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SALT LAKE CITY — Adults are more likely than teens to text and drive, according to a recent survey.
The survey, conducted for AT&T by ResearchNow, found that 49 percent of adults admit to texting while driving, compared to 43 percent of teens. That's compared to 40 percent three years ago.
Similar to young children who know acting selfishly is bad but do it anyway, 49 percent of those who said they knew texting or emailing while driving was dangerous continued to do it.
More than 40 percent of those surveyed said texting while driving had become a habit for them.
While teens may simply be more wary of sharing their driving habits, even anonymously, adults do not seem to be setting the best example. And the sheer number of adults on the road compared to teens is concerning for some.
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"Texting while driving is not just a teen problem," John Ulczycki of the National Safety Council told USA Today. "Teens text. But you're looking at around 10 million teen drivers, but about 180 million other adult drivers."
The survey follows a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found that 31 percent of U.S. adults reporting having read or sent texts or emails at least once within the past month.
Multiple studies have shown texting while driving leads to increased danger on the road. Texting while driving is banned for at least some drivers in all but five states. Thirty-nine states have banned the practice for all drivers.
In Utah, texting while driving is banned for all drivers.
