again, they are more confident about texting than drinking, where 36% say they will be able to narrowly avoid a crash.
Interestingly, those teens who speak with their parents about texting and driving or drinking and driving are more likely to see those actions as dangerous. Sixty-seven percent of teens who talk to their parents about texting and driving believe they will get into an accident if they regularly text and drive. Of those who never talk to their parents about it, the number is 56%. In other words, parents do have a positive impact on teens’ views on the matter.
